Battle of Cowpens 1781
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 17 January 1781 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1781 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Revolutionary War, Carolinas Campaign | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 35.1368, -81.8160 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Cowpens was a military engagement of the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina. An American army of nearly 2,000 regulars and militia under Brigadier general Daniel Morgan defeated a force of about 1,000 British and Loyalist troops commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Banastre Tarleton. It was the worst defeat suffered by the British in North America during the conflict following the 1777 Saratoga campaign.
The battle was part of the British "Southern strategy" in which British forces attempted to retake control over the American South under the belief that there was a significant Loyalist population there. However, such assumptions were mostly unfounded, and pro-Patriot sentiment surged in the South following the spread of news of the American victory at Cowpens. Tactically, the battle demonstrated that militia, when deployed properly, could defeat experienced regulars, something which American military and political leaders had previously considered impossible.
Morgan's militiamen disbanded after the battle, leaving 550 regulars under his command. British General Lord Cornwallis pursued Morgan during December 1780 and January 1781 with an army of 2,500 men.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Cowpens (revision 1376280446), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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- Siege of Charleston 1780
- Action of 21 July 1781 1781
- Battle of Blandford 1781
- Battle of Cape Henry 1781
- Battle of Cowan's Ford 1781
- Battle of Eutaw Springs 1781
All 190 battles of the American Revolutionary War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · Early modern battles