On January 17, 1781, General Daniel Morgan

turned the tide of the American Revolution.

The Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina

started the British down a road that would

end with their monumental surrender at



Yorktown, Virginia

.



The battle took place as everything was

going wrong in America's fight for

independence. George Washington's army

was bogged down in the North. The British

had taken Charleston and then handed the

Americans a devastating defeat at Camden,

South Carolina.



Banastre Tarleton and his dragoons were

riding rough-shod over South Carolina, and

had just massacred a force of American

soldiers at the Waxhaws.



Command of the American army in the South

now fell to General Nathaniel Greene. Using

an unexpected strategy, he sent Morgan into

South Carolina to try to delay the British

campaign.



Tantalizingly appearing and then falling back

before Tarleton's oncoming legion, Morgan

stretched the British officer's supply lines

while giving his own force time to receive

reinforcements. On January 17, 1781,

however, he turned to fight.



Knowing Tarleton's reputation for rashness

and the American militia's reputation for

running under fire, General Morgan came up

with an ingenious plan. He formed his men

in a series of lines, militia in the front and his

seasoned Continentals in the rear.



Moving from campfire to campfire speaking

to his men, Morgan explained his plan. The

men in the front had only to fire a couple of

times and then they could head for the rear.

This seemed reasonable to the militiamen

and they agreed to the plan.



The strategy worked. Morgan's front lines

weakened the oncoming British with a volley

fire and then headed for the rear. Tarleton,

believing Morgan's men were breaking and

running, ordered a charge. By the time the

British reached the American regulars, they

believed the Patriots were in full retreat.



Tarleton ordered his men to charge and they

surged forward, but again ran into heavy fire,

this time from Morgan's Continentals. A fierce

firefight erupted, the Continentals standing

toe to toe with the British while the militia

forces reformed to the rear.



The critical moment came when part of

Morgan's main line confused orders and

began an organized retreat. Rushing forward,

the general picked his moment then ordered

his men to wheel and fire directly into the

faces of the oncoming British.



The British assault collapsed. Sensing the

moment of victory, the American militia

rejoined the battle and suddenly the British

were in full retreat. Their retreat became a

disaster when the Americans charged them

and all order disappeared in Tarleton's ranks.



One of the most remarkable moments of the

day took place at this stage of the battle. As

the British army collapsed and the Patriot

soldiers waded into their lines, two of the

American officers focused on the small

British cannon. In a remarkable maneuver,

Captain Anderson of Maryland used his

spontoon (a lance carried by some officers)

to "pole vault" onto one of the guns.

