The Snow Campaign was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

 in the southern campaign

Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War

The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War was the central area of operations in North America in the second half of the American Revolutionary War. During the first three years of the conflict, the primary military encounters had been in the north, focused on campaigns around the...

. An American army of 3,000 troops under Colonel Richard Richardson

Richard Richardson

Richard Richardson was M.P. for Ipswich, between 1 April 1714 and his death on 31 December 1714.-Sources:http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/icommons.htm...

 invaded British territory in South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, taking over their camp at the Reedy River.

Campaign

Richardson set off with a band of soldiers to attack the loyalists and British forces along the Congaree River

Congaree River

The Congaree River is a short but wide river in South Carolina in the United States; It flows for only 47 miles . The river serves an important role as the final outlet channel for the entire Lower Saluda and Lower Broad watersheds, before merging with the Wateree River just north of Lake Marion to...

. When he halted at Evan McLauren's house, he captured three British officers as well as gaining several more soldiers. As the contingent gained men to 5,000 in total, they marched down the Enoree River

Enoree River

The Enoree River is a tributary of the Broad River, 85 mi long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States . Via the Broad and Congaree Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean ....

 and chased down retreating Loyalists. William Thomson was sent with 1300 troops to surprise-attack the British troops encamped at the Reedy (or Reade) river. Thomson and the volunteers defeated the British force, capturing supplies, weapons, and ammunition. The rest of the British and Loyalists made way to the wilderness to evade capture. However, the march home was brutal, the winter setting in. Most of the American militia returned home and the army of 5000 men dissolved quickly. Soon, the British gathered on the coast under command of General Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...

and regained most of the back country.