“Yes, though our troops fought very bravely,” replied Captain Raymond. “There were but eleven thousand of them and the British force was probably not less than seventeen thousand men. Lossing tells us that had not conflicting intelligence perplexed and thwarted him in his plans, it is probable that victory would have attended Washington and the American army. He was not dispirited.
“But to go back to Morgan. When in June, 1778, Sir Henry Clinton evacuated Philadelphia and set out for New York by way of New Jersey, the news presently reached Washington, and he at once broke up his encampment at Valley Forge, and with almost his whole army started in pursuit.
“Morgan was in that army with six hundred men. This was on June 20. I will not go over the whole story. The battle of Monmouth was not fought until the next Sunday, which was the 28th, and an exceedingly hot day. I shall not go into the particulars in regard to it just now, but only remark that Morgan was most unaccountably kept out of the conflict—he and his brave riflemen at a distance from the field. For hours he was at Richmond Mills, three miles from Monmouth Court House, awaiting orders in an agony of desire to engage in the battle, for he was within sound of its fearful tumult. He strode to and fro, uncertain what course to pursue, and, like a hound on the leash, panting to be away to action. It is not known why he was not permitted to take part in that conflict. It seems altogether likely that had he fallen upon the British rear with his fresh troops at the close of the day, Sir Henry Clinton and his army might have shared the fate of Burgoyne and his at Saratoga.
“After the battle, Morgan joined in the pursuit of the enemy and took many prisoners.
“About a year later, finding his health seriously impaired, and, like many other officers, feeling much dissatisfaction with the doings of Congress, especially with regard to promotion, Morgan sent in his resignation and went home to Winchester.
“About a year after that, when Gates took command of the southern army, Morgan was urged to return to the service; but he refused to serve as a colonel, because if he did he would be outranked by so many commanders of state militia that his movements would be seriously hampered and his usefulness impaired. As Congress declined to promote him, he remained at home; but after the great disaster at Camden he declared that it was no time to let personal considerations have any weight, and he promptly joined Gates at Hillsborough.
“That was in September; in October he received promotion, being made a brigadier-general, and Congress soon had reason to rejoice over the fact that it had done that act of justice, since it had resulted in placing Morgan where his great powers could be made of the uttermost service to the country.
“It was in December that Greene took command of the southern army, and he then sent Morgan, with nine hundred men, to threaten the important inland posts of Augusta and Ninety-six, and to co-operate with the mountain militia. In order to protect those posts and his communication with them, Cornwallis sent the redoubtable Tarleton with eleven hundred men to dispose of Morgan. As they drew near, Morgan retreated to the grazing ground known as the Cowpens,[A] where, on a long rising slope, he awaited Tarleton’s attack. His men were drawn up in two lines, the militia, under Pickens, in front, and the Continentals, under Howard, one hundred and fifty yards behind. Some distance behind these waited Colonel William Washington, with his admirable cavalry.
“When the British attacked Pickens’ line, after a brief resistance, the militia broke into two parts and retired behind Howard’s line of Continentals. As the British advanced to attack this line it retreated slowly, so as to give Pickens time to reform his militia. Presently Pickens swept forward in a great semicircle around Howard’s right, and attacked the British in their left flank. At the same moment Colonel Washington swept around Howard’s left and charged upon the enemy’s right flank while Howard’s line, after a few deadly volleys at thirty yards, rushed forward with levelled bayonets.
“Thus terribly entrapped, most of the British threw down their arms and surrendered, while the rest scattered and fled. They lost heavily, in killed, wounded and prisoners, besides two field-pieces and one thousand stand of arms. Only two hundred and seventy escaped, among them Tarleton, who barely saved himself in a furious single combat with Colonel Washington.