Battle of Cowpens, 1781

 

Battle of Cowpens by Don Troiani.

One of the worst losses by British forces during the American Revolution occurred at the Battle of Cowpens on 17 January 1781. This influential battle set up the victory at the Siege of Yorktown later in September-October 1781. In the McIntosh family story, our ancestor John McIntosh was in the Battle of Cowpens as part of the cavalry of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton.

According to Andrew J. McIntosh (John's grandson), John was trapped under his horse after it was shot and was captured by American General Daniel Morgan as his personal prisoner. Morgan's after action report mentions a list of the captured men, but I have not yet located this. Perhaps this is at the Library of Virginia in the Daniel Morgan Papers or the Daniel Morgan Collection at the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society. Lt. Col. John Moncure's 1996 publication from the US Army's Combat Studies Institute provides a thorough review of the battle in The Cowpens Staff Ride and Battlefield Tour (link, pdf).

Andrew's telling of the story says that Morgan spared John's life and he followed him to Winchester, Virginia. There's so much unknown and lost to time on what contributed to sparing John's life and his fresh start in Virginia.