Cowpens National Battlefield
National Battlefield · Gaffney, South Carolina
An open field of grass and scattered trees in the Upstate where, on 17 January 1781, Daniel Morgan destroyed Banastre Tarleton's command in about an hour using a double envelopment — one of the very few in military history, and still taught at staff colleges alongside Cannae. What makes it remarkable is not the boldness but the honesty: Morgan knew his militia would fire twice and run, so he built a plan in which their running was the trap.
4001 Chesnee Highway, Gaffney, South Carolina, 29341, United States
FREE. The battlefield grounds, the walking trail and the 3.8-mile loop road are open daily from dawn to dusk. The visitor centre is generally open daily, roughly 9 AM to 5 PM, with a reduced week in winter and closure on major federal holidays — verify before travelling, because the fibre-optic map and the film inside are what make the field legible. THE ANNIVERSARY IS 17 JANUARY and the park programmes it with a weekend of living history.
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