I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1674 

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 

MARCH 23, 2007 

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

Committee on Natural 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) In 2002, the Palmetto Conservation Foun14 dation acquired and preserved 310 acres at the core 

15 of the Battle of Camden. 

16 (11) Historic Camden, an affiliated area of the 

17 National Park System— 

18 (A) is located approximately 6 miles from 

19 the site of the Battle of Camden; 

20 (B) was a colonial village founded in the 

21 1730s; 

22 (C) was occupied by Lord Cornwallis from 

23 June 1780 to May 1781; and 


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1 (D) was one of the few frontier settlements 

2 where two Revolutionary War battles were 

3 fought. 

4 (12) A March 2003 National Park Service re5 connaissance study concluded that further evaluation 

6 of the Battle of Camden and Historic Camden as a 

7 potential addition to the National Parks System was 

8 warranted. 

9 (c) STUDY; REPORT.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte11 rior (hereafter in this section referred to as the 

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

13 Battle of Camden fought in South Carolina on Au14 gust 16, 1780, and the site of Historic Camden, 

15 which is currently a National Park System Affiliated 

16 Area. The study shall evaluate the national signifi17 cance of the sites and suitability and feasibility of 

18 designating the sites as a unit or as separate units 

19 of the National Park System. 

20 (2) CRITERIA.—In conducting the study re21 quired by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall use the 

22 criteria for the study of areas for potential inclusion 

23 in the National Park System contained in section 8 

24 of Public Law 91–383. 


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1 (3) CONTENTS.—The study required by para2 graph (1) shall— 

3 (A) determine the suitability and feasibility 

4 of designating the sites as a unit or as separate 

5 units of the National Park System; 

6 (B) include cost estimates for any nec7 essary acquisition, development, operation, and 

8 maintenance of the sites; and 

9 (C) identify alternatives for the manage10 ment, administration, and protection of the 

11 area. 

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

13 date funds are made available for the study, the Sec14 retary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Re15 sources of the House of Representatives and the 

16 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

17 Senate a report on the findings, conclusions, and 

18 recommendations of the study. 

Æ 


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