Some historians say that the battle at Cowpens, near Chesnee, South
Carolina, was the single most brilliantly planned and fought battle of
the Revolutionary War. This was thanks to a clever strategy on behalf of
an American general. Do you know what happened?
During the battle, on January 17, 1781, Brigadier General Daniel
Morgan did two things -- he predicted how the British would react and he
took advantage of mistakes that the British troops made. At one point,
he ordered his men to retreat, and the British, thinking they had won
the battle, charged forward. Then, the Americans surrounded the British
and defeated them. The victory at Cowpens inspired Americans to continue
the war to victory at Yorktown, Virginia.
On the Fourth of July, the National Park Service celebrates at
Cowpens National Battlefield with people in period costumes and
demonstrations of life and battle during the Revolutionary War. It all
ends with a great display of fireworks.
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