His primary involvement in the Revolutionary War was in fighting against hostile Native American tribes.

[2] In 1773, Van Campen and his family moved to an area near the West Branch Susquehanna River in Northumberland County.

Plunket's men went upriver for some distance, before beginning to march on December 1, 1775, while the boat continued traveling upstream as well.

At this point, the river was found to be impassable due to the abundance of ice, so the entire company continued upriver on foot towards Fort Wyoming.

Later, Van Campen was made a sergeant under the command of Thomas Gaskins and John Kelly.

The regiment that Van Campen was in first went to Reids Fort near Big Island on the Susquehanna River.

While stationed here, Van Campen was sent to a place called Young Woman's Town, 30 miles upstream along the Susquehanna River, in pursuit of a group of Native Americans who were camping there.

[1] Van Campen was promoted to Lieutenant in 1778 and was subsequently placed under the command of Colonel Samuel Hunter.

Near the beginning of April 1778, Van Campen and 20 other men marched to an area three miles above the mouth of Fishing Creek.

This time, Van Campen and ten other men fought them, causing the Indians to retreat.

[1] Later in the summer of 1778, Van Campen and five other men were ordered to track down a group of loyalists who were hiding nearby.

[1] Later in 1778, Van Campen received orders from Colonel Hunter to lead a company of men from Lancaster County and patrol nearby settlements and search for groups of Indians.

[1] In 1779, Van Campen was a participant in the Sullivan Expedition, a military campaign against Loyalists and Iroquois.

On July 31, 1779, Van Campen, under the command of John Morrison, began moving up the Susquehanna River with 120 ships and 2000 horses carrying supplies for the Sullivan Expedition.

After some time, Van Campen's sentinel signaled that there were 15 Indians nearby, although it turned was a false alarm.

The afternoon after he returned from this expedition, he was selected by General Sullivan to lead the advance guard in the army's upcoming battle.

The Indians attacked Van Campen's advance guard as it arrived at the top of the hill, causing 16 casualties.

[1] Later in the Sullivan Expedition, Van Campen and a group of other soldiers went to an Indian settlement at the headwaters of Baldwin's Creek.

On August 31, the army continued heading in the direction of Catherine's town, destroying Indian homes and croplands in their path.

On their route, the army traveled into areas that were previously unexplored by people of European descent.

[1] In 1780, Van Campen was captured by Indians of the Seneca tribe[2] during a raid, who planned to take him to Niagara.

His work during this time consisted mostly of scouting around settlements and searching for small groups of Indians.

As they passed this area, four Indians arrived to kill Van Campen, but they opted not to attack when they realized that he was going with six others.

On the Sinnemahoning Creek, Van Campen and the others discovered a group if Indians, but there were far fewer than the claimed 300.

In April 1782, shortly after the rebuilding of the fort commenced, Van Campen and a number of others went with a man named Mr. Culbertson to Bald Eagle Creek, where Clubertson's brother was killed by Indians.

At this point, approximately 85 Indians of a Seneca tribe[2] who were sailing downriver discovered Van Campen's group and set out to pursue them.

[1] Near the beginning of the spring of 1783, Van Campen travelled to the Wilkes-Barre Fort to take command of it and the company of soldiers inside it.

Van Campen commanded the fort until November 1783, when he retired from military service due to illness.

[1] His father and younger brother died in 1780, during an Indian attack, which Van Campen himself survived.