Battle of Fishing Creek

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Fishing Creek


caption=
partof=American Revolutionary War
date=August 18, 1780
place=South Carolina
result=British victory
combatant1=United States
combatant2=Great Britain
commander1=Thomas Sumter
commander2=Banastre Tarleton
strength1=700 milita, 100 regulars, 2 pieces of artillery
strength2=100 cavalry, 60 light infantry
casualties1=over 150 killed
300 captured
casualties2=16 killed and wounded

The Battle of Fishing Creek, also called War on Sugar Creek, was fought on August 18, 1780, between American and British forces including the 71st Foot. It was fought at Fishing Creek, South Carolina. The British were led by Banastre Tarleton, while the Americans were led by Thomas Sumter. The British force was victorious.

The battle

Two days after the Battle of Camden, Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton’s command fought against Colonel Thomas Sumter at the Battle of Fishing Creek. In this fight, the advancing British force found a poorly defended American camp containing Colonel Sumpter and about 800 men. With his 150 man force, Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton attacked and captured nearly the entire force but Colonel Sumter narrowly escaped. In the battle, Captain Campbell, an officer from the 71st Regiment's light infantry, formed his men up with the cavalry and for a spontaneous attack. Had the British stopped to consider their situation more closely, the Americans would probably have discovered the enemy and successfully fought-off the numerically weaker British. Captain Campbell was killed by a stray bullet in the attack, his own 71st Regiment of Foot temporarily panicking and thereby not participating fully in the battle.