Cowpens

a battlefield near the northern border of South Carolina, not far from King's Mountain. It was covered with timber and undergrowth. General Morgan, with 900 men, January 17, 1781, took position on two knolls, with his rear on the Broad River so that his militia could not run away. Tarleton, the famous cavalry commander of Cornwallis, attacked with 1,100 men. The American militia deployed in front, used their rifles with good effect, and drew away into shelter. Tarleton, thinking the day was his, sounded a charge straight for the river. He was met by a central force of American riflemen, good for a squirrel's head at a hundred paces. The militia under Andrew Pickens reformed in shelter of a hill and fell on one flank; the American cavalry under William Washington fell on the other. Altogether they made short work of the British. Two hundred and seventy were killed and wounded; 600 were taken prisoners; and over 1,000 muskets were captured. Only twelve Americans were killed. Tarleton fled with a handful of followers. The defeat, coming so soon after King's Mountain, was a severe blow to Cornwallis, and encouraged the American patriots greatly. See Cornwallis