Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month January 1781
By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR
The year of 1781 began rather ignominiously. The morale of the population and the economy were at a dangerously low ebb. The authorization on New Year's day of $191 million more paper currency was enough to discourage even the most loyal citizen. By spring the Continental dollar would be worthless, almost bringing the economy to it’s knees. If that were not enough trouble there was mutiny in the Northern army for whom winter camp was a repetition of hardships encountered in previous years. Where in the past some had deserted or gone home until summer, January 1st, 1781, found Patriot General Anthony Wayne’s troops [Pennsylvania Line] disorderly in the streets. Enlisted for three years or the end of the war they contended that it was whichever came first. Told that it was for the end of the war they openly mutinied. Officers tried in vain to stop the tumult but it could not be stopped. One officer was killed, two wounded and an enlisted man on guard in an artillery park was killed. Three regiments marched to Princeton arriving on January 3rd. The President of Congress went to Princeton and reached an agreement with the mutineers that resulted in so many discharges that the Pennsylvania Line for all practical purposes ceased to exist.
The leniency shown at Princeton led to another mutiny. On January 20th, three New Jersey regiments marched toward Trenton. Commander-in-Chief General George Washington and his officers were concerned that the mild treatment of the Pennsylvania regiments had encouraged further mutiny. Washington had already been criticized by some of his closest advisors for hanging Major Andre. Washington, realizing that desperate measures were needed to stop further mutinies, sent Major General Robert Howe and a detachment of well fed and well equipped New England Continentals with orders to put down the mutiny and to execute several of their leaders to discourage any future thoughts of mutiny by other units. The outstanding leaders (one man from each regiment) were selected for court martial. Two were summarily hanged, the third was allowed to return to his regiment. The mutiny broken, the men returned to duty.
If the year had not already had enough grief, traitorous Benedict Arnold on the evening of January 3, brought his vessels up to Hood’s Point on the James River abeam of a small militia battery. The defenders fired on the vessels without doing any significant damage. Then, realizing that they could not sufficiently resist an attack, they abandoned the position under cover of darkness, leaving the cannon. At first light , British Colonel John Simcoe landed. Finding no resistance he spiked the guns and re-embarked. Arnold then moved up river to Westover (about 25 miles below Richmond) where they again disembarked and marched unopposed toward Richmond arriving near Richmond on January 5th. An emissary was sent to Governor Thomas Jefferson offering to spare the city if he would allow Arnold’s ships to come upriver unopposed to carry away all tobacco in the warehouses, Jefferson refused the offer resulting in much more dire results.
George Washington had several times advised Governor Jefferson of the possibility of an invasion of Virginia. Either Jefferson was unable or failed to provide any plan or call any troops for defense of the state. Why he refused Arnold’s offer is unknown as he had no defense for the Capital. The offer having been refused, Arnold upon his unopposed occupation of Richmond, took the tobacco, then methodically burned all the buildings including those with the state’s papers and archives. His work completed, he then moved his expedition to Portsmouth for winter camp.
During this time he had sent Simcoe with 42 men to subdue one hundred and fifty militiamen at Long Bridge, Virginia. Approaching without his entire force being observed, he sent buglers to the right and his men to the left of the militia. In a loud voice he ordered his infantry to advance (he had none) and then charged with his horsemen. Thinking that they were facing a superior force on three sides the militia fired a few shots and began a withdrawal. The result of Simcoe’s guile was twenty militiamen killed and eight captured. Having completed his assignment he withdrew to Westover to join the main force.
Washington, noting that Arnold was isolated from any other British forces, wanted to capture and try him for the capital offense of treason. He arranged for a French force under Admiral Le Bardeur de Tilly, to sail south and destroy Arnold’s fleet and land troops to assist Lafayette who was sent overland with three regiments (1,200 Continentals) to join with the anticipated French troops. The French admiral arrived to find Arnold’s fleet in shallow water on the Elizabeth River where his ships could not reach them. Discouraged, the French returned to Newport arriving February 24th.
On January 2nd, Cornwallis ordered British Colonel Banastre Tarleton to move from Ninety Six, South Carolina, with 1,100 men to catch up to Morgan and push him toward Kings Mountain where Cornwallis would be waiting for the unsuspecting Patriot General Daniel Morgan. The two forces had approximately the same number of men but considering regular troops Morgan had less than one third as many as Tarleton. On January 15th Tarleton moved toward Morgan. On the 16th he crossed the Tiger River only six miles below Morgan who then moved to a location where there were cowpens, giving that name in history to the location of the battle. Morgan has been criticized for choosing this open site at a bend in the Broad River to give battle. Some say Morgan’s thinking was that he could not count on the militia standing against a British attack. However if they were surrounded and in a bend of the river they would have no place to run and would have to stand and fight. Others say that Morgan was just tired of running and wanted a fight. Under whatever circumstances his tactics were not only unusual but spectacular in their result.
