In April 1865, 2,700 Federal troops commanded by Brig. Gen. Edward E. Potter left Georgetown in a raid against the railroad lines between Sumter and Camden. After briefly occupying Sumter, Potter advanced to Manchester and remained there for a few days. On April 14 he ordered the 25th Ohio Infantry and 107th Ohio Infantry to advance toward Stateburg in a reconnaissance in force. The Confederate force there consisted of the 9th Kentucky Mounted Infantry, a section of an artillery battery, and a few S.C. militia. After the Confederates drove back the first Federal attack, Potter brought up the rest of his division on April 15 and fought "quite a Sharp skirmish" that forced some Confederates back but did not break their lines. On April 16 he bypassed Stateburg and proceeded to Camden.