Who was Daniel Morgan?

An American frontiersman and general (1736 to 1802) who led riflemen in the Revolution and won the Battle of Cowpens in 1781.

How did Morgan win at Cowpens?

He placed militia in front to fire two volleys and fall back, drawing the British onto his main line, then enveloped them on both flanks.

What were Morgan's Riflemen?

A corps of skilled marksmen with long rifles who fought under Morgan, notably at Saratoga in 1777.

Was Daniel Morgan captured?

Yes, at the failed American assault on Quebec at the end of 1775; he was later exchanged.

Why is Cowpens important?

It nearly destroyed Tarleton's force, weakened the British campaign in the South and helped lead toward Yorktown.

Daniel Morgan: the rifleman who won Cowpens

Daniel Morgan started out driving wagons on the frontier and ended as the victor of one of the most perfect battles ever fought on American soil. At Cowpens in 1781 he turned the weaknesses of his militia into a trap that destroyed a feared British force.

A frontier wagoner

Born in 1736, Morgan worked as a teamster¹ and served as a wagon driver in the British campaign of 1755¹ against Fort Duquesne. He is said to have been flogged for striking a British officer², a story he liked to tell for the rest of his life.

Morgan's Riflemen

When the Revolution began, Morgan led a company of Virginia riflemen to join the Continental Army. He fought in the failed assault on Quebec at the end of 1775³ and was captured. Exchanged, he commanded a corps of riflemen whose marksmanship played an important part in the American victory at Saratoga in 1777.

Painting of American riflemen in hunting shirts firing from among tall trees in a forest — Riflemen of Daniel Morgan's corps fighting in the woods at Saratoga on 7 October 1777, painted by H. Charles McBarron Jr. for the US Army. Public domain

Cowpens, 1781

Promoted to brigadier general³, Morgan faced Banastre Tarleton's British force at Cowpens in South Carolina on 17 January 1781¹. He placed his militia in front, asked them for just two volleys before falling back⁴, and kept his Continentals and cavalry ready behind. When the British charged after the retreating militia, they ran into his main line and were caught in a double envelopment⁴. Tarleton's force was almost destroyed.

Battle map of Cowpens with blue American lines on a hill and red British units attacking from the south — The Battle of Cowpens, 17 January 1781: Morgan's militia line in front, his Continentals behind, and the counterattack that closed around Tarleton's force. Map from the US Military Academy history department. Public domain

Why Cowpens mattered

Cowpens was a heavy blow to the British campaign in the South, and it helped set the stage for the final campaign that ended at Yorktown. Morgan's plan, using every type of soldier for what they did best, is still studied as a model of tactical leadership.

Later life

Ill health forced Morgan to retire soon after Cowpens. He later served in the House of Representatives for Virginia¹ and died in Winchester in 1802².

Engraved portrait of Daniel Morgan in uniform with his signature below — Brigadier General Daniel Morgan in a 19th-century engraved portrait by George R. Hall, from the Emmet Collection of the New York Public Library. Public domain

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

National Park Service, Cowpens National Battlefield, “Daniel Morgan” ↩ a b c d
American Battlefield Trust, “Daniel Morgan” ↩ a b
Don Higginbotham, Daniel Morgan: Revolutionary Rifleman (University of North Carolina Press (for the Institute of Early American History and Culture), 1961). ↩ a b
Lawrence E. Babits, A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens (University of North Carolina Press, 1998). ↩ a b
Wikipedia, “Daniel Morgan”