On the 17th, Morgan set Colonel Andrew Pickens with his riflemen in front of the Continentals, telling them to hold their fire until the enemy was within 50 yards – then fire at the men with the epaulets. After two volleys they were to fall back and form the second rank. If pressed too hard the first two ranks were to move to the wings in good order and take up battle positions there, Tarleton would then be surrounded in the open on three sides, while the Americans would be protected by trees and under brush to the right and left. If pushed to the sides Morgan would then have Tarleton in a crescent on the land side with his (Tarleton’s) back to the river.
Even with a few missteps the plan worked perfectly. Tarleton moving forward to determine Morgan's strength and position was deceived by no apparent support for the militia in front of him. Thinking that he had caught an inferior force with no place to run he ordered a cavalry charge resulting in Pickens' riflemen emptying fifteen saddles and putting the mounted Dragoons to flight. Once behind their own lines the horsemen were unwilling to attack the irregulars a second time. Tarleton now ordered a general attack. By this time Pickens had formed as the second line of defense. Again the riflemen fired at the enemy at close range with devastating effect. After firing, they moved to the wings in good order but the right wing was in danger of being flanked due to one group of militia not understanding the order so it faced about, retreating in good order. The main battle line, observing this movement, also moved back, again in good order. Seeing this, Tarleton, sure of victory, ordered his entire command forward where they were again fired upon with disastrous results.
Lt. Colonel William Washington and his cavalry chased the now dispirited Dragoons who were fleeing but the Scotch Highlanders stood until they were overwhelmed. The British artillerists fought until they were all killed but the rest of Tarleton's force was on the run. Washington, seeing that Tarleton and about 200 men were in full retreat, got ahead of his troops. Tarleton, observing that Washington was almost alone in front turned with two officers engage him. He would have been killed had it not been for a sergeant who deflected a saber slash directed at Washington and a 14 year old bugler who shot a second assailant out of the saddle. With his main force alongside him, William Washington continued to pursue the fleeing British. Morgan captured many prisoners, the supply train, 100 Dragoon horses and some 60 Negro slaves.
The Battle of Cowpens did not rank in size with Savannah or Charleston but it had a positive effect, signaling a turn of the tide in the Americans' favor. It also vindicated General Nathanael Greene’s strategy as to the manner in which militia and irregulars were to be handled in set piece battles. Tarleton, previously considered invulnerable, was now a beaten commander and that defeat was by militia and riflemen supported by a small force of Continentals. British losses were 100 killed (39 were officers), 229 wounded, plus 600 unhurt men were captured, American losses were 12 killed and 60 wounded (See Note).
On the evening of the 17th, Cornwallis, camped 25 miles away from Cowpens was waiting for the arrival of reinforcements when a messenger informed him of the defeat. On the 18th, Morgan charged Pickens to tend the wounded, bury the dead, and escort the prisoners to Island Ford on the Catawba River. With the Continentals and the rest of the militia he pushed on reasoning that his only way to escape Cornwallis' larger force would be to cross at Ramsour’s Mill by the only available route to the north and safety. If it came to a battle with Cornwallis there was no hope of winning. Fortunately for Morgan, Cornwallis delayed his departure until the 18th allowing Morgan to escape.
Cornwallis not only miscalculated the route that Morgan would travel but how much the size of his own support train would slow his march. Arriving at Ramsour’s Mills, he became determined to catch Morgan. To do so he had to transform his force into one of light foot. He did this by burning any equipment not essential to his immediate needs, including all his casks of rum. While laying at the Mills approximately 250 Hessians and some Britons deserted. Meanwhile Morgan had arrived at his destination and rested his troops until February 1st.
Patriot Generals Benjamin Huger and Nathanael Greene did not get news of the victory at Cowpens on the 17th until January 25th. Greene, foreseeing that Cornwallis might be a peril to the army if it remained divided, ordered Huger to move all prisoners to safety in Virginia then rejoin the main force. Then with a guide and a small detachment he set off the 28th through dangerous Tory controlled territory, a trek of 125 miles, arriving there January 30th. Morgan was instructed to join the main body. Greene planned for his army to follow a route that Cornwallis could follow. It was planned as a game of cat and mouse with the mouse continuously nipping the cat without getting caught. February will be interesting.
NOTE: On the same day as Morgan’s Victory (January 17th, 1781) Spanish forces led by Don Eugenio Pourre captured the British post of St. Joseph (probably present day St. Joseph, Missouri) in the Illinois territory. Spain later claimed the entire region, basing their claim that Pourre’s victory and continued holding of the territory adjacent had established Spain’s lawful right to the area which cemented their claim for what was, or later became the Louisiana Territory.
References: Arthur Meier Schlesinger’s "Almanac of American History"; Christopher Ward's "The War of the Revolution"; Bruce Lancaster's " The American Revolution"; Dan Higginbotham’s “The War of American Independence”; Winston S. Churchill’s “The Great Republic”; Carl Van Doren’s “Franklin”;Encyclopedia Britannica "The Revolutionary Years".
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