ETV to Premiere Battle of Camden Dig

A Secrets of the Dead episode follows USC archaeologists and forensic scientists investigating the 1780 Camden battlefield.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Botany

Wide landscape view of a shallow excavation trench cut into sandy clay on an open rural field, with wooden stakes and string marking a grid, under an overcast sky. — Forensic scientists and USC archaeologists investigated the 1780 Battle of Camden battlefield in South Carolina for the SCETV documentary "Finding America's Fallen," premiering Nov. 11 on ETV. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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SCETV will premiere the Secrets of the Dead episode "Finding America's Fallen" on Nov. 11 at 10 p.m. on ETV. The episode follows USC archaeologists and Richland County Coroners Office forensic scientists as they investigate the Battle of Camden battlefield.

Why it matters

The episode arrives as the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary, offering a closer look at a significant Continental Army loss in South Carolina. It highlights how archaeology is helping researchers understand the soldiers who fought there.

The Battle of Camden was fought Aug. 16, 1780, and the episode is one of four new episodes in the current season of Secrets of the Dead. The extraction does not specify the final findings of the Camden investigation.

The players

SCETV

South Carolina Educational Television is the state's public broadcaster, which partnered with The WNET Group to produce the episode and streams it on its website and SCETV+.

The WNET Group

The WNET Group is a New York-based public media organization that produces the Secrets of the Dead series and reaches more than five million viewers each month.

The details

Scientists and archaeologists investigated the Camden battlefield to uncover evidence about the soldiers who fought and died there. The episode also includes veterans-turned-archaeologists who joined the investigation, and the production was made by The WNET Group in partnership with SCETV.

Aug. 16, 1780: The Battle of Camden is fought near Camden, South Carolina.
Nov. 11, 2026 at 10 p.m.: "Finding America's Fallen" premieres on ETV.

Historical Context

The Battle of Camden, fought in 1780, was one of the Continental Army's most significant losses of the Revolutionary War. This archaeological investigation revisits that defeat by examining the physical remains of the soldiers who fought there.

Viewers in South Carolina can watch "Finding America's Fallen" on ETV at 10 p.m. on Nov. 11, and the episode will also be available to stream on the SCETV website and SCETV+. The episode is part of a new season of Secrets of the Dead with four new episodes.

The takeaway

Archaeology can reveal how individual soldiers lived and died in conflicts documented only in written records. Following this kind of research offers readers a grounded way to connect with the nation's Revolutionary War history as the 250th anniversary approaches.