The Battle of Camden (1780) during the American Revolutionary War has always interested me. It really is a microcosm of the whole war with a mixture of British and Loyalists fighting a much larger American force (official British accounts list 2,179 men against about 3,850 Americans). The Maryland Regiments (and the Delaware Blues) held their ground and at one point nearly forced the Loyalists to retreat but Cornwallis rode amongst them shouting to the Volunteers of Ireland 'Stand my brave lads of Ireland' and they held. On the other flank however things did not go so well. Both armies employed the conventional tactic of putting your best troops on the right flank meaning that whilst the men of the Continental line were on the right, the left flank was entirely composed of Militia. They fired a few sporadic shots and were beaten off by the 23rd Royal Welch Fuziliers and the 33rd (the rebel cavalry support on the left under the command of Colonel Armand retreated as well). According to accounts General Gates, the American Commander, at this point fled with his staff officers chasing after him. He hardly stopped till he reached the town of Charlotte, nearly sixty miles away.
Baron de Kalb, who commanded the right wing, fought valiantly with his men, being wounded several times before surrendering and later dying of his wounds. Tarleton was sent in with his cavalry which finally routed the now outnumbered and exhausted Continentals.
Gates would be relieved of his command but thank to friends and other connections in Congress he escaped a court martial, although he never held a field command again. The Maryland Regiments and the Delaware Blues had been some of the finest regiments in the Continental Line and their loss was a major blow although the survivors would continue to fight on and the reformed First and Second Maryland, along with what was left of the Delawares, would have their revenge at the later Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
This is probably the best site on the Battle of Camden:
http://battleofcamden.org/
