There are a few patches of earth in this country that can be considered pivotal places that shaped the destiny of the United States of America. And we’re visiting one of them. Welcome to Cowpens National Battlefield.

The year was 1781. It was January. It was cold. And the future of America hung in the frigid balance. The war began in 1775 and nearly 6 years later the British were winning. They had just captured the port of Charleston. The northern campaign was at a stalemate. The redcoats were cutting a knife through the Southern theater… and marching north to crush the rebellion.

The American Continental Army had been backpedaling through South Carolina. Defeat or retreat had been their experience, largely at the hands of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton under General Cornwallis. This army had never defeated the British in open battle. That was about to change.

General Daniel Morgan put out the call for militias to gather at The Cowpens, a well-known crossroads and frontier pasturing ground. This is where they would make their stand – where the grizzled American veteran and the ruthless British commander would meet their moment in history.

As the sun rose the bitterly cold morning of January 17th the Americans were called to arms and formed ranks on the undulating field of the Cowpens. Sharpshooters were stationed in the trees. The cavalry was concealed. And three lines of American militia faced a full-frontal assault from a superior British force.

The fighting lasted less than an hour. But in that time Morgan’s brilliant military tactics and brave soldiers gave the aggressive Tarleton and his redcoats a “devil of a whipping.”

The decisive and surprising American victory over the infamous Tarleton and the greatest military force on earth changed the psychology of the entire war. The underdogs could win. And they could beat the British at their own game.

Today Cowpens National Battlefield welcomes visitors to trod the ground and learn the story of a moment in history that forged the future of the world.