National Battlefields · South Carolina
Cowpens National Battlefield
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
A pasturing area at the time of the battle, this Revolutionary War site commemorates the place where Daniel Morgan and his army turned the flanks of Banastre Tarleton's British army. This classic military tactic, known as a double envelopment, secured a patriot victory.
Geography
Designation: 3
National Battlefield
State or territory: 4
South Carolina
Park Map - Cowpens National Battlefield: 5
Map scope: Cowpens National Battlefield
Map of Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina. The park is shaded in light teal with the surrounding area in tan. Highways are represented with red lines, park roads with white lines, and park trails with green or black dashed lines.
History and culture
Stories: 6
The Battle of Cowpens was an important victory for the Patriot forces in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War.
After a stalemate in the north, the Southern Campaign was a series of engagements and battles that led to the British defeat at Yorktown.
The battle's aftermath caused a series of events experienced by British and Patriot forces.
Nature
Ecology: 7
Cowpens National Battlefield includes 842.5 acres of land which hosts a wide variety of plant and animal life.
Animal life is plentiful at the park. A daytime hike might provide a glimpse of white-tail deer or a multitude of birds, and frogs along the streams throughout the park. As dusk falls, opossums, raccoons, bats, and other nocturnal creatures emerge and begin their search for food.
In 2007, the Cumberland Piedmont Network, sponsored by National Park Service, conducted a study at Carl Sandberg Home National Historic Site, Cowpens National Battlefield, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Kings Mountain National Military Park, and Ninety Six National Historic Site to document bat species at each site. The presence or absence of bats can indicate the health of an ecosystem. Researchers found four species of bats at Cowpens National Battlefield.
The park provides many specialized habitats for threatened plants and is home to rare ecosystems. There are 542 species of plants at the park, many of which are very unique to the area. However, at least 28% of the plants at Cowpens are not native, and natural environments are being threatened by invasive species.
Plants: 8
The National Park Service is charged with protecting and preserving the place where Daniel Morgan, commanding the American forces, defeated the British under Banastre Tarleton. This includes restoring the battlefield to its 1781 appearance. The way the participants described it in their writings gives us an idea of how it looked at the time:
Fifty-four years after the Battle of Cowpens, historian Benjamin F. Perry wrote that "there was no growth on the battle ground, & objects might be seen at a great distance through the woods…" In 1897, J.B.O. Landrum, who was familiar with the battlefield, wrote, in Colonial and Revolutionary History of Upper South Carolina, "…the forests at that time were more open… than at present, as the old battle ground is now covered with a thick, scrubby growth of blackjack and other timber, with here and there an occasional tall pine or oak of ancient appearance."
In 1781, the upcountry of South Carolina had many cow pens, places where cattle grazed before being driven to market. The area was lush with pea vines and native cane which the cattle foraged. After the battle, the land was farmed, and people built homesites, changing the type of flora as they cultivated different plants that they found on their travels.
We can now document 542 different species of plants at Cowpens National Battlefield, of which 151 are not native. Of these, at least 34 are considered to be highly aggressive and a danger to the native species. Park staff is removing exotic species and reintroducing native species as a part of the battlefield restoration.
Animals: 9
Cowpens National Battlefield hosts a wide variety of wildlife. Turtles, frogs, and salamanders live along the streams and wetlands. White-tail deer, cotton-tail rabbits, and turkeys are a common sight along the loop road. There are many insects and arachnids, including wolf spiders, hummingbird moths, and the migratory monarch butterfly. Many species of migratory birds pass through the area during the spring and fall, sometimes stopping to forage on the battlefield and surrounding forest. The seasonal visitors include the scarlet tanager, indigo bunting, and many types of warbler. Some year-round bird residents include the turkey vulture and black vulture, cardinal, chickadees, and various species of woodpeckers. There are also many birds of prey that can be seen at Cowpens, including red-tailed hawks and merlins. Turkeys are a common sight on the battlefield loop, and a visitor favorite.
Bat guano (droppings) contains potassium nitrate (saltpeter), which is a component of the black powder that soldiers needed to fire their weapons. Just like settlers grew flax to make linen for their clothes, they had to manufacture their own black powder so that they could fire their flintlock rifles and muskets.
Today, bats are useful to us because they eat insects and pollinate plants. For more information about bats, visit the National Park Service page dedicated to these fascinating creatures.
Ecosystems: 10
Cowpens National Battlefield is a part of the southern outer piedmont ecoregion and supports six ecological systems, four of which are considered natural. The natural communities include the following: • Southern Piedmont Mesic Subacid Oak-Hickory Forest • Interior Southern Red Oak – White Oak Forest • Piedmont Granitic White Oak – Black Oak Woodland • Floodplain Canebrake The Piedmont Granitic White Oak-Black Oak Woodland is an especially rare ecosystem. This plant community is only found in a set of locations in Virginia and one within Cowpens. The Foodplain Canebrake community is another example of a rare plant community within the park's boundaries.
Nature & Science: 11
For more information about bats, go the National Park Service page dedicated to them.
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (15)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
A view of the Green River Rd. from behind the continental line. · NPS photo. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Catalog image date
- 06/09/2024
- Source scope
- Cowpens National Battlefield
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain:Full Granting Rights
- Rights
- Public domain:Full Granting Rights
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Park Map - Cowpens National Battlefield · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Cowpens National Battlefield
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
Stories · Stories — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- May 4, 2025
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Ecology · Nature & Science — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- April 9, 2023
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Plants · Plants — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- April 14, 2015
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Animals · Animals — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- October 26, 2016
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Ecosystems · Ecosystems — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- April 14, 2015
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS webpage text; U.S. government work generally public domain. Third-party material may have separate rights.
Nature & Science · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Cowpens NB
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.