Independence Day: 7 important victories in the American Revolution

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Thursday, July 04, 2024

The Battle of Cowpens – Jan. 17, 1781

The Battle of Cowpens, an American Revolution battle that took place in 1781. | Public Domain

Taking place in South Carolina, the battle of Cowpens involved around 1,100 British troops under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton being defeated by Brigadier General Daniel Morgan’s approximately 1,000 American troops.

During the battle, Morgan had his militia fire upon the British and then withdraw, giving them the false impression that the colonial soldiers were retreating.

When Tarleton’s forces pursue, they were met with regular soldiers who overpowered them and then drove them off the field, with hundreds of British being captured, while around 100 were killed.

According to the American Battlefield Trust, the battle “further weakened British attempts to wrest the southern colonies from American control.”

“Morgan’s brilliant victory over Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens was humiliating for the elite British Army officer. His loss directly contributed to Cornwallis’ defeat in the southern colonies, the British surrender at Yorktown, and American independence,” noted the Trust.

Cowpens was also an inspiration for the climatic unnamed battle in the 2000 Mel Gibson movie “The Patriot.”