Cowpens National Battlefield is a unit of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

just east of

Chesnee, South Carolina Chesnee is a city in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Spartanburg and Cherokee County, South Carolina, Cherokee counties, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 868 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. History I ...

, and near the state line with

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. It preserves a major battlefield of the American Revolutionary War. Cowpens - main sign 2

Brigadier General

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (1735–1736July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

won the

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and Kingdom of Great Britain, British for ...

, a decisive Revolutionary War victory over British Lieutenant Colonel

Banastre Tarleton Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British general and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolution. He later served in Portu ...

on January 17, 1781. It is considered one of Morgan's most memorable victories and one of Tarleton's most memorable defeats. Established as Cowpens National Battlefield Site March 4, 1929; transferred from the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

August 10, 1933; redesignated April 11, 1972. Listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on October 15, 1966. Area: 841.56 acres (3.41 km²), Federal: , Nonfederal: . The visitor center features a museum with exhibits about the American Revolution and the battle, including a fiber-optic map that illustrates the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution and the battle, a walking tour of the battlefield itself, and the reconstructed

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...

of one Robert Scruggs, who had farmed the land before the establishment of the park.

References

* ''The National Parks: Index 2001-2003''. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

External links

*
National Park Service: Cowpens National Battlefield
{{authority control Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina American Revolutionary War sites Protected areas of Cherokee County, South Carolina National Battlefields and Military Parks of the United States Museums in Cherokee County, South Carolina Protected areas established in 1929 American Revolutionary War museums in South Carolina National Park Service areas in South Carolina Parks in South Carolina 1929 establishments in South Carolina Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Cherokee County, South Carolina American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia