Chapter 12: January 1781, A child at Cowpens

Congress and General Washington had recalled Daniel Morgan from retirement. He had been at Saratoga when Burgoyne had surrendered and was a cousin to Daniel Boone. Sure, his hair was mostly white now, and his joints were full of arthritis; but Washington needed him alongside General Nathanael Greene to salvage the situation in the South after the disastrous defeats at Charleston and Camden.

2 Although the force assigned to him was small, it did not escape the notice of General Cornwallis. The British commander dispatched Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton to deal with that nuisance while he kept an eye on Greene. As a consequence, Tarleton had relentlessly pursued Morgan throughout the first part of January.

3 Stephen Camp, now almost ten years old, was one of the local boys who took care of feeding and watering Morgan’s Army’s horses. It was hard work, especially since they were constantly on the move; but Stephen wanted to do his part for the cause of American independence. After all, his older brother Thomas had made his contribution as part of a South Carolina artillery regiment.

4 Morgan decided to stop and face Tarleton at a place called Cowpens. It was only a short distance from Stephen’s home and the site of the battle at King’s Mountain.

5 As its name suggests, Cowpens was a place where cattle usually grazed, and it was mostly level and open. There were a few trees here and there, but the cattle had taken care of most of the underbrush. Hence, the two armies would be forced to face each other and slug it out – there would be no place to run and hide.

6 The night before the battle, General Morgan hobbled around the camp and encouraged his men. “What do you think of our plan?” he would ask them. Then, after he was sure that they understood that plan, he would praise their skills and assure them of his confidence in their martial abilities.

7 “Are the horses scared?” the old man asked as he approached Stephen. “No, sir,” the boy answered. “They’ll do just fine tomorrow,” he smiled as he patted one of the animals on its neck.

8 “I’m sure they will,” Morgan smiled back. “And you’ll have a grand story to tell your parents and the young girls!” the General continued. Stephen blushed. The old man patted him on the shoulder and moved on to the next campfire.

9 The next morning, the Americans formed their lines and waited for the British to make the first move. They didn’t have to wait too long. Tarleton sent his cavalry against them first, but the American marksmen easily repulsed their charge and then fell back to their designated places.

10 The British kept coming, but the Americans kept firing into their advancing lines. Finally, Morgan gave the signal for America’s cavalry to join the battle, and Stephen moved forward to get a better view of what was happening.

11 Just then, a stray bullet hit his right arm. “Ouch!” he cried out in pain. In the next instant, he felt warm blood trickling down his arm. He was dizzy, and he stumbled back to the rear of the American lines.

12 Fortunately, one of the other boys who had been tending the horses had the presence of mind to wrap some cloth around the wound and stop the bleeding. “Hold it there,” the boy instructed.

13 “Woo-hoo! We whipped their asses!” an excited soldier shouted as he darted past the boys. A little later, General Morgan spotted Stephen holding his arm. “Are you alright, son?” he asked. “I think so,” the boy almost whispered.

14 “That just might earn you a kiss or two from a pretty girl, heh?” the old man smiled. Stephen blushed again, and he knew that everything would be fine. After all, it was now clear that the Americans had won a tremendous victory over their enemies.