The Bugle Boy Who Won the Battle of Cowpens

The Battle of Cowpens, one of the most vicious and bloody in the War for American Independence, was essentially decided by a 14 year old bugler, a young man of African descent who at a crucial moment shot the British officer riding with Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton, saving the life of William Washington, the commander in chief's second cousin.

The battlefield, as the name suggests, was literally a wooded area where cattle were grazed from time to time. British forces had seized Savannah and Charleston and were pressing north -- thanks in no small part to the South Carolina legislature's refusal to recruit, free, arm and train 3000 enslaved men for service in the Continental Army. Separated from Nathanael Greene's main American army by 120 miles,

Daniel Morgan commanded 600 experienced Continental soldiers and 450 militia from Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. British commander Marquis de Cornwallis ordered Tarleton's green-jacketed cavalry, known for violent reprisals against rebels and civilians alike, to destroy the force.

Morgan's plan was to have the militia fire volleys at the oncoming British, then retreat, drawing them against the more experience Continental line. Cavalry commanded by William Washington would then directly confront Tarleton. Washington's sabre broke in his hand as he was slashing at the officer next to Tarleton. A British officer was about to run Washington through with his sword, when the bugler dropped him with a pistol shot.

The name of the bugler remains unknown to historical records. The battle ended soon after, although Washington by some reports chased Tarleton for a few miles.

Tarleton, after returning to England, became a member of parliament. He represented the port of Liverpool, from which many slave ships departed each year, and vigorously opposed efforts by William Wilberforce and others to abolish the trade. Tarleton's father had become wealthy trading in sugar, as well as investing in and managing several slaving voyages.