Visitor Center - Cowpens National Battlefield

The American Revolutionary War battle of Cowpens was fought on January 17, 1781. It was the first major skirmish between the Patriot and British forces since the Battle of Kings Mountain four months earlier. While only 25 miles apart, the terrain of the battlefields couldn't be more different. The earlier battle required Patriot militia to charge hilltop defenders while Cowpens was a large nearly flat plain the separated the drainage areas of the Broad River to the north and the Pacolet River to the southwest near present day Chesnee, South Carolina. The historic Green River Road ran through the field from the east to the northwest. The open field terrain of Cowpens was more suited to the European-style of battle where lines of massed infantry fired muskets at each other and then made a bayonet charge.

After the Continental Army defeat at Camden, Major General Gates was replaced by Major General Nathanael Greene on December 3, 1780 at Hillsborough, North Carolina. Of a paper command of 2307 men, General Greene found only 1482 present for duty of which 949 were Continental regulars. In order to antagonize the British and spread them as thinly as possible, Greene chose to split his army into two parts. He gave orders to Brigadier General Daniel Morgan to use his 600 men to harass the British in the backcountry of South Carolina and "spirit up the people." When word reached the Patriot militias in the region, several hundred more men joined Morgan's forces in the days leading up to the battle. Records show Morgan had nearly a thousand men under his command at the time of the battle.

When Lord Cornwallis heard that Greene had split his forces, he sent Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his 1,100 to 1,200 men. Tarleton's forces were split about evenly between British Regulars in their red coats and Loyalist Provincials in their green coats. Both groups were professionally trained soldiers, unlike the volunteer Loyalist militia that had been relied upon at Kings Mountain just four months prior.

On January 12, 1781, Tarleton learned that Morgan was at Grindal's Shoals on the Pacolet River and began a pursuit that brought him steadily closer to the Patriots. With the real chance of being caught crossing the rain swollen Broad River, Morgan and his officers devised a plan of battle for the Cowpens. The militia under the command of Colonel Andrew Pickens would form two lines with the first line consisting of sharpshooters aiming at British officers and the second line consisting of militia. The militia was to fire two volleys before melting back through the third line formed by Continental regulars commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Eager Howard. Each line was about 150 yards behind the previous one. Lieutenant Colonel William Washington's dragoons (cavalry) were held in reserve in a swale out of sight. As there was plenty of forage in the area for both men and horses, the army camped at Cowpens on the night of January 16. General Morgan spent most of the night going from unit to unit explaining what he expected from each man and encouraging them to do their duty.

Having camped about five miles from Cowpens, Tarleton had his men up and marching at 2AM on the morning of January 17, 1781. Tarleton arrived at Cowpens around dawn and quickly formed his dragoons on either side of his two 3-pounder "grasshopper" cannons, but didn't wait for his infantry to completely deploy before starting the battle. As the Patriot lines fired and retreated, Tarleton sensed an opportunity to route the Patriots and sent his dragoons straight up the Green River Road chasing the militia. At that moment, Washington's dragoons arrived on the field from their hidden positions and drove the British dragoons from the field.

The Continental line held as volley after volley was fired by both sides. When Tarleton's reserve force of Scottish Highlanders arrived with their bagpipes blaring, Colonel Howard ordered his right flank to reform to fight the new threat. However, the order was misunderstood and the right of the Continental line pivoted to the rear in an orderly retreat. Morgan ordered the retreating men to face about and fire in unison, which they did. In the meantime, the British had broke ranks and were pursuing the Patriots at a run. The quick about face of the Patriots and volley stopped the British advance.

The reformed militia marched around the left end of the Continental line and Washington's dragoons outflanked the British on the other end of the line. This created the only successful double envelopment by Patriot forces during the war. Seeing they were surrounded, the British infantry surrendered en masse. In less than an hour, the British had lost 110 dead, 229 wounded, and another 600 taken prisoner or missing. In comparison, the Patriots lost 24 dead and 104 wounded. Although pursued by Washington, Tarleton managed to elude capture and return to Cornwallis. Nevertheless, as Morgan later recalled he had given Tarleton a "devil of a whipping."

