I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3074

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the site of the Battle of Camden in South Carolina, 

as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2003

Mr. SPRATT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Resources 

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the site of the Battle 

of Camden in South Carolina, as a unit of the National 

Park System, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. BATTLE OF CAMDEN SITE STUDY; REPORT. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Battle of Camden Study Act’’. 

6 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds as follows: 
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1 (1) The Battle of Camden, fought on August 

2 16, 1780, was a significant defeat for the Americans 

3 in the Revolutionary War. 

4 (2) Camden was an essential point of control 

5 for both armies in the Southern Campaign. The 

6 British used Camden as a logistical base for the in7 vasion of North Carolina and as a key recruitment 

8 and organizing point for Loyalists in South Caro9 lina. The Americans viewed Camden as the key to 

10 retaking South Carolina. 

11 (3) Major General Horatio Gates, commander 

12 of the American Southern Command, led an army of 

13 approximately 3,700 against Camden, which was de14 fended by British General Lord Charles Cornwallis 

15 with an army of approximately 2,200. 

16 (4) The Battle of Camden was one of the larg17 est field battles of the Revolution with both armies 

18 using a combination of infantry, calvary, and artil19 lery units. 

20 (5) Soldiers from 8 of what became the original 

21 13 States participated in the battle (South Carolina, 

22 Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Dela23 ware, New Jersey, and New York). 

24 (6) 68 British soldiers and hundreds of Ameri25 cans died in the Battle of Camden with many of the 
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1 dead remaining in unmarked graves at the battle2 field site. 

3 (7) The lessons learned by the Americans at the 

4 Battle of Camden sowed the seeds for the eventual 

5 American victory in the Revolutionary War 14 

6 months later. 

7 (8) In 1962, the site of the Battle of Camden 

8 was designated as a National Historic Landmark. 

9 (9) Development interests that are rapidly 

10 changing the use of surrounding land from forestry 

11 to residential and commercial use threaten the site 

12 of the Battle of Camden. 

13 (10) For several years, the National Park Serv14 ice has placed the Camden battlefield on the develop15 ment watch list and its 2003 strategic plan rec16 ommends that the status be changed to endangered. 

17 (11) In 2002, the Palmetto Conservation Foun18 dation acquired and preserved 310 acres at the core 

19 of the Battle of Camden. 

20 (12) Historic Camden, an affiliated area of the 

21 National Park System—

22 (A) is located approximately 6 miles from 

23 the site of the Battle of Camden; 

24 (B) was a colonial village founded in the 

25 1730s; 
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1 (C) was occupied by Lord Cornwallis from 

2 June 1780 to May 1781; and 

3 (D) was one of the few frontier settlements 

4 where two Revolutionary War battles were 

5 fought. 

6 (13) A March 2003 National Park Service re7 connaissance study concluded that further evaluation 

8 of the Battle of Camden and Historic Camden as a 

9 potential addition to the National Parks System was 

10 warranted. 

11 (c) STUDY; REPORT.—

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte13 rior (hereafter in this section referred to as the 

14 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall conduct a study of the site of the 

15 Battle of Camden fought in South Carolina on Au16 gust 16, 1780, and the site of Historic Camden, 

17 which is currently a National Park System Affiliated 

18 Area. The study shall evaluate the national signifi19 cance of the sites and suitability and feasibility of 

20 designating the sites as a unit or as separate units 

21 of the National Park System. 

22 (2) CRITERIA.—In conducting the study re23 quired by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall use the 

24 criteria for the study of areas for potential inclusion 
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1 in the National Park System contained in section 8 

2 of Public Law 91–383. 

3 (3) CONTENTS.—The study required by para4 graph (1) shall—

5 (A) determine the suitability and feasibility 

6 of designating the sites as a unit or as separate 

7 units of the National Park System; 

8 (B) include cost estimates for any nec9 essary acquisition, development, operation, and 

10 maintenance of the sites; and 

11 (C) identify alternatives for the manage12 ment, administration, and protection of the 

13 area. 

14 (4) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the 

15 date funds are made available for the study, the Sec16 retary shall submit to the Committee on Resources 

17 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

18 on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a 

19 report on the findings, conclusions, and rec20 ommendations of the study.

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