Cowpens: "Downright Fighting" : the Story of Cowpens

by Thomas J. Fleming

Recounts the story behind the defeat, of the British forces under Banastre Tarleton by Daniel Morgan's rebels, that helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War in the South. The battlefield, a pasture in North Carolina, is now part of the National Park System. Includes brief notes about related battlegrounds and a list of books for further reading.

Genres: American Revolutionary War, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Joe Topham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and entertaining account of one of the Revolution's most savage and desperate fights, Downright Fighting tells the story of Daniel Morgan and his men as they pause their retreat to prepare to meet the hungry Tarleton. The battle itself is a study in hasty decision making by British leadership, principally Tarleton himself, who refuse to budge from their initial conviction that the American forces are on the run and easily routed. A pair of misjudged head-on attacks costs the redcoats dearly, and rather than just an expense of casualties, turn the battle into a position where there is nothing left to do but run. And run they do! Tarleton escapes, but the crushing loss of over 500 regulars as prisoners of war is a stunning reversal.

The book sums well the fact that at the time the battle was not of great note, but in the eye of history, it has come to be seen as that turning point where the British could no longer march with impunity across the Southern countryside. The direct result of this is Cornwallis' Carolina campaign, and strategic advance into Virginia, a maneuver that would end up costing him his entire command at Yorktown.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very brief, with less than a quarter of the book covering the battle itself, but it's still a good overview of the campaign.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took a look at this in honor of ancestors who fought at the Battle of Cowpens, Virginians in the Continental Army and South Carolinians in the state militia. What a treat to find that a terrific historian like Thomas Fleming put his pen to a park pamphlet. It's nice to be reminded that the Revolutionary War wasn't just Valley Forge and Crossing the Delaware, and that the progress of the war in the southern states was a critical part of the eventual victory. The National Park Service got a lot of bang for the buck with this one.