January
17, 1781 – the Battle of Cowpens.
 |
| US Memorial Monument in honor of all the men who fought at Cowpens |
Last
week we featured Ninety Six National Historic Site, site of the American
Revolution’s first major land battle in the South. It was a little later in the
Revolutionary War that brigadier general Daniel Morgan was sent into western
South Carolina with his “Flying Army” to operate on the British left flank and
rear (led by British commander in the south Major Gen. Cornwallis). Cornwallis responded
by dispatching Banastre Tarleton along with the British Legion to counter
Morgan… and the rest is history.
Morgan
sent for militia units from SC, NC and Georgia – men who had fought at Musgrove Mill and Kings Mountain – but was still outnumbered when Tarleton caught up to
them in Upstate SC. Choosing to stand and fight, Morgan devised a battle plan
and dug in at the Cow Pens, a frontier pasturing ground on the road to a ford
across the Broad River six miles to the northwest. Today, these fields and
surrounding 842 acres are Cowpens National Battlefield. Our recent visit was
also on a chilly winter morning – but some 237 years after the battle.
On the
morning of the January 17th, 1781, Morgan received word that
Tarleton had crossed the Pacolet River 12 miles to the south. He knew what he
was up against, and devised a plan to counter British battle tactics, relying
on the firing distance of the long rifle (200 yards vs. the musket’s 50) and
his chosen topography to win the battle against muskets and bayonets.
He
placed his militia sharpshooters on the front line in two small groups. When the
British came into view just before dawn, the sharpshooters dropped two-thirds
of the British officers before withdrawing behind the second line, Andrew Pickens’
regional militia. Together they were to deliver two volleys ‘at a killing
distance’ before falling back to Howard’s Continentals. All went according to
plan up until that point – but the British still surged forward, and after
fierce fighting the entire line began a retreat. Morgan rallied his troops at
the last line, and here the Washington cavalry also joined the melee. Pickens’
militia opened fire on the dragoons and Highlanders, and suddenly, the battle
was over. In less than an hour 110 British were killed, 229 wounded and 600
captured (compared to 24 killed and 104 wounded for Morgan), and Tarleton fled,
the British Legion cavalry falling in behind him.
We
started off on our walking tour of Cowpens National Battlefield from the
Visitor Center on the Battlefield Trail. The 1¼-mile self-guided tour takes
visitors straight across the battlefield on Green River Road, with
informational placards posted at the various points where Morgan’s forces had
been stationed. We passed the line of Howard’s Continentals and the Pickens’
Militia, down past where the sharpshooters had been stationed all the way to
Tarleton’s front line: the Dragoons, Fusiliers and Infantry. Looking back at
the ground we had covered, we found it amazing how well-utilized the topography
had been in the battle; the field has three low crests separated by wide
swales, and the various lines optimized the high ground as well as cover
provided by each.
The
trail winds around through a wetlands area and a hardwoods forest, and then
arrives back at the Visitor Center. If you haven’t already, watch the short
film and explore the exhibits before returning to your car for the driving loop
portion of the Cowpens experience.
The
Auto Loop Road takes visitors on a 3-mile loop around the perimeter of the
battlefield. Wayside exhibits, overlooks and short trails at several points
along the way provide additional insight into the battle, while a stop at the
1800s reconstructed Robert Scruggs House provokes thought of how a family with
11 children managed to live in such a small cabin.
 |
| Scruggs cabin |
A
group shelter, restrooms and picnic area are located on the far side of the
loop, as well as the trailhead for the 2-mile Cowpens Nature Trail that loops
down to the river. After finishing the loop you’ll emerge back out on the
Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, a short drive from Gaffney, SC.
Cowpens
is about a 1-hour drive from Greenville. For hours and other info, please visit
their website. The Cowpens National Battlefield was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. It is also on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, the 330-mile commemorative motor route that shadows the march of the 1,000-strong Patriot militia in 1780.
Epilogue:
Cornwallis
would continue north to Guilford Courthouse, Petersburg and his eventual
surrender in Yorktown in October 1781, but the victory at Cowpens was new hope
for the American Revolution.
