On January 17, 1781, a group of American militiamen and Continental regulars defeated 1100 British troops commanded by Banastre Tarelton in a South Carolina meadow known as the Cowpens.
"Cowpens"
![Proceedings at the unveiling of the battle monument in Spartanburg, S. C., in commemoration of the centennial of the battle of Cowpens" (1896) Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images/LOC/Flickr/Creative Commons](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2ad1b96/2147483647/strip/true/crop/574x484+0+0/resize/880x742!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe4%2F56%2F82ec6ef549e780495ad71d65a964%2F14583002427-4f48063024-z.jpg)
On January 17, 1781, a group of American militiamen and Continental regulars defeated 1100 British troops commanded by Banastre Tarelton in a South Carolina meadow known as the Cowpens.