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JJDESIGNS NEWS UPDATE 14[SUP]th[/SUP] NOVEMBER 2022
THE AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1775 – 1783
THE BATTLE OF COWPENS, JANUARY 17[SUP]th[/SUP], 1781.
The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17[SUP]th[/SUP] 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between American forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, and British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, as part of the campaign in the Carolinas.
The battle was a turning point in the American reconquest of South Carolina from the British.
Tarleton’s force of 1,000 British troops were set against 2,000 troops under Morgan. Morgan’s forces suffered casualties of only 25 killed and 124 wounded. Tarleton’s force was almost completely eliminated with almost 30% casualties and 55% of his force captured or missing, with Tarleton himself and only about 200 British troops escaping.
Morgan’s forces conducted a double envelopment of the British forces, the only double envelopment of the war.
THE 17[SUP]th[/SUP] LIGHT DRAGOONS
Formed in 1759, the regiment was sent to Boston in 1775 to help quell the growing rebellion. Only a small part of the regiment was sent south and was attached to Tarleton’s command. They are said to have clung to the by now bedraggled scarlet coats that set them apart from the green uniformed Provincials of the British Legion.
Only about a hundred dragoons were present at the Cowpens battle, and it was the only unit to retire from the battlefield in good order.
AMERICAN CONTINENTAL AND MILITIA DRAGOONS
One of Brigadier General Daniel Morgan’s greatest concerns was his lack of adequate numbers of dragoons. Dragoons served both sides as scouts, mounted pickets, mobile reserves, and shock troops. One of their primary functions was to exploit a victory by riding down the remnants of broken enemy infantry. Weapons included a carbine and a brace of heavy pistols, Although according to Colonel William Washington the “only necessary weapon a dragoon carries” was the sabre.
Several small volunteer militia contingents were hastily equipped as dragoons to reinforce the cavalry, as it was well known the strength of Tarleton’s mounted legion.
COLONEL WILLIAM WASHINGTON
The 38 year old son of wealthy parents and (perhaps) second cousin of George Washington, William Washington had been privately tutored for the ministry. He joined the militia in February 1776, and later the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line.
He was described by contemporaries as “six feet in height, broad, strong and corpulent” and was noted for his tactical boldness and calm demeanor in battle.
After serving extensively in the northern colonies, he was sent south in command of the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Light Dragoons in late 1779. After numerous costly defeats the depleted 1[SUP]st[/SUP] and 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Light Dragoons were merged, and after their colonel was captured, Washington assumed command
Assigned to Morgan’s Army, Washington’s dragoons inflicted several defeats upon the British (often against superior forces), and his activities threatening the British base at Ninety Six were a key factor in Cornwallis’ decision to assign Tarleton to hunt down Morgan.
Most veterans considered Washington second in command to Morgan at Cowpens, and the Dragoons certainly played a key role by driving off Tarleton’s cavalry at critical moments during the battle.
Washington was later captured at Eutaw Springs in September 1781, and remained a prisoner until the end of the war. He went on to become a wealthy planter and horse breeder, state legislator, and served again in the army in 1798 at George Washington’s request.
Towards the end of the battle, after the cavalry of the British Legion had left the field, some twenty remained, and along with a small party of the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] Light Dragoons, Tarleton led a desperate charge.
Tarleton’s personal bravery was never in question. Although generally criticized, one of his subordinates wrote “Even at this late stage of defeat, Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton, with no more than fifty horse, hesitated not to charge the whole of Washington’s cavalry.”
The charge was repulsed and the British dragoons fled. A handful of British officers as well as Tarleton brought up the rear and were confronted by Washington. Washington slashed at one of the officers and his sword blade snapped off in his hand. The officer was about to slash at Washington when Washington’s servant, referred to as Gillie, shot the man, saving his master. Washington’s sergeant major wounded another officer, and Tarleton fired at Washington but instead struck the horse.
This minor clash of cavalry was romanticized in numerous works of art, but was in fact irrelevant as the battle was long since decided.
A depiction of the final dragoon clash appeared in Henry Cabot Lodge’s “The Story Of The Revolution”, which has been the inspiration for two of the upcoming pieces.
Best wishes and many thanks,
john jenkins
Many thanks for all those who have pre-ordered the ACE262NF.
