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Revolutionary War–Era Graves Unearthed in South Carolina

CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA—The Post and Courier reports that forensic anthropologists from the Richland County Coroner’s Office and researchers from the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust recently removed human remains from the site of the Battle of Camden in central South Carolina. The battle was won on August 16, 1780, by experienced British regulars—led by General Charles Cornwallis—who faced sick and hungry militiamen led by Continental Army Major General Horatio Gates. The victory helped the British to strengthen their hold on the South. In all, the remains of 14 soldiers, including one British soldier and a possible Native American member of a Loyalist militia unit, men of the First and Second Maryland Brigades, the Delaware Continental Army, Armand’s Legion, and the Virginia and North Carolina militias have been recovered. Musket balls have already been spotted lodged in some of the bones, which will be examined by Carlina Maria de la Cova of the University of South Carolina. The remains will eventually be reburied on the battlefield. To read about another South Carolina Revolutionary War site, go to "Laurens' Last Stand."

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