The visitor center has an information desk, museum, theater, and bookstore. Restrooms are located in a separate building across a breezeway from the visitor center. Another excellent park service production, the 18 minute Cowpens: A Battle Remembered is played on request in the theater.

The paved parking area has over seventy regular parking spots, five handicap parking spots, and a dozen bus/RV parking spots. A mostly one-way auto tour road has a designated bike lane. A one mile Battlefield Trail loops through the battlefield.

The entrance to the battlefield is located about 2.5 miles east of Chesnee, South Carolina on the south side of State Route 11. The visitor center is located about 0.4 miles beyond the entrance on Park Gate Road. I visited the battlefield in February, 2017.

1932 U.S. Monument

The Congress of the United States
has caused this monument to be
erected on the site of the
Battle of Cowpens
as a testimonial to the valor and
in appreciation of the services of
the American troops on this field in
behalf of the independence of
their country

Inscription on U.S. Monument

Information desk

Bookstore

Another view of the bookstore

Exhibit on British Regulars

Exhibit on Loyalist Provincials

Exhibits on Patriot forces

British Army exhibit

Exhibits in the theater

Bench seating in the theater

A 3-pounder "grasshopper" cannon

Entry to Cowpens National Battlefield is free.

The battlefield website is https://www.nps.gov/cowp.

Battlefield Trail - Kings Mountain National Military Park

Continuing my February 2017 visit to Kings Mountain National Military Park, I walked the paved 1.5 mile Battlefield Trail loop. The trail has been paved with a product produced from recycled tires that has a flexible, porous surface. Note that the trail was not designed to be ADA compliant as it is too steep in many places for wheelchairs. Beginning behind the visitor center, the trail heads counter-clockwise around and through the battlefield. A cellphone audio tour has been provided to enrich the experience with addition information beyond that on the wayside signs. The only charge for the audio tour is any additional cost from your service provider for using your cellphone minutes.

After the Battle of Musgrove Mill on August 19, 1780, British Major Patrick Ferguson issued an ultimatum to the "officers on the Western waters." According to Colonel Isaac Shelby, who received the document, Ferguson warned that if they did not "desist from their opposition to the British army, and take protection under his standard, he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword." Shelby met with John Sevier and the two colonels, without any authority from Congress or anyone else, decided to go on the offensive instead of waiting for Ferguson to attack. They called for volunteers to assemble at Sycamore Shoals on September 25, 1780. Nearly a thousand men from western Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee responded. Their ranks grew along the way with men and officers from North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina joining the citizen army.

Major Ferguson was the only British soldier at the battle. All the other troops were born in America. The battle pitted about 800 Loyalist militia and 200 provincial regulars atop Kings Mountain against about 1,000 volunteer Patriot militiamen. An additional 800 Patriot militia with slower horses or on foot were left at Cowpens, South Carolina. Curiously, the majority of Patriot battle participants were from North Carolina and South Carolina leaving the Overmountain Men as a large minority. 

After riding through the rain all day, the Patriots left their horses about a mile beyond the southwest end of Kings Mountain and split into two columns in order to surround the Loyalists. The battle began about 3 PM and lasted 65 minutes. Since militia weren't issued uniforms, it would have been nearly impossible to determine friend from foe without the addition of greenery to the hatbands of the Loyalists and a slip of paper stuck in the hats of the Patriots. I have not heard an explanation of how the Overmountain Men found enough paper for the task and kept it dry enough not to disintegrate through the multi-day ride from Sycamore Shoals.

Several days prior to the battle, but after the Carolina militias had joined the Overmountain Men, Colonel Isaac Shelby spoke to the assembled men. 

"When we encounter the enemy, don't wait for the word of command. Let each of you be your own officer, and do the very best you can, taking every care you can of yourselves, and availing yourselves of every advantage that chance may throw in your way. If in the woods, shelter yourselves and give them Indian play; advance from tree to tree."

