Battle of Cowpens

This is a description of what happened before, after, and during, the Battle of Cowpens.

Battle of Cowpens

The Battle of Cowpens, fought on January 17, 1781, was one of the most important Patriot victories of the Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign. Brigadier General Daniel Morgan used a carefully planned defensive strategy to defeat British forces under Banastre Tarleton and help reverse British momentum in the South.

British Success in the Southern Theater

Despite important American and French successes elsewhere in the war, the southern colonies remained under heavy British pressure. British forces had captured Savannah, Georgia, in 1778 and Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780. The surrender at Charleston was especially devastating for the Patriot cause because thousands of American soldiers were captured, making it the largest surrender of Patriot troops during the Revolutionary War.

Daniel Morgan's Assignment

In late 1780, General George Washington selected Nathanael Greene to command Patriot forces in the South. Because Greene's army was too small to confront the British directly everywhere at once, he divided his force and placed Brigadier General Daniel Morgan in command of troops sent west of the Catawba River. Morgan's assignment was to gather militia, protect local Patriot communities, and threaten British positions in the region between the Broad and Pacolet Rivers.

Morgan Chooses the Battlefield

British General Charles Cornwallis ordered Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton to pursue and destroy Morgan's force. After realizing that Morgan did not intend to attack a nearby British post, Tarleton continued the pursuit. Morgan eventually chose to make a stand at an open grazing area known as the Cowpens. The battlefield gave Morgan room to arrange his troops in depth and prepare for Tarleton's aggressive style of attack.

Morgan Defeats Tarleton's Redcoats

Early on the morning of January 17, 1781, Tarleton's tired British force attacked Morgan's carefully arranged positions. Morgan had organized his men in several lines, with skirmishers and militia in front and experienced Continental soldiers farther back. His plan called for the forward troops to fire and then withdraw, drawing the British deeper into the American position. Tarleton interpreted these withdrawals as signs that the Patriots were collapsing and ordered his soldiers forward. Instead, the advancing British ran into Morgan's stronger final line. Patriot troops counterattacked, while other American forces moved against the British flanks. The British position quickly collapsed, and many exhausted soldiers surrendered while others fled the battlefield.

The Beginning of the End for the British

The Patriot victory at Cowpens badly damaged Tarleton's force and provided an important boost to American morale. Hundreds of British soldiers were captured, killed, or wounded, while Patriot losses were comparatively light. More importantly, the battle became a major turning point in the Southern Campaign. Cornwallis pursued Morgan and Greene into North Carolina, eventually fighting Greene at Guilford Courthouse. Although the British won that battle, they suffered severe losses. Cornwallis later moved into Virginia, where his army would ultimately become trapped and forced to surrender at Yorktown.

Why it mattered: Cowpens weakened British strength in the South, boosted Patriot morale, and helped set in motion the chain of events that eventually led Cornwallis toward Yorktown.

Battles and Events of the Revolutionary War

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