The Battle of Cowpens (January 17, 1781) was a decisive victory by American Revolutionary forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was a turning point in the reconquest of South Carolina from the British.

The Continental force

The Continental forces, often referred to "Morgan's flying corps", were commanded by Brigadier-General Daniel Morgan. Although Morgan claimed in his official report to have had only a few over 800 men at Cowpens, historian Lawrence Babits, in his detailed study of the Battle, estimates the real numbers as:

  • A battalion of Continental infantry under Lt-Col John Eager Howard, with one company from Delaware, one from Virginia and three from Maryland; each with a strength of sixty men (300)
  • A company of Virginia State troops under Captain John Lawson (75)
  • A company of South Carolina State troops under Captain Joseph Pickens (60)
  • A small company of North Carolina State troops under Captain Henry Connelly (number not given)
  • A Virginia Militia battalion under Frank Triplett (160)
  • Two companies of Virginia Militia under Major David Campbell (50)
  • A battalion of North Carolina Militia under Colonel Joseph McDowell (260-285)
  • A brigade of four battalions of South Carolina Militia under Colonel Andrew Pickens, comprising a three-company battalion of the Spartanburg Regiment under Lt-Col Benjamin Roebuck; a four-company battalion of the Spartanburg Regiment under Col John Thomas; five companies of the Little River Regiment under Lt-Col Joseph Hayes and seven companies of the Fair Forest Regiment under Col Thomas Brandon. Babits states that this battalion ranged in size from 120 to more than 250 men. If Roebuck's three companies numbered 120 and Brandon's seven companies numbered 250, then Thomas's four companies probably numbered about 160 and Hayes's five companies about 200, for a total of (730)
  • Three small companies of Georgia Militia commanded by Major Cunningham who numbered (55)
  • A detachment of the 1st and 3rd Continental Light Dragoons under Lt-Col William Washington(82)
  • Detachments of state dragoons from North Carolina and Virginia (30)
  • A detachment of South Carolina State Dragoons, with a few mounted Georgians, commanded by Major James McCall (25)
  • A company of newly-raised volunteers from the local South Carolina Militia commanded by Major Benjamin Jolly (45)

The figures given by Laurence E. Babits total 82 Continental light dragoons; 55 state dragoons; 45 militia dragoons; 300 Continental infantry; about 150 state infantry and 1,255-1,280 militia infantry, for a total of 1,887-1,912 officers and men.

Broken down by state, there were about 855 South Carolinians; 442 Virginians; 290-315 North Carolinians; 180 Marylanders; 60 Georgians and 60 Delawareans.
Morgan's Continentals were veterans, and many of his militia, which included some Overmountain Men, had seen service at the Battle of Musgrove Mill and the Battle of Kings Mountain.


The British force

"Lieutenant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton" by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
The British were commanded by Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The British force comprised:

  • Loyalist Legion: 250 cavalry and 200 infantry
  • A troop of the 17th Light Dragoons (50),
  • A battery of the Royal Artillery (24) with two 3-pounder cannons
  • The 7th (Royal Fusiliers) Regiment (177)
  • The light infantry company of the 16th Regiment (42)
  • The 71st (Fraser's Highlanders) Regiment under Major Arthur MacArthur (334)
  • The light company of the Loyalist Prince of Wales' American Regiment (31)
  • A company of Loyalist guides (50)

A total of over 1,150 officers and men.
Broken down by troop classification, there were 300 cavalry, 553 regulars, 24 artillerymen and 281 militia. Tarleton's men from the Royal Artillery, 17th Light Dragoons, 16th Regiment and 71st Regiment were reliable and good soldiers: but the detachment of the 7th Regiment were raw recruits who had been intended to reinforce the garrison of Fort Ninety-Six where they could receive further training rather than go straight into action. Tarleton's own unit, the British Legion were formidable "in a pursuit situation" but had an uncertain reputation when faced with determined opposition.

The situation

General Cornwallis instructed Tarleton and his Legion, who had been successful at battles such as Camden and Waxhaw in the past, to destroy Morgan's command. Tarleton's previous victories had been won by bold attacks, often despite being outnumbered. American commander Nathanael Greene had taken the daring step of dividing his army, detaching Morgan away from the main Patriot force. Morgan called Americans to gather at the cow pens (a grazing area), which were a familiar landmark. Tarleton attacked with his customary boldness but without regard for the fact Morgan had much more time to prepare. Tarleton was consequently caught in a textbook double envelopment. Tarleton's forces were virtually destroyed, but he managed to flee the battlefield with perhaps 250 men.

Battlefield monument

Coming in the wake of the American debacle at Camden, Cowpens was a surprising victory and a turning point that changed the psychology of the entire war"spiriting up the people", not only those of the backcountry Carolinas, but those in all the Southern colonies. As it was, the Americans were encouraged to fight further, and the Loyalists and British were demoralized. Furthermore, its strategic resultthe destruction of an important part of the British army in the Southwas incalculable toward ending the war. Along with the British defeat at the Battle of Kings Mountain, Cowpens was a decisive blow to Cornwallis, who might have defeated much of the remaining resistance in South Carolina had Tarleton won at Cowpens. Instead, the battle set in motion a series of events leading to the end of the war. Cornwallis abandoned his pacification efforts in South Carolina, stripped his army of its excess baggage, and pursued Greene's force into North Carolina. After a long chase Cornwallis met Greene at Guilford Court House, winning a pyrrhic victory that so damaged his army that he withdrew to Yorktown, Virginia, to rest and refit. This gave Washington the opportunity, which he seized, to trap and defeat Cornwallis at the Battle of Yorktown, which caused the British to give up their efforts to regain their colonies.

In the opinion of John Marshall, "Seldom has a battle, in which greater numbers were not engaged, been so important in its consequences as that of Cowpens." It gave General Nathanael Greene his chance to conduct a campaign of "dazzling shiftiness" that led Cornwallis by "an unbroken chain of consequences to the catastrophe at Yorktown which finally separated America from the British crown."

Memorials

  • The battle site is preserved at Cowpens National Battlefield.

  • Two ships of the U.S. Navy have been named USS Cowpens in honor of the battle.

The battle on film

  • The final battle at the end of the 2000 historical film The Patriot drew its inspiration from two specific battles from the American Revolution: Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse. The Americans used the same basic tactics in both battles. The name of the battle, as well as the winning side, were taken from the Cowpens battle. The size of the armies, as well as the presence of Generals Nathanael Greene and Lord Cornwallis, come from the Guilford Courthouse battle.

  • The Alan Alda directed movie, Sweet Liberty, parodies how a film company takes great liberty with the depiction of the Battle of Cowpens


Learn more about the Battle of Cowpens