Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens is
probably the best known Revolutionary War event to the
residents of the Pacolet and Spartanburg
area. It was a very important American victory against
overwhelming odds. Cowpens Battlefield is about
16 miles from our bridge at Trough Shoals.
The
battle
was
not
fought
in or even very close to the present town of Cowpens.
The Battleground is about 9 miles northwest of the town. The
town of Chesnee
is much closer to the site of the battle and is less than
three miles away. The actual town location of Cowpens dates
back to about 1873 when the Atlanta
and Charlotte Airline Railway was built through the area. A
stop and depot on the railroad was named in honor of the
famous battle even though it was quite a distance away.
The
American
General
Daniel
Morgan
did all he could do to get away from the British army under
Tarleton. As we have seen at Easterwood
and Grindal Shoals, the British
army was just moving too fast for Morgan to get away.
Morgan
realized
that
Tarleton
was
going to catch him. He decided to stop and fight him at a
place of his own choosing rather than to let Tarleton catch
his army as it was crossing the Broad River
only five miles away.
He
chose
a
place
on
the Green River
Road, called Hannah’s
Cowpens to make his stand. This was an area used for grazing
and penning cattle before they were herded off to be sold. It
got its name from a former owner, Hannah. At the time of the
battle, it was owned by a Tory, Hiram Saunders. The location
of the site is in the north western portion of present Cherokee
County and is
about 5 miles south of the South Carolina-North Carolina state
line.
Another
reason
to
choose
the
site was that Morgan hoped that he would be joined by more
militia from both North and South
Carolina. He needed a place that
was recognized for them to assemble. The
Cowpens was a well known location because the Overmountain men
and militia had camped here in October of 1780 on the night
before the Battle of Kings
Mountain.
Morgan
planned a brilliant strategy for the battle that is still
studied in Military Schools to this day. The battle was fought
in the early morning on January 17, 1781 and barely lasted an
hour. It was a complete Patriot victory over the British army.
The Patriot forces under General Morgan crushed and destroyed
the British army. It contributed to the British surrender at Yorktown,
Virginia ten months
later.
Read
the
full
details at The
Battle of Cowpens
1 and Battle
of Cowpens 2.
RETRACE THE STEPS OF HISTORY!!
You can now walk in the footsteps
of the American General, Daniel Morgan, on the way to the
Battle of Cowpens. The annual march re-enactment takes place
every January. You must pre-register with the Town of
Pacolet. For more details about the march re-enactment,
photos from past events and how to register, click on the
following link:
The Monument at Cowpens
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