Battle of Cowpens

January 17, 1781.  That's the morning that the British soldiers marched into the area known as Cowpens.   I'm not going to re-enact the battle for you here.  There are other places on the internets for that.  I just want to take a few minutes and tell you about my visit to this Revolutionary War battlefield.

Oh, and Farm Girl was right on guessing with Cowpens!

Walking around the battlefield doesn't have to be any different than walking through any other pasture if that's all you want it to be.

But for me, I was impressed.  This grassy field and dirt road that I was walking on was the same grassy field and dirt road that the US soldiers and militia stood on.   Signs stood in the locations where the men lined up to fire at the British army standing only one hundred yards away.  "This is a place of important history", I thought, as I imagined the troops lined in the fields.

During the battle there was an error by the US troops.  As one group was told to turn and face right, the entire army thought the command was for them and turned away from the enemy.  There was more than one thousand troops on each side.  I imagined the chaos of that day.  Small cannons were exploding and pouring smoke into the air.  Muskets being fired in both directions were loud.  The shouts of the soldiers as they moved forward.  Commanders for both sides tried to shout orders above the fear and chaos in front of them.  It would be so EASY for troops to not understand the direction.

It's one of the things I really like about visiting historical sights.  Trying to imagine what it was like for the people who lived during that time and during that event.  I'll stop and read the signs posted along the trail trying to understand even more.  I'm thankful that Cari is like me in this respect.  She'll stop and read the signs with me.

The kids though. . . they had seen enough of the field and it was time to keep walking.  When we got to this sign, we were told, "There's nothing to read here.  Keep on walking."

Cowpens battlefield was a great visit.  The visitor center had a great video explaining the battle and a small museum with military items from the time.  Although Cari and I walked a bit too slow, the kids said they also enjoyed our trip.  It worked out great that they have both learned about the battle, and the Revolutionary war in school.  I believe that helped them appreciate it more.  It was more than just taking a walk through a grassy field.