Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens, which occurred 233 years ago a short 15 miles south of my home. I decided to drive down for the ceremonies. It was a cold day and when I arrived the sun was almost directly overhead so it was challenging to get decent shots.

The Battle of Cowpens, January 17, 1781, took place in the latter part of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. It became known as the turning point of the war in the South, part of a chain of events leading to a Patriot victory at Yorktown, VA. The Cowpens victory was won over a crack British regular army and brought together strong armies and leaders who made their mark on history.

The term “cowpens”, endemic to such South Carolina pastureland and associated early cattle industry, would be etched in history. The field itself was some 500 yards long and just as wide, a park-like setting dotted with trees, but devoid of undergrowth, having been kept clear by cattle grazing in the spring on native grasses and vines.

Dawn at the Cowpens on January 17, 1781, was clear and bitterly cold. The battle was over in less than an hour and was a complete victory for the Patriot force. British losses were staggering: 110 dead, over 200 wounded and 500 captured.

The Patriots lost only 12 killed and 60 wounded.

Lord Cornwallis and his weary British army gave up on the Carolinas and moved on to Virginia. On October 18, 1781, the British army surrendered at Yorktown.

The Battle of Cowpens was a surprising victory and a turning point that changed the psychology of the entire war and proved that a group of farmers and mountain men could change the course of history.

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