By: Brooke Diemart

My visit to Charleston Museum was very interesting. This was my very first time going to any museum (like ever) in my life. However, just like Elsa (from the Disney movie Frozen 2), I was beckoned into the unknown. I took on the challenge, bringing my three young children with me so they could too, in search of an experience to learn something new. I remember looking at things that we had discussed so many times in class. The very first thing that caught my eye was a bronze cannon (1775) placed exactly in front, manufactured by James Byers, from the War of Independence. Then turning to my right, there was a “charity” statue, resembling the Lady of Liberty. This brought me back to all the pictures we saw of her during class. But just like Elsa (again), I was craving for an item between my time period to “show yourself” (or itself in this case) to me. That’s when we saw the revolutionary period nicely displayed. Just like that, Elsa’s mothers song popped into my head, “When all is lost, then all is found” (Disney Frozen 2). 

The thing that stood out to me the most was remnants of a revolutionary war musket. Why a musket you may ask? I did not exactly know what a musket was, and it piqued my curiosity. I found out that the musket was a firearm that when the trigger was pulled, a piece of rock (flint) would discharge from it. Yes, it is an old time gun! Muskets were the main weapon during the Revolutionary War, specifically the flintlock musket. But it was even more interesting that this musket, in particular, was said to have been carried by a man named “Levy” who was a free person of color serving with the patriot forces during the Battle of Camden. The bio stated that he returned to the battlefield to recover it in 1819. So, I read about the Battle of Camden to find out why go back for a musket, and what happened there?

The Battle of Camden was one of the most devastating defeats suffered by the American army to the British. In August 1780, an American General Horatio Gates charged to Camden, South Carolina, to capture it from British control. When British General Charles Cornwallis learned of this, he marched with British regulars and loyalist to confront the Americans. Gates ended up accidently feeding his men a meal of molasses and cornmeal that gave them diarrhea on August 15 (a day before the battle). Despite this, he still ordered the march toward Camden. Both armies waited until daylight to fight. The troops ended up being placed in a way that British could easily defeat, and Gates and his army ended up losing. Some troop members (American) even ran off from the battle. There were over 1,000 deaths among the Americans and only 324 British wounded or killed. They also lost control over wagons full of their equipment. This left the British in temporary control of the southern colonies. This victory led to the British invasion of North Carolina. I never found out why Levy went back for his musket, or whether he retrieved it or not, sadly. 

However, after learning about the Battle of Camden and the part it played in the Revolutionary war it was obvious that this was preserved and displayed because of this battle. This specific piece tells us about what was going on during the time of the Revolutionary War and particularly, how South Carolina was involved. It also focuses on the British’s fight for control over the south and the resistance in the backcountry. We get a piece of history that may seem like a small little thing but has a huge story behind it. Proving the saying that indeed the small things do matter.