Battle of Camden Study Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to evaluate the national significance of the site of the Battle of Camden, South Carolina and the site of Historic Camden, South Carolina, and to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating such sites as a unit or as separate units of the National Park System.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3493 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3493
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and
feasibility of designating the site of the Battle of Camden in South
Carolina, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2005
Mr. Spratt (for himself, Mr. Brown of South Carolina, Mr. Inglis of
South Carolina, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. Wilson of South
Carolina, and Mr. Clyburn) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and
feasibility of designating the site of the Battle of Camden in South
Carolina, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. BATTLE OF CAMDEN SITE STUDY; REPORT.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Battle of Camden
Study Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
(1) The Battle of Camden, fought on August 16, 1780, was a
significant defeat for the Americans in the Revolutionary War.
(2) Camden was an essential point of control for both
armies in the Southern Campaign. The British used Camden as a
logistical base for the invasion of North Carolina and as a key
recruitment and organizing point for Loyalists in South
Carolina. The Americans viewed Camden as the key to retaking
South Carolina.
(3) Major General Horatio Gates, commander of the American
Southern Command, led an army of approximately 3,700 against
Camden, which was defended by British General Lord Charles
Cornwallis with an army of approximately 2,200.
(4) The Battle of Camden was one of the largest field
battles of the Revolution with both armies using a combination
of infantry, calvary, and artillery units.
(5) Soldiers from 8 of what became the original 13 States
participated in the battle (South Carolina, Georgia, North
Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New
York).
(6) 68 British soldiers and hundreds of Americans died in
the Battle of Camden with many of the dead remaining in
unmarked graves at the battlefield site.
(7) The lessons learned by the Americans at the Battle of
Camden sowed the seeds for the eventual American victory in the
Revolutionary War 14 months later.
(8) In 1962, the site of the Battle of Camden was
designated as a National Historic Landmark.
(9) Development interests that are rapidly changing the use
of surrounding land from forestry to residential and commercial
use threaten the site of the Battle of Camden.
(10) For several years, the National Park Service has
placed the Camden battlefield on the development watch list and
its 2003 strategic plan recommends that the status be changed
to endangered.
(11) In 2002, the Palmetto Conservation Foundation acquired
and preserved 310 acres at the core of the Battle of Camden.
(12) Historic Camden, an affiliated area of the National
Park System--
(A) is located approximately 6 miles from the site
of the Battle of Camden;
(B) was a colonial village founded in the 1730s;
(C) was occupied by Lord Cornwallis from June 1780
to May 1781; and
(D) was one of the few frontier settlements where
two Revolutionary War battles were fought.
(13) A March 2003 National Park Service reconnaissance
study concluded that further evaluation of the Battle of Camden
and Historic Camden as a potential addition to the National
Parks System was warranted.
(c) Study; Report.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter
in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall conduct
a study of the site of the Battle of Camden fought in South
Carolina on August 16, 1780, and the site of Historic Camden,
which is currently a National Park System Affiliated Area. The
study shall evaluate the national significance of the sites and
suitability and feasibility of designating the sites as a unit
or as separate units of the National Park System.
(2) Criteria.--In conducting the study required by
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall use the criteria for the
study of areas for potential inclusion in the National Park
System contained in section 8 of Public Law 91-383.
(3) Contents.--The study required by paragraph (1) shall--
(A) determine the suitability and feasibility of
designating the sites as a unit or as separate units of
the National Park System;
(B) include cost estimates for any necessary
acquisition, development, operation, and maintenance of
the sites; and
(C) identify alternatives for the management,
administration, and protection of the area.
(4) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date funds
are made available for the study, the Secretary shall submit to
the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a
report on the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the
study.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks.
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