The American second line of defense stood in position here. About sunrise, the British appeared. The militia, though not trained to stand against massed British bayonets, fought well and shot with deadly effect.
"At first it was pop, pop, pop [the sound of the rifles,] and then the whole volley. It seemed like one sheet of flame from right to left." Thomas Young, militiaman, Fair Forest Regiment, 17 years old.
Morgan’s militia were tough and experienced. Some 200 were ex-Continentals from Virginia under Maj. Francis Triplett. Others were recruits from Georgia and the Carolinas commanded by the wily partisan Col. Andrew Pickens. Morgan knew their worth and deployed them to make the most of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. They rewarded him with a victory still marveled at over 200 years later.
Cowpens National Battlefield
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service