Battle of Cowpens
Cowpens, Cherokee County, South Carolina, USA
What happened
American forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan fought a British force under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. In the American Revolutionary War, Morgan placed his militia in front of his experienced Continental soldiers. The militia fired two volleys and then pulled back, which looked like a retreat. When the British rushed forward in disorder, Morgan's troops struck them from the front and both sides, surrounding most of Tarleton's force.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It disrupted the British plan for the southern colonies and weakened the army of Lord Cornwallis. Morgan's trap, attacking from the front and both sides at once, is called a 'double envelopment'.
What came next
Cornwallis's weakened army was later trapped at Yorktown, which led to peace terms recognising American independence. The battlefield is now Cowpens National Battlefield.
Did you know?
The park has a reconstructed log cabin of Robert Scruggs, who farmed the land before it became a battlefield park.
Timeline
- 17 January 1781Morgan wins at Cowpens.
- 1781Cornwallis wins at Guilford Court House but is weakened.
- 1781Cornwallis is trapped at Yorktown.
- 4 March 1929Cowpens National Battlefield Site is created.