[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.
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