T8+-+6.5A

T8 - 6.5A Nolan Honsaker, Josh Roselli (Battle of Cowpens)

__//**BRILLANT TACTICS HELP THE AMERICANS TAKE COWPENS TO SWING THE TIDE OF THE WAR**//__

COWPENS, SC, 1781-In a battle that lasted less than an hour, the Continental Army took Cowpens, SC, in dramatic fashion. The Americans were led by newly appointed Major Nathaniel Greene and former militia commander Daniel Morgan, who was just appointed to general after a leave from the army. Greene replaced Horatio Gates, who was demoted from major after his embarrassing a devastating loss at Camden. Morgan didn’t disappoint, using brilliant tactics and quick thinking to give the Americans the upper hand. The Americans look like they might have the upper hand after handing Charles Lord Cornwallis a crushing loss.

C ommander George Washington recently gave General Greene the orders to take over the Carolinas. Washington is one of the best military commanders that the colonies have. General Greene set off to take the Carolinas with the help of General Morgan. Greene gave Morgan orders to take Cowpens South Carolina. The Patriots, after defeating the British at Lexington and Concord, started to become stronger and believe in themselves more. After being fed up with the unfair control Parliament had over them, the colonies had decided to come together as one and remove the British from the Colonies completely. many wars have happened in the past few years, but Battle of Cowpens is defiantly one of the most important. On January 16, 1781, Morgan lead his troops composed of militia, woodsman, and sharpshooters onto the battlefield. The next morning, after camping out, the colonists prepared for battle. The British soldiers, led by General Tarleton after being split from Lord Cornwallis troops, arrived and immediately started firing. Morgan's army was very well prepared and returned fire.

The British soldiers were trained for open battle. This gave the colonists an advantage in close combat. General Morgan new this very well, so he took full advantage of the bayonets that his armies’ weapons had. On the day of the battle, Morgan had General Greene and his men hide further back on the battle field. Morgan rushed his men into the British line, attacking them with bayonets. After a few minutes, Morgan’s men retreated as a tactic, with the British chasing them. The colonists’ army had advanced weapons with spiral barrels, making them very accurate. This also contributed to how the battle progressed. When the British soldiers looped around a corner and reached Greene’s army, his men were able to ambush the soldiers. With the great advantages over the British, the colonists defeated the British and gained Cowpens, South Carolina.

Battle of Cowpens, though it didn't last long, it is still an important battle helping lead us to total control of the colonies. The battle was harsh and many soldiers died on both sides, but this may turn out to be the final battle with the British. As the colonists grow stronger, and the British grow weaker, many people are working as we speak to create laws so that if we do gain total control of the colonies, we may live under our rules, and be able to be represented when new ones are made. The success at Cowpens was achieved by strength, perseverance, and amazing tactics on the battlefield. General Morgan once again put his brilliant war strategies to work, and was able to help the colonists, once again, defeat the British army in a war for the colonies.

After Morgan’s brilliant tactics paid off, the Americans had the British surrounded. With no choice, Tarleton surrendered to Morgan and Greene. This battle has seemed to swing the tide of the war; Patriots have seemed to finally believe that this great war for our freedom can finally be won, and America can be truly independent. This victory has greatly weakened the British’s numbers, and from inside input from the American spies say that the British will head to Richmond to try to attack the capital of the South. But we as colonists have a great feeling that General Washington will be ready to take the British by the throat. The promotion of Nathaniel Greene and the return of Daniel Morgan has truly changed the command of the South, showing that skimpy coward Cornwallis that America is not just the North, it is the South as well.