"The Battle of Cowpens was one of the most critical battles of the American Revolution. It was a signpost and it pointed directly to Yorktown where the British would finally surrender less than a year later. The Battle took place on January 17th 1781 in South Carolina. An American force led by a brilliant Revolutionary War commander called Daniel Morgan routed a British army under the command of an imperious and greatly feared young cavalry colonel called Banastre Tarleton. Tarleton, known as "Bloody Ban", was the most hated British officer in the south because of his ruthless tactics. His force was made up of seasoned British and loyalist regular troops. Morgan's professional army was small. He had to rely heavily on part-time militia troops who had a reputation for running away at the first sight of British redcoats wielding bayonets. Now historians, soil scientists, tacticians, psychologists, geographers and weapons experts have combined their disciplines to analyze this important clash between American Patriots and King George's men. Through their efforts we discover how and why Morgan's amateurs managed to totally destroy a force belonging to the world's best trained and most feared Army." -- Publisher's web site.

Originally aired December 17, 2004 on the History Channel. Copyright 2006 from end screen.