08/19/1780 AD died
De Kalb's horse was shot from under him, causing him to tumble to the ground. Before he could get up, he was shot three times and bayonetted repeatedly by British soldiers. His friend and aide, the Chevalier du Buysson, was seriously wounded blocking additional blows with his own body.
Upon seeing de Kalb, Cornwallis told him,
"I am sorry, sir, to see you, not sorry that you are vanquished, but sorry to see you so badly wounded."
It is reported that Cornwallis supervised as de Kalb's wounds were dressed by his own surgeons in Camden, South Carolina. As he lay dying, de Kalb was reported to have said to a British officer,
"I thank you sir for your generous sympathy, but I die the death I always prayed for: the death of a soldier fighting for the rights of man."
He died three days later and was buried in Camden.
Upon visiting de Kalb's grave several years after his death, George Washington is reported to have said:
So, there lies the brave de Kalb. The generous stranger, who came from a distant land to fight our battles and to water with his blood the tree of liberty. Would to God he had lived to share its fruits!
Lattitude: 34.2591° N
Longitude: 80.6091° W
Region: North America
Modern Day United States
