Battle of Combahee River

The Battle of Combahee River on August 27, 1782 was one of the final tragedies of the Revolutionary War — the death of Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, one of the most promising and idealistic officers in the Continental Army. Laurens had returned to South Carolina despite the near-certain approach of peace, determined to continue the fight against British forces still occupying Charleston.

Laurens led a small patrol of Continental light infantry near the Combahee River. Against the advice of those who knew the area, he pressed forward aggressively and led his men into an ambush by a much larger British foraging party near the river crossing. Laurens was shot from his horse and killed instantly. He was 27 years old.

The loss of Laurens was mourned deeply by Washington, Hamilton, and the Continental officer corps. He had been one of the first American officers to advocate seriously for the emancipation and arming of enslaved people, proposing to raise a regiment of freed Black soldiers in South Carolina. His death removed one of the most principled voices that might have shaped the young republic's approach to slavery in the critical early years.