While the Loyalists had bayonets on their muskets and were trained in their use, the Patriots had much more accurate rifles without bayonets. With the Loyalists musket lines silhouetted against the sky, the Patriots caught them in a deadly crossfire. While temporarily driven back by three successive bayonet charges, the Patriots continued to return and climb the mountain. Major Ferguson attempted to lead a final bayonet charge from horseback, but was shot multiple times and fell mortally wounded. The Loyalists surrendered shortly after. The battle resulted in the deaths of 157 Loyalists with another 163 so severely wounded they were left on the battlefield. The remaining 698 Loyalists were taken prisoner. In contrast, Patriot losses included 28 killed and 62 wounded.

Beginning of trail behind the visitor center

The flagstone quickly transitions to pavement

Group area beside the trail

Colonel Joseph Winston's Surrey County, North Carolina militia charged from the southeast and east

Major William Chronicle's North Carolina militia charged the steeper terrain of the east and northeast

Colonial Road

The original stone marker on the left was placed in 1815 and is one of the oldest memorials of the Revolutionary War

Sacred to the memory of
Major William Chronicle, Captain John Mattocks
William Rabb and John Boyd
Who were killed at this place on the 7th of
October, 1780, fighting in defense of America

Colonel Ferguson, an officer of His Britannic
Majesty, was defeated and killed at
this place on the 7th of October 1780

Major Chronicle was killed commanding his troops to turn "Face to the hill!"

The trail follows the initial line of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland's North Carolina
militia up the ravine. The militia charged the hill on the left.

Imagine the hill without underbrush and fewer, larger trees

The trail crosses Long Branch on the northwest side of the mountain

After days of rain, Long Branch would have been a swampy, muddy mess for the South Carolina militia to cross

Colonel Isaac Shelby's Tennessee militia began the battle along the upper reaches of the creek

Duck behind a tree to reload

A park bench faces away from the mountain

Imagine Loyalists with fixed bayonets silhouetted against the sky

Colonel Isaac Shelby's Tennessee militia began the battle in the swale to the right near the head of the creek

Not much in the way of cover for either side

Side trail to the Hoover Monument

On this site President Hoover addressed an audience of 75,000 at the celebration
of the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Kings Mountains, Oct. 7, 1930

Another bench near the western end of the mountain in the area assigned to Colonel John Sevier's Tennessee militia

Loyalist militia were stationed across this saddle in the mountain

This high point on the southwestern end of the mountain was charged by
Colonel William Campbell's Virginia militia from the left
and Colonel John Sevier's Tennessee militia from the right

The Tennessee and Virginia militias drove the Loyalists northeast along the ridgeline

Tree seemingly growing out of the rock

Approaching the Centennial Monument

Closer view of the Centennial Monument

View north from the ridge

The 28 foot high Centennial Monument was dedicated on October 7, 1880

Continuing northeast along the ridge

The ridgetop trail approaches the U.S. Monument

The 83 foot high obelisk was dedicated on October 7, 1909

One of the panels on the U.S Monument

Marker notes the location where Major Ferguson was shot off of his horse
(Paperwork denoting his promotion to Colonel was en route at the time of his death)

From atop the ridge, note the black-surfaced trail near the initial Patriot lines of Major Chronicle

Burial cairn for Major Patrick Ferguson

Ferguson memorial marker was added 150 years after the battle

View toward Colonel Charles McDowell's North Carolina militia

End of the trail at its beginning

With Fire and Sword is an excellent book that provides background information and places the battle in its historical context. Written by Wilma Dykeman for the National Park Service in 1978, it is available to read or download for free at https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/kimo/battle.pdf. A free illustrated digital copy of the book can also be found at https://archive.org/details/battleofkingsmou00dyke.

Entry to Kings Mountain National Military Park is free.

The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail website is https://www.nps.gov/ovvi.
The Kings Mountain National Military Park website is https://www.nps.gov/kimo.