Last updated: June 26, 2022
Place
Form the Line of Battle
NPS Photo / Mike Puckett
Today Tarleton's would be called a combined arms task force. It contained all the elements to conduct a quick movement and "engage an enemy." Ranks of red-coated fusiliers, regulars, and raw recruits of the 7th Regiment formed in this immediate area. Wetlands impeded the maneuvers of the 7th, and Tarleton initiated the battle before they were completely deployed.
Tarleton’s 17th light Dragoons. The excellence of this regiment made it the first cavalry corps selected for service in America in 1775. Detachments were present in most of the important engagements throughout the war. The men were a model of discipline for other cavalry troops raised by the British in America during the war.
The Legion Cavalry. This green-uniformed unit was the mounted arm of Tarleton’s British Legion. At Cowpens, it was a mixture of loyalists and American prisoners of war from Camden, SC, armed with sabers, pistols – and attitude.
Tarleton’s 17th light Dragoons. The excellence of this regiment made it the first cavalry corps selected for service in America in 1775. Detachments were present in most of the important engagements throughout the war. The men were a model of discipline for other cavalry troops raised by the British in America during the war.
The Legion Cavalry. This green-uniformed unit was the mounted arm of Tarleton’s British Legion. At Cowpens, it was a mixture of loyalists and American prisoners of war from Camden, SC, armed with sabers, pistols – and attitude.