Chapter I: Front Matter

Handbook 135 Cowpens

“Downright Fighting”
The Story of Cowpens

_by Thomas J. Fleming_

A Handbook for
Cowpens National Battlefield
South Carolina

Produced by the
Division of Publications
National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. 1988

_About this book_

The story of Cowpens, as told in these pages, is ever fresh and will live in memory as long as America’s wars are studied and talked about. The author is Thomas Fleming, a biographer, military historian, and novelist of distinction. His works range from an account of the Pilgrims’ first year in America to biographies of Jefferson and Franklin and novels of three American wars. _Downright Fighting, The Story of Cowpens_ is a gripping tale by a master storyteller of what has been described as the patriot’s best fought battle of the Revolutionary War.

The National Park System, of which Cowpens National Battlefield is a unit, consists of more than 340 parks totaling 80 million acres. These parks represent important examples of the nation’s natural and cultural inheritance.

_National Park Handbooks_

National Park handbooks, compact introductions to the natural and historical places administered by the National Park Service, are designed to promote public understanding and enjoyment of the parks. Each handbook is intended to be informative reading and a useful guide to park features. More than 100 titles are in print. They are sold at parks and by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

_Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data_

Fleming, Thomas J.
Cowpens: “downright fighting.”
(Handbook: 135)
“A Handbook for Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina.”
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
Supt. of Docs. no.: I29.9/5:135
1. Cowpens, Battle of, 1781. I. Title. II. Series: Handbook (United
States. National Park Service. Division of Publications); 135.
E241.C9F58 1988 973.3’37 87-600142
_ISBN 0-912627-33-6_
★GPO: 1988—201-939/60005

Prologue 4
_George F. Scheer_
Part 1 “Downright Fighting” 10
The Story of Cowpens
_Thomas J. Fleming_