After the British capture of Charleston on May 12, 1780 Lord Charles, Cornwallis advanced into the South Carolina interior. The remaining Continentals withdrew before Cornwallis's advance. On May 29, a British force under Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton caught up with an American detachment under Col. Abraham Buford at the Waxhaws near the North Carolina border. The ensuing battle resulted in an American route, however, controversy still swirls around the conduct of Tarleton and his men.