The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-06-08
BATTLE OF THE COWPENS,
GISAPHlC STORY OF THE FIGHT.

The Victory Won by Our Ancestors
How the Battle Was Fought-H;s
toric Places in tho Ncighborin,
County.
The News and Courier gives tho fol
lowing report Of the historical addrcs
by lev. j. ID. Bailey at tho Cowpen
celebration
Rev. J. D. Bailey, Of Cowpens, wa
the last speaker. la beautiful and i'm
pressive language he GRACEFUL.
opened the way for his historicl
sketch of the battle Of Cowpea5. o.
is face it shows careful prcpar .tion
In It's present shape it is Il valuable ad
dition to the lltcra,uro that bears 0.
this section Of the State, and is hers
given as prepared.
lis true that there may have bcel
IN some respects greater battles, but
all things considered none played I;
more Important part in the grea,
drama 0. the Revolution than that en-
"cltd on tho glorious field Of the Cow
pens. For time previous to this &c
tloh the cause Of llburty in the Car
iinas seemed almost hopeless. Getes
had been q 'sasLrousiy defeated at Cam.
ucn ana cut to pieces on Fishing
Creek. This forced the littl3 bands
OF patriots to lee to the mountains OF
North Carolina, Tennessee and Vir-
glnls, for safety, thereby leaving the
country TO tho mercy Of thc British
and Tories. But the spirit Of these
fugitive heroes was by no means CRUST,
ed.
They determined to unite their
iorces ono destroy the proud ana ue.
hand Ferguson, who was at that time
master OF the up-cOunty. A plan was
Il 1
thcse intrepid devotecs OF liberty was
formed at the Cowpcns-thc very same
field on which we are assembled TO-
aay. Ihe next day, October 7, 1850,
they overlook Ferguson at Kings
mountain, where he was killed and his
army totally destroyed. n little more
than three months later came the bril-
liant faction at IT, c Cowpcns in which tt c
lrrcprcssible and heretofore ev..r
victorious Tarlcton Was put to light
ana MS army cut to pieces. The vic
tory at Kings Mountain opened up the
way for that at CUwpGns hence on
the pivOts On which the tide in favor
OF American liberty completely turned.
Yea, tncse two mighty and successful
blows virtually broke the backbone Ct
Brltish supremacy IN the South. Then
Is 1T saying too much whcn we declare
that If there had been nc Kings Noun
tain and if there had been no Cowpcns
there would have never been any York
town?
Fellow citizens, tread softly, ior you
stud on sacred ground. The soil bo
meath your feet drank blood which was
poured out as the price Of liberty
Only a few rods away lie the remai.i,
OF Twelve mnrtyr-h heroes, who noj Oni,
poured out their blood, but gave ~
their lives as well.
Soon after Gen. Greene assumed
comm nj OF the Southern army part
CT 1T Was ordered 70 march into South
Carolina unucr Major Gcu. D.uiel
Morgan. This detachment consist
OF $40 Marylanders, under Lieut. CO...
Howard, 200 Virginia militia, under
Jor-Iripiett, and 50 cavalry, led by
Lieut.. Col. VIM. Washington. On D..
ccmber IL, 1850, the order came Tor
Morgan to march. Leaving Chartutte
he crossed the Catuwba and Broad
rivers d pitched his camp at the
Grlndal Shoals, 0nsthc east bank Of tnr
Pacolet, on Christmas Day. Soon after
his arrival at tho Grindal Sho#ls Nor.
gan was joincd by Il body Of North
Carolina militia under the command
of Major Joseph Mcdowell. The rcgl-
mcnts OF Co.'s Thomas Brandon and
John Thomas took pnrC in close p.oxi.
nifty TO Morgan. At the same time
McCall's regiment, which was part
Of FIckens's brigade, joined MS stan
dapd. ~ party OF Georgians under thy
command Of Ma jors Jackson and Gun.
nlngham also came up.
Being IN q section that had long
been overrun by British and Tories
provisions were very scarce. Hence it
was necessary for Morgan to send out
loraging dctachmcnts at some dis
tance. A body Of some two hundred
Tories, w hose headquarters were q,
Hammonu's store On Little River, ad-
vanced as far as Fair Forest Creek To
embarrass these operations. Morgan
immediately detached 200 mounted
militia and 10 cavalrymen, under Coils.
Washington and Mccall, to drive these
Loyaltsts from the country. Hearing
OF Washing tO..'s approach The Tories
1cil back 10 Hammono's store.
After ,r marching symC fcrty mics Wash.
lngtoa arrived at tiat poiut ana i'm.
mediatcy ordered Is charge. 1t was u
Hight instead OF u coull CT, and one
hundred and fifty L,yallsts wcro
Killed and forty prisoners taken. Co.
Washington now determined To nd- |
vance still further into the cncny's |
country and attack q body Of Tories on |
Mudlick Creek, near w liiama PIanta.
tion commanded by Col. Cunning ham
but the Tories made their escape TO |
Ninety'SiX, which WAS near by.
Those hold movements on tho part
or the Americans made CUrnwailis |
ioar for the oaf"ty Of the garrison at |
Ninety S!X. So on the lst OF January, |
lISl, Cornwalli3 ordered Tarlcton, !
|ho had. alGeady advanced us fur as |
Brierllty''a Ferry, on Broad River, to
move towards NinetySix, with special
Instructions thnt he "push Morgan to |
the utmost" .Tarletons corps con.
sisted OF about. t. leo men, 500 of whom
belonged to his dreaded legion, which,
had carried DISSOLUTION into every part !
Of the State. In accordance with bis
ordor5 Tarle ION. .:n0ved" towards the |
West, but Dfter probeeding 20 miles
be found that tho order for the light /
troops TO move Was IN error, so ba |
halted In ordortOInake more complete
arrangements. Hero he found That
Morgan ..was quito a distance from
iS,nt t,.S 81,