The Battle of Cowpens, fought on 17 January 1781 east of Chesnee, South Carolina, stands as a short, sharp, and decisive clash that shifts the momentum of the Revolutionary War in the South. British commander Cornwallis seeks to stamp out Patriot resistance and unleashes his most aggressive officer, Banastre Tarleton, to run down Daniel Morgan's flying army. Instead, Morgan stages a brilliant psychological trap: layered lines of sharpshooters, militia, hidden Continentals, and Washington's cavalry draw the British Legion into a headlong, disordered charge that collapses under a sudden double envelopment — the only one of the war. The result is a complete tactical defeat of an elite British force and one of the American Revolution's most celebrated battlefield victories. - AsNotedIn
| Y/M/D | Description | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1781/01/17 | Patriot Gen Morgan stages his 1,000-man 'flying' army, consisting of infantry and horse, in 3 lines: 1st Sharpshooters, 2nd Pickens' Militia and a hidden 3rd line of Continental regulars and Washington's cavalry. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| 1781/01/17 | British Col Tarleton's 1,100-man, highly mobile, Legion attacks Patriot Brigadier Gen Morgan's 1st line of sharpshooters at Cowpens, South Carolina. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| 1781/01/17 | Morgan's Patriot sharpshooters fire two quick rounds at British officers and then fall back to the second line Patriot militia, commanded by Andrew Pickens. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| 1781/01/17 | Patriot militia, commanded by Andrew Pickens, fire two devastating volleys into the advancing British line and then intentionally retreat around the American left flank. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| 1781/01/17 | Col Washingtons cavalry, including mounted partisan fighter Gerard Brandon, surge out from behind a low hill where they had been concealed, and with sabers drawn, attack the charging Tarleton's British cavalry. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| 1781/01/17 | As the British charge blindly "like a mob," Col Washington leads the combined Patriot mounted force in a sudden counter-charge, sweeping around to strike the British right flank and rear, completing the classic double envelopment. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| 1781/01/17 | Tarleton tries to mount a final rear-guard defense with his remaining cavalry. Washington fiercely pursues them, riding so far ahead of his men that he becomes isolated culminating in a hand-to-hand saber duel between Washington and Tarleton. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| 1781/01/17 | After Washington's sword hilt is shattered during the sword fight, an African American combatant (likely a trumpeter named Collins) shoots and wounds a British officer just as he is about to strike Washington down, forcing Tarleton to flee the field. | Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina |
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Cultural Affiliation: | African American |
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