The Battle of Cowpens

The Battle: Cowpens took place in South Carolina on the border of North Carolina.
The Date: It was fought on the 17th of January 1781
The Units: Statistics
1912 men
1150 men
25 killed
110 killed
124 wounded
200 wounded
0 captured
712 captured
Commanders and Units:
Americans: The commander of the Battle of Cowpens for the Americans was Daniel Morgan.
He was in charge of:
A detachment of South Carolina Dragoons with horses commanded by Major James McCall
A company of Virginia State troops under the command of Captain John Lawson
A lot of militias from the surrounding states including Virginia
The battle of Cowpens was fought during the Revolutionary War, and it was a great American victory. The leader for the american side was Daniel morgan, his history of war dated back to the french indian war, he was also in the Invasion of Canada which had the big Battle pf Quebec. On the British side was Banastre Tarleton. He was the leader for the british and was controlling his units by the Pacolet river and the bigger Broad River. Tarleton marched to Ninety Six and found that Morgan was not there, but Tarleton decided to find Morgan anyway. Tarleton asked for reinforcements of British regulars, which Cornwallis sent. Tarleton went with his bigger army to drive Morgan across the Broad River. On January 12 he received news of Morgan's location and continued with marching. Morgan, receiving word that Tarleton was in pursuit, retreated north, attempting to avoid being trapped between Tarleton and Cornwallis. By the afternoon of the 16th Morgan was approaching the Broad River, which was high with flood waters and reported difficult to cross. By nightfall he had reached a place called the Cowpens, a well-known grazing area for local cattle. Minute men, who had been patrolling, arrived that night with a large body of militia. Morgan then decided to stand and fight rather than continue to retreat and risk being caught by Tarleton while fording the Broad River. Tarleton, for his part, received word of Morgan's location and made haste, marching at 3 a.m. instead of camping for the night.


Daniel Morgan

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Daniel Morgan was the leader of the Americans in the battle of cowpens. He served in several other wars however dating all the way back to the french indian war. He was one of the best field generals but the least remembered of them all. He Fought at freemans farm and actually survived and he fought in the battle of saratoga also.Morgan was born in new jersey and his parents were all welsh. He was poorly educated, and enjoyed drinking and gambling. He worked clearing land, in a sawmill and as a Teamster. He also served as a rifleman in the Provincial forces assigned to protect the western border from French Indian raids. In 1775, Congress authorized a Canada invasion. Colonel Benedict Arnold convinced Washington to send some troops in support of Montgomery's Fort Western' invasion. Washington agreed to send three rifle companies from among his forces at Boston, if they volunteered. All of the companies at Boston volunteered, so lotteries were used to choose who should go, and Morgan's company was among those chosen. Arnold selected Captain Morgan to lead all three companies as a unit. The expedition set out from on Sept. 25, with Morgan's men leading the advance party. During Freeman's Farm Morgan's men went in without orders, but it failed miserably and they formed up into a column led by General Hamilton. Morgan managed to reform the unit. As the British began to form on the fields at Freeman's farm, Morgan's men continued to break these formations with their guerrilla tactics and rifle fire from the woods on the far side of the field. They were joined by another seven regiments from Bemis Heights.


Banastre Tarleton

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Banastre Tarleton was born August 21, 1754. He received an upper class education. Upon his father's death, Banastre Tarleton received £5,000, but lost it all gambling. In 1775, he sought a new life in the military and purchased a commission in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards.In 1775, Tarleton obtained permission to leave the 1st King's Dragoon Guards and proceeded to American as a volunteer with General Cornwallis. His actions in tNew York Campaign of 1776 quickly earned him a promotion to major and he was assigned to serve under Colonel William Harcourt. On Friday December 13, 1776, while on a scouting mission, Tarleton's patrol surrounded a house in Basking Ridge, NJ where an american general was staying. Tarleton was able to compel Lee's surrender by threatening to burn the building down. Instructed in January 1781, to destroy an American command led by Brig. General Daniel Morgan, Tarleton rode west seeking the enemy. Tarleton found Morgan at an area in western South Carolina known as the Cowpens. In the battle that followed on January 17, Morgan destroyed Tarleton's command and routed him from the field.


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An accurate reanimation of the Battle of Cowpens.