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Date Published: March 21, 2004
Historic symposium set at Camden
CAMDEN -- On Sept. 6, 1780, 20 days after the disastrous Battle of Camden, Alexander Hamilton wrote: "But was there ever the instance of a general running away, as Gates has done, from his whole army? And was there ever so precipitous a flight? One hundred and eight miles in three days and a half does admirable credit to the activities of a man at his time of life. But it disgraces the general and the soldier. I always believed him to be very far short of a Hector or a Ulysses. All the world, I think, will begin to agree with me."
But all the world did not agree with Hamilton then or now. In presenting new insight into Horatio Gates's life, noted British actor-playwright Howard Burnham has developed a historical monologue titled "Northern Laurels and Southern Willows: Horatio Gates hands over to Nathanael Greene."
The one-man play is the fourth in a series Burnham has created pertaining to the British military figures of the American Revolution, the others being on Lord Charles Cornwallis, "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne and the infamous Banastre Tarleton.
Burnham's maiden performance of "Northern Laurels and Southern Willows" will be presented on Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m. at the Kershaw County Health Resource Center on 124 Battleship Road in Camden. It will be the grand finale to the April 2-3 Camden Battle Campaign Symposium: May-September 1780 co-hosted by Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site and the Kershaw County Historical Society.
Preceding the play will be a sit-down dinner at 6:30 p.m. prepared by Mads Catering. Tickets for the dinner theater are $35 per person and will be available at Historic Camden, located on South Broad Street, until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26. Payment may be made by check made payable to Historic Camden, MasterCard/Visa or cash. Tickets to attend the performance only are $15 per person and will be available until Thursday, April 1. Performance seating will begin at 7:50 pm.
In most of his historical monologues, Burnham positions his character reflecting back from some distant future time in life. In Gates' case, however, Burnham sets his time frame just months after the disastrous Battle of Camden.
"I will be portraying the much-maligned 'Granny' Gates passing command of the Southern Department to General Greene in December, 1780," he said. "Before giving his account of his nemesis at Camden, Gates reviews his life from his humble origins as the son of servant-class parents in aristocratic England, through fortunate promotion in the British army in America in the French and Indian War to disenchantment with his native country and his move to Virginia, leading to his espousal of the Revolution and his triumph at Saratoga.
"This entertaining and accurate program attempts to reassess the contribution of a difficult and controversial figure of the Revolutionary War. It does not whitewash Gates, but does show the argument for the defense..."
Burnham, born in Bournemouth, England, graduated from the University of Durham and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London, in 1972. He worked in the British Theatre Museum in Leighton House and then at Covent Garden. This led to a work on theater history published by the Victoria and Albert Museum. Burnham was also an actor and director, winning many awards in Britain for both efforts. He and his family moved to the United States several years ago and settled in Columbia. From this base, he travels the country presenting original monologues depicting such characters as Lewis Carroll, Thomas Hardy, Hector Berlioz, Charles Dickens, and of course, Lord Cornwallis.
For those interested in attending the symposium, which includes the dinner theater, the registration fee is $135 and due March 26. The two-day program includes presentations by 13 scholars and historians on the events, people and actions that surrounded the Battle of Camden. Also included is an opening Friday night reception at the Kershaw-Cornwallis House, Saturday box lunch and a Saturday afternoon guided tour of the battlefield located nine miles north of Camden. Books pertaining to the Revolution will be available for purchase.
A post-symposium guided bus tour of the area's Revolutionary War sites will be held on Sunday, April 4 from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Charles Baxley, past president of the Kershaw County Historical Society, will act as head guide and host. Other guides will conduct on-site tours at Hanging Rock, Fishing Creek and Rocky Mount battle sites. Drive-by only battle sites will include Rugeley's Mill, Beckham's Old Fields, Flat Rock and Hobkirk's Hill.
Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site will be the point of departure and return for the tour. The $35 fee includes a box lunch. Reservations and fees are due Thursday, April 1 and seating is limited. Comfortable attire is recommended. To register or for additional information or a symposium schedule, contact Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site at 222 Broad Street, Camden, SC. Telephone (803) 432-9841; fax (803) 432-3815, e-mail hiscamdencamden.net. For Internet information or registration, go to www.southerncampaign.org. [2] |