Battle of Cowpens: A Documented Narrative and Troop Movement Maps [Paperback]

Edwin C. Bearss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

Recounting the complex strategies that led to one of the great battles of the American Revolution, this book chronicles what happened when opposing forces clashed on January 17, 1781, as Brigadier General Daniel Morgan carried the day with astute military tactics and bold leadership. This account also details the troop movements and strategies of a battle that would foreshadow the Patriot victory at Yorktown.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ed Bearss served as the National Park Service's chief historian from 1981 to 1994. He was a featured commentator on PBS's The Civil War and appeared on A&E's Civil War Journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 58 pages
• Publisher: Overmountain Press; 2nd edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570720452
• ISBN-13: 978-1570720451
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,059,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good little overview of an obscure battle, December 1, 2001

By 

Richard H Gazley (Fullerton, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle of Cowpens: A Documented Narrative and Troop Movement Maps (Paperback)

While it doesn't have the name recognition of Bunker Hill or Lexington the battle of Cowpens is one of the important battles of the American Revolution. This slim volume gives a fair amount of detail on the situation leading up to the battle and the personalities involved. The description of the battle itself is given in detail and the B&W maps make it easy to follow along with the action.
It's difficult to give a fair review to this book, since it is problematic to determine its niche. It is a very quick read (maybe an hour) and the level of detail is not overwhelming. As a brief overview of an obscure battle it hits the mark dead on...the question then becomes, do you need an overview of an obscure battle?
For wargamers or miniature players the book might be a good investment for working out troop movements and TO&E's.
I would not recommend it for the casual history buff, you'd be better off picking up something more general that covers more of the war or at least the campaigns in the south.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, January 13, 2011

By 

Michael Porter (Budd Lake, NJ, US) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Battle of Cowpens: A Documented Narrative and Troop Movement Maps (Paperback)

This book is not only an accurate account of the battle itself, but also covers the pursuit by the English after the battle and how the patriots managed a tricky escape. A very enjoyable read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BATTLE OF COWPENS, A Documented Narrative, October 14, 2009

By 

Michael L. Sanders (Orem, Utah) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Battle of Cowpens: A Documented Narrative and Troop Movement Maps (Paperback)

Edwin Bearss does a masterful job of describing the Battle of Cowpens. In a couple of weeks an old friend and I, both of us retired military will be walking the battlefield. Both of us grew up only a few miles from the site. Bearss' book will assist us in locating the exact place of different parts of the battle and in understanding what happened. He is quite clear in his description of events. The only thing I don't like about the book is the maps are so small one can only read them with difficulty but then, the book only has so much space.