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Cowpens was founded near the site of a
battle fought during the Revolutionary War on January 17, 1781.
Continental Army troops and colonial militia under Brigadier General Daniel
Morgan decisively defeated a crack British force - known as the Black Legion
- under LT Colonel Banastre Tarleton.
The battle draws its name from its site, pastureland and cow pens, known
then as Hannah's Cowpens, used by frontier
farmers in northwestern South Carolina.
Military historians regard
Cowpens as one of the most brilliant tactical operations ever fought on
American soil. The British losses were staggering: 110 dead,
over 200 wounded and 500 captured.
The original battle site is now
the Cowpens National Battlefield. The one and one-quarter acre park
was established by Congress on March 4, 1929 under the control of the War
Department. The National Park Service assumed control on August 10,
1933. In 1981 the site was increased to 842 acres in size and the NPS
spent approximately $5 million to develop and restore the park.
Find out more about the battle and site, at the
Cowpens National
Battlefield.
The Cowpens National Battlefield
is 11 miles northwest of I-85 and 2 miles southeast of Chesnee. The
entrance is northwest of the intersection of S.C. 11 and Hwy 110.
Phone (864) 461-2828
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