The correct answer is D) They panicked and fled.
Gates' men reacted to encountering British troops at Camden, South Carolina in that they panicked and fled.
We are referring to an episode in the Battle of Cadem, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780. British troops were more than the Continental Army soldiers and this represented a disadvantage, as well as they, were sick, and couldn't battle the English Army. Things did not end well for the American colonists and the British Army defeated them easily.