Aug 27, 2024 · 1782 Battle of the Combahee River near Beaufort, South Carolina, American abolitionist John Laurens is killed leading the charge. 1813 Battle of Dresden; Napoleon defeats Austrians. 1883 Krakatoa volcano, located west of Java in Indonesia, erupts with a force of 200 megatons of TNT, killing approximately 40,000 people.