Minuteman Minute | Battle of Cowpens

At the Battle of Cowpens, General Daniel Morgan deployed a combined American force of state militias and Continental soldiers to lure the British into a trap. This American victory was an important step toward the British surrender at Yorktown.

Hi, I’m Will Roulett, Director of the National Guard Memorial Museum here in D.C., and this is YOUR Minuteman Minute! On Jan. 17, 1781, American Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan, pictured here, clashed with British Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina. Tarleton had pursued the Americans for about a month and was eager to defeat them. Morgan cleverly deployed his combined force of militia and Continental soldiers to take advantage of Tarleton’s low opinion of the American militia. By placing the militia in front and instructing them to fall back after only two shots, Morgan lured the British into the only successful double envelopment of the war. The destruction of Tarleton’s force, some of the most mobile British troops in America, neutralized the British ability to pursue and defeat the Americans in the South. Morgan’s victory boosted American morale and was an important step toward the British surrender at Yorktown. Come see this – and a whole lot more – at the National Guard Memorial Museum. I’m Will Roulett, and that’s been your Minuteman Minute brought to you by the National Guard Educational Foundation.