Jim Stempel

Jim Stempel Speaking at the Revolutionary War Cowpens Commemoration

I had the pleasure of being invited to the 2020 Cowpens Commemoration and to speak about General Daniel Morgan's success at the Battle of Cowpens, one of the more decisive battles of the Revolutionary War. Here is the text of the article written by Adam Orr, staff writer for the Cowpens National Battlefield. 

 

Just two good shots.

That’s all American Brigadier General Daniel Morgan wanted from his first line militiamen at the Battle of Cowpens on Jan. 17, 1781, according to Jim Stempel, the author of “American Hannibal.” It may have turned out to be a stroke of genius by the American commander, whose troops led their aggressive British foes into an encirclement — and a sound defeat — in roughly an hour, Stempel said.

“It’s a huge, huge American victory at a time the Americans had to have a big victory,” Stempel said Saturday at Cowpens National Battlefield. “I’d give it an A-plus.”

Revolutionary War re-enactors braved intermittent downpours Saturday to commemorate the battle’s 238th anniversary. Normally held each January, Saturday’s ceremony was a makeup date made necessary by this winter’s federal government shutdown. Part of the American Revolutionary War’s southern fighting, the Battle of Cowpens resulted after British forces had captured or destroyed much of the Southern Continental Army, and held Savannah, Charleston, and Camden, according to the National Parks Service.

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Daniel Morgan and the The Battle of Cowpens

I published an article for History News Nework on the subject of a nonfiction work American Hannibal, The Extraordinary Life of American Revolutionary Hero Daniel Morgan at the Battle of Cowpens.  They gave the article a very snappy title: 

You Remember the American Victory At Cowpens, Don't You?

"On a bone-chilling morning in January, 1781 one of the most remarkable, decisive, and significant victories in American military history took place in the backwoods of South Carolina, yet its historical importance has rarely been recognized.

"That morning British Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton, hand-picked by General Charles Cornwallis, was opposed by American Daniel Morgan, a rough and tumble son of the frontier. On ground known as the Cowpens, Morgan employed a psychological ploy and tactical scheme so brilliantly conceived and masterfully executed that within an hour the British found themselves overwhelmed, enveloped, and routed from the field. It was an engagement that had significant repercussions. Morgan’s stunning victory ended a two year Revolutionary impasse, rekindled hope throughout the colonies, and put Cornwallis on a reckless path that would end with his surrender at Yorktown, thus catapulting the infant United States to independence. That’s why Morgan’s victory was so important, but don’t go looking for evidence of that in most works detailing battles of the modern era. You won’t find it.