In 1779, after a stalemate in the north, Cornwallis went south as second in command to Sir Henry Clinton. Clinton captured Charleston in May 1780. Cornwallis pressed on to defeat General Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780.

Drury Harris, a free Black man, served as a private in the 3rd South Carolina Regiment during the American Revolution, fighting in key battles like Savannah, Charleston, and Cowpens, where he was wounded; after the war, he settled in South Carolina, married, and was later granted a pension, living until 1834.

During the Battle of Camden in August, Rawdon commanded Charges Lord Cornwallis's left wing. After defeat at Cowpens, Cornwallis sought out northern territory, leaving Rawdon behind to defend both Georgia and South Carolina with a miniscule force.

Catawba leader General New River, born around 1740, allied with the Patriots during the Revolutionary War, leading Catawba warriors in key southern battles. Despite their service, the Catawba lost much of their ancestral land, and New River continued advocating for his people's rights until his death in 1804.