Morgan ordered Howard’s men, retreating but still in rank, to turn and fire a volley in unison. Nathanael Greene to Daniel Morgan, South Carolina, January 13, 1781, in Cowpens Papers, Being Correspondence of General Morgan and the Prominent Actors (Charleston, South Carolina: The News and Courier Book Presses, 1881), 19. He knew that his small army would be unsuccessful in any direct confrontation with the British, so he violated military convention and split his force in the region. The Battle of Cowpens was fought on January 17, 1781, near Thicketty Creek, South Carolina, on a 500 square yard grazing pasture. Battle of Cowpens, (January 17, 1781), in the American Revolution, brilliant American victory over a British force on the northern border of South Carolina that slowed Lord Cornwallis ’s campaign to invade North Carolina. When and where did it take place? In 1780 the Carolinas had been the scene of a long string of disasters for the Continental Army, the worst being the capture of one American army under Gen. Benjamin Lincoln in May 1780, at the Siege of Charleston. Babits, Lawrence. The Americans were led by Brigadier General Daniel Morgan. The British were decimated and the troops halted immediately while the American fixed their bayonets and charged the British taking them by surprise and even managing to capture cannon in the process. The British had a force of 1,150 men of which 110 were killed, 200 wounded and 712 were taken prisoner. The militia sharpshooters decimated the dragoons, taking particular aim at officers and killing fifteen men within minutes. 2. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was a direct result of the Continental victory at the Cowpens and led to Corwallis' march to Yorktown. Momentum shifted, however, on December 29, 1778, as local loyalists and redcoats defeated rebel forces in Savannah, Georgia. Yet privately Morgan remained pessimistic, reporting to General Greene that his, “force is inadequate to the attempt you have hinted at.”3. With Morgan believing a head on battle would be the order of the day he set up his forces in three lines with sharpshooters at the front, militia men on the second row and his main forces making up the third line. The British saw this as the final mark of retreat and broke ranks as they charged out of formation, the militia turned back from their withdrawal and all the Americans opened fire when the British were at a short distance. The colonial victory at Cowpens reignited the flame of rebellion that had been largely absent in the southern colonies and led many in Britain to question the prospect for a successful end to the war in North America. Roberts, Kenneth. Sir Henry Clinton, commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, recognized that George Washington and the Continental Army would be unable to fight the Crown on both a strong northern and southern front. The British had broken rank and were in the midst of an unorganized charge when the American volley halted their advance. One of the most interesting moves in the battle formation was that Morgan had told the Militia men to fire two volleys then make their way to the rear of the third line; this was a ruse so the British did not see the third line and simply thought it was the militia. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858. 1. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained in trust for the people of the United States by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. On December 3, 1780, 38-year-old Nathanael Greene became the commander of America’s southern forces. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, INC. 1958. The British took control of this city, the largest … By 1779, with little strategic progress in the north, the British strategy shifted to focus on the South and its larger loyalist population. Just after dawn on January 17, Tarleton took the bait and attacked head on. “Nor do I expect to have more than two-thirds of these to assist me, should I be attacked,” Morgan worried, “for it is impossible to keep them collected.”4 To ensure all of his soldiers remained engaged, he positioned his men between the Pacolet and Broad rivers to make an escape from the battle nearly impossible. Morgan spent the night before the battle talking to as many continentals and militiamen as he could, delivering powerful speeches and rallying his men for the battle to come. Britain hoped to destabilize the rebellion by supporting southern loyalists and sparking a quasi-civil war. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1998. 4. Tarleton tried desperately to rally his soldiers. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained in trust for the people of the United States by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. Morgan had time to arrange his forces before the British arrived so positioned his men in what is seen as an unorthodox formation. Learn More. In December Greene did have some good fortune as Brigadier General Daniel Morgan reported for duty in early December. The Washington Library is open to all researchers and scholars, by appointment only. Morgan’s sharpshooters also retreated and rejoined the second continental line as the redcoats refocused their attack on the flank of the American force. Nine days after the battle, Morgan reported to his friend William Snickers: “I have given [Tarleton] a devil of a whipping.”5 Morgan's soldiers gave a proper burial to all 122 fallen men and proceeded to Winchester, Virginia, where he delivered his prisoners and reunited with Nathanael Greene. What was the significance of the battle of cowpens? A pasturing area at the time of the battle, this Revolutionary War site commemorates the place where Daniel Morgan and his army turned the flanks of Banastre Tarleton's British army. Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC. 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial HighwayMount Vernon, Virginia 22121. The Battle of Cowpens was a battle that happened during the American Revolutionary War and marked a turning point for the American forces in regaining colonies from the British. He ordered 100 dragoons and his artillery to engage the Americans. Daniel Morgan to William Snickers, January 26 1781 quoted in Lawrence E. Babits, A Devil of a Whipping (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998), 1. The British thought the Americans were in retreat having seen two lines withdraw so went in with a full attack, the main body of the British were sent in a headlong advance while the Scottish contingent were sent in a flanking manoeuvre. His soldiers were arranged in three lines: the frontline consisted of 150 sharpshooters under the command of Majors McDowell and Cunningham; the second of 300 militiamen led by Andrew Pickens: and the final line of about 550 Continental regulars directed by Lieutenant Colonel John Eager Howard. A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens. Morgan heard of the fact the British were in pursuit so made north, this was until his men reached the Broad River which was swollen and impassable. Daniel Morgan to Nathanael Greene, January 19 1781, in Cowpens Papers, Being Correspondence of General Morgan and the Prominent Actors (Charleston, South Carolina: The News and Courier Book Presses, 1881), 21. Need help with homework? British casualties were estimated at about 600, whereas the Americans lost only 72. Earlier in the war, at Williamsburg, Great Bridge, Cane Break, Moore’s Creek Bridge, Charleston, and Wheeling the British had sustained calamitous defeats. Despite strong support within the civilian population, the British were unable to gain a foothold in Virginia, South Carolina, or Georgia. In early January the British sent an army of men under the leadership of Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton west and Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton went in pursuit of Morgan and his small army of men. Cornwallis ordered 26-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, infamous for his victory at the Battle of Waxhaws, to lead a legion (roughly 600 army regulars) to Fort Ninety Six to confront Morgan and defend the fort. Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton marched his men throughout the early hours of the morning to reach Morgan in time to make battle, Morgan had already made the decision to stand and fight anyway so the Battle of Cowpens was afoot. After arriving at Ninety Six, Tarleton requested additional forces to pursue Morgan’s army to what he correctly surmised was their true destination: the Broad River. Discover the Home of George and Martha Washington. The Battle of Cowpens was fought on January 17, 1781, near Thicketty Creek, South Carolina, on a 500 square yard grazing pasture. A turning point in the war’s southern campaign, Cowpens produced a massive boost of morale throughout the Continental Army and was a crucial step in securing the South for the American patriots. 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