Show Perseverance

The small town of Camden, South Carolina, is not a place many people can find on a map. It is an old city by United States standards with parks, squares, a city hall, kind people, and lots of beautiful trees. Although it might not be as famous as Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, an incredible event that helped Americans achieve their independence took place about six miles north of the town in August of 1780. It is known as the Battle of Camden. A significant force of the Continental army and militia led by General Horatio Gates met a well-trained British Force led by Lord Cornwallis. It was a miserable defeat for the Continentals. Many tactical mistakes were made and the grand army simply disintegrated. General Gates abandoned the field and rode horseback seventy miles without stopping. Whether his ride was a result of fear, cowardice, or good horsemanship is still a topic of debate by historians. So why was this so important? Because after the debacle, General George Washington named Nathanael Greene the Commanding General of the southern forces. Greene was a master of tactics, a detailed planner, and a realist — the perfect profile to find the needed breakthrough. Unlike Gates, Greene knew that the key to eventual victory wasn’t to win grand battles, it was to endure. This was particularly true because the British were operating far from home in a very inhospitable part of the world. Practicing unconventional warfare, Greene harassed the British, yet lost several battles. However, in doing so, he weakened the British army. Lord Cornwallis said of Greene, “No General has gained more by losing Battles!”. His army’s endurance and tactics pushed Cornwallis out of the Deep South. This eventually led to the capture of Cornwallis’ army at Yorktown. Greene’s mindset was out of the ordinary, his accomplishments were extraordinary, he found the constellation in the stars, and the principle of breakthrough innovation that was in action was that of perseverance…