JJD will announce a completion date next Monday the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] November 2022.
THE AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE 1775 – 1783
THE BATTLE OF COWPENS, JANUARY 17[SUP]th[/SUP], 1781.
The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17[SUP]th[/SUP] 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between American forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, and British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, as part of the campaign in the Carolinas.
The battle was a turning point in the American reconquest of South Carolina from the British.
Tarleton’s force of 1,000 British troops were set against 2,000 troops under Morgan. Morgan’s forces suffered casualties of only 25 killed and 124 wounded. Tarleton’s force was almost completely eliminated with almost 30% casualties and 55% of his force captured or missing, with Tarleton himself and only about 200 British troops escaping.
Morgan’s forces conducted a double envelopment of the British forces, the only double envelopment of the war.
THE 17[SUP]th[/SUP] LIGHT DRAGOONS
Formed in 1759, the regiment was sent to Boston in 1775 to help quell the growing rebellion. Only a small part of the regiment was sent south and was attached to Tarleton’s command. They are said to have clung to the by now bedraggled scarlet coats that set them apart from the green uniformed Provincials of the British Legion.
Only about a hundred dragoons were present at the Cowpens battle, and it was the only unit to retire from the battlefield in good order.
AMERICAN CONTINENTAL AND MILITIA DRAGOONS
One of Brigadier General Daniel Morgan’s greatest concerns was his lack of adequate numbers of dragoons. Dragoons served both sides as scouts, mounted pickets, mobile reserves, and shock troops. One of their primary functions was to exploit a victory by riding down the remnants of broken enemy infantry. Weapons included a carbine and a brace of heavy pistols, Although according to Colonel William Washington the “only necessary weapon a dragoon carries” was the sabre.
Several small volunteer militia contingents were hastily equipped as dragoons to reinforce the cavalry, as it was well known the strength of Tarleton’s mounted legion.
COLONEL WILLIAM WASHINGTON
The 38 year old son of wealthy parents and (perhaps) second cousin of George Washington, William Washington had been privately tutored for the ministry. He joined the militia in February 1776, and later the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line.
He was described by contemporaries as “six feet in height, broad, strong and corpulent” and was noted for his tactical boldness and calm demeanor in battle.
After serving extensively in the northern colonies, he was sent south in command of the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Light Dragoons in late 1779. After numerous costly defeats the depleted 1[SUP]st[/SUP] and 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Light Dragoons were merged, and after their colonel was captured, Washington assumed command
Assigned to Morgan’s Army, Washington’s dragoons inflicted several defeats upon the British (often against superior forces), and his activities threatening the British base at Ninety Six were a key factor in Cornwallis’ decision to assign Tarleton to hunt down Morgan.
Most veterans considered Washington second in command to Morgan at Cowpens, and the Dragoons certainly played a key role by driving off Tarleton’s cavalry at critical moments during the battle.
Washington was later captured at Eutaw Springs in September 1781, and remained a prisoner until the end of the war. He went on to become a wealthy planter and horse breeder, state legislator, and served again in the army in 1798 at George Washington’s request.
Towards the end of the battle, after the cavalry of the British Legion had left the field, some twenty remained, and along with a small party of the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] Light Dragoons, Tarleton led a desperate charge.
Tarleton’s personal bravery was never in question. Although generally criticized, one of his subordinates wrote “Even at this late stage of defeat, Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton, with no more than fifty horse, hesitated not to charge the whole of Washington’s cavalry.”
The charge was repulsed and the British dragoons fled. A handful of British officers as well as Tarleton brought up the rear and were confronted by Washington. Washington slashed at one of the officers and his sword blade snapped off in his hand. The officer was about to slash at Washington when Washington’s servant, referred to as Gillie, shot the man, saving his master. Washington’s sergeant major wounded another officer, and Tarleton fired at Washington but instead struck the horse.
This minor clash of cavalry was romanticized in numerous works of art, but was in fact irrelevant as the battle was long since decided.
A depiction of the final dragoon clash appeared in Henry Cabot Lodge’s “The Story Of The Revolution”, which has been the inspiration for two of the upcoming pieces.
Best wishes and many thanks,
john jenkins
Many thanks for all those who have pre-ordered the ACE262NF.
JJD will announce a completion date next Monday the 21[SUP]st[/SUP] November 2022.
