Daniel Morgan at the Battle of Cowpens

By James K. Swisher At last, students of American military history have recently been accorded some measure of respect to the tactical genius of Daniel Morgan. While surely benefiting from the stellar subordinate trio of John Edgar Howard, William Washington, and Andrew Pickens, and confronting an overconfident, rash, and impatient Tarleton, Morgan nevertheless controlled the whole. He made the decision of when and where to fight, drew up the plans of engagement, positioned the lines of battle, and carefully committed his troops according to that plan. He steadied his lines with his constant encouragement and continual visible presence as he rode all three lines reassuring his backwoods soldiers. He allowed his subordinates to conduct their portion of the battle under his watchful eye. And he masterfully and intuitively adjusted his battle plans when threatened by the breakthrough of his opponent’s shock troops. By all standards of war, his actions precipitated a tactical masterpiece. A Self-Trained Leader Remarkably, without even the rudiments of education, self-trained while persisting on the very margins of civilization, ignorant of the military sciences, and without access to military texts or even the tutelage of an accomplished soldier, Daniel Morgan somehow developed military skills of a superior level. His ability to maintain a cool temperament in a crisis was probably acquired in skirmishes with Indians, and this attribute was critical to his success. Willia