“C” is for Cowpens, Battle of (January 17, 1781). In mid-December 1780 General Daniel Morgan positioned his “Flying Army” on the Pacolet River to threaten the British stronghold at Ninety Six. British general Lord Cornwallis responded by dispatching Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton to protect Ninety Six and drive Morgan from South Carolina. At Hannah's Cowpens, a well-known local site situated near the North Carolina border in present day Cherokee County, Morgan deployed his troops in three separate lines. When the British attacked, the Americans (as planned) began to withdraw and the British charged forward. When the Americans turned and fired, the British charge faltered and many began to flee. The British suffered 800 casualties (many of them POWs) and considerable military supplies. The Battle of Cowpens was a turning point in the Revolutionary War.
“C” is for Cowpens, Battle of (January 17, 1781)
