Sal and Amanda Take Morgan's Victory March to the Battle of Cowpens

by Mary Ann Solesbee

“What do you mean?” Jen asked inquisitively.

  “Well, Sam showed out in the play, and everyone thought he was great. But he almost got me in big trouble!” Ben replied.

  He wanted to tell Jen everything, but he thought she would think he was crazy. Besides, she might tell someone else, and he had blood brother, pinky sworn with Sam to not say a word.

  Jen, smelling a good story, asked, “What kind of trouble?”

  “Oh, I don’t want to talk about it. I have to get serious about this speech,” Ben replied, changing the subject.

  “Want me to help?” Jen asked, walking over to the computer.

  “Nope, I think I got it,” Ben answered, trying to avoid her altogether.

  Jen was astonished. What had happened to Ben? He always depended on her to help him, especially with something as important as this speech. She decided to try to get an answer out of him. “What’s up with you?”

  “Nothing!” Ben replied and turned away.

  “Well, if you’re going to be rude, I’m leaving.” Jen waved goodbye as she headed out the door.

  “You wanted to tell her, didn’t you?” a familiar voice spoke from the window.

  “Good job of keeping your cool!” the second voice added.

  Startled, Ben looked and saw Sal and Amanda curled up beside his mouse on the desk.

  “Hey, guys. What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play dumb! We know about your encounter with the general!” Amanda said with conviction.

  “How do you know that?” Ben asked, not bothering to deny it.

  “We were there with you, right in your jeans pocket,” Sal grinned.

  “But I stuffed the letter in there,” Ben exclaimed, “and I didn’t feel you.”

  “We were in the other pocket, and you never even knew!” Sal laughed.

  “Thanks a lot, guys! I was scared to death. It would’ve been nice to know you two were along. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “This was something you had to do by yourself, but we were there for support if you really needed us,” Amanda confessed.

  “Well, I guess you heard what he said, right? It’s up to me to set the record straight, but how?”

  “General Morgan wants people to know that he was not just a hero but a real man who got mad and scared and frustrated like all people do,” Amanda instructed.

  “His spirit has been trapped in the statue in downtown Spartanburg since 1881 when it was erected to honor him,” Sal explained.

  “He’s not a man meant for bronze but a man whose spirit must live on in the Patriot cause,” Amanda declared.

  “You two knew! Why didn’t you inform me of this when you were telling me about the war?” Ben asked accusingly.

  “You wouldn’t have believed us. Talking salamanders are one thing; talking spirits are another!” Sal explained.

  “Uncle Newt taught us how to free spirits. He learned how to conjure from the Gullah people in Charleston. It can only be done for very important reasons though! We freed General Morgan’s spirit the day before you left. He went straight to the letter ’cause he knew you would find it!” Amanda confessed.

  “We rode to Cheraw in the basket Grammy was taking to Sam’s family,” Sal continued.

  “I thought you two were in my pocket!” Ben shot back.

  “We scampered into your pocket when you were taking a shower,” Amanda giggled. “Now, you have to tell the truth about the letter so that General Morgan’s spirit can teach us all how to be brave! That’s why he wanted to be free!” Amanda explained.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The letter you found reveals the doubts and frustrations of Morgan. He wants people to know the truth so they can learn how to ‘spirit up’ each other when they get down,” Sal instructed.

  Ben was flabbergasted. He could not believe what he was hearing, but Sal and Amanda knew too much not to be telling the truth. Besides, they had always been there to help him.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Ben asked.

  “We can’t tell you. You have to figure that out on your own. I guess it is sort of a test,” Amanda smiled.

  “Well, where is General Morgan now?” Ben asked.

  “He had to go back into the statue, but he doesn’t want to stay there. He’s restless; that’s why the folks in Spartanburg have moved him so much…his restless spirit,” Sal explained.

  “It’s up to you to set him free for good!” Amanda cheered as she grabbed Sal and headed toward the window.

  “Oh, brother!”

  “We have to go check on a game of Marco Polo the other salamanders are playing in the river,” Sal said.

  “Toot-a-loo!” Amanda smiled.

  “Wait!”

  But it was no use. Ben was as powerless to stop them as he had been to stop General Morgan’s spirit. He felt pretty helpless about the whole thing. He stared at the computer and wondered what to do next.

  He heard a voice from inside him. “Tell the truth!”

  “That will be a new thing! I’ve been pretty good at dodging it lately,” he argued back.

  “Tell the story!” the voice insisted.

  “I can do this,” Ben said to himself. “If General Morgan believes in me, I can believe in myself.”

  Ben sat down at the computer. The words of his speech seemed to pour out of him. He read and revised it until he was sure it was right. This time he did not get Jen or Grammy to read it or give him pointers and correct his mistakes. He felt inspired. He quickly printed the speech, shoved it in the contest envelope and ran out the door. He did not stop until it was in the mailbox.

  That night, Grammy asked, “Ben, I know you were working on your speech today. Want me to take a look?”

  “No thanks, Grammy, I already mailed it!” Ben replied.

  Grammy looked amazed and said, “Ben, I can’t believe you did that without even showing it to me! I could have helped you.”

  “Then it would have been your speech,” Ben replied.

  Grammy asked if Jen had helped him at all.

  “Well, not directly, but she and some other friends gave me some information. I took it from there.”

  Ben looked away, hoping Grammy would not ask who the friends were.

  Grammy was dumbfounded. This was a new side of Ben that she had never seen; she didn’t know what to say.

  Jen was also flabbergasted the next day when she heard that he had already mailed his speech.

  “What is up with you?” Jen asked. “Were you abducted by aliens?”

  “Something like that!” was all Ben would say.

  Chapter 7

  Cowpens National Battlefield

  The next few months passed in a flurry of holidays and preparation for the big march. Ben, his cousins and Jen were all fitted for their reenactment outfits during Thanksgiving break. Sam and Ben spent the Christmas holidays at Grammy’s taking drum lessons so they could play in the reenactment.

  The boys never spoke of the time they went to the Johnson House unless they were sure they were alone. Sam told Ben that his father had found some of the relatives of the dead owners, and everyone in the town was speculating about what would happen to the house. This made Ben cringe. He wondered if anyone would find the box that contained the letter. He wanted to let someone know, but he did not dare!

  Ben wished he could tell Sam about the letter, Sal and Amanda and his visit with General Morgan, but he was afraid. Sam might tell someone else, and they would think he was crazy or worse. He had told some fibs along the way, but even he couldn’t make up these events.

  Finally, the day before the march arrived. Grammy took them all to Cowpens National Battlefield to see the movie and the lighted map that demonstrated the battle scene. She wanted to be sure her grandchildren understood the significance of the battle and appreciated the importance of the march they would begin the next day.

  When they came through the front door of the visitors’ center, the park ranger greeted them. “Hello,
Mayor Henderson, so glad to have you here!”

  “Children, this is Ranger William Snow. I taught him in third grade. These are my grands, Billy. I brought them to see the movie and get the feel of the battle before the march tomorrow. I think you have met Ben before, and this is our neighbor Jennifer. And this is Sam from Cheraw, Tonya from Columbia and Kara from Charleston.”

  “Glad to have all of you. You children make yourselves at home. Look around the gift shop. The movie will start again in ten minutes.”

  The girls all gathered around the colonial dolls sitting on the shelf. The boys looked at the small replicas of cannons and toy muskets.

  The book Sal and Amanda Visit Walnut Grove Plantation caught Jen’s eye. She hurried over to Ben and whispered, “Look at this! I didn’t know our little friends were in a book!”

  “Well, it seems like they get around!” Ben answered.

  A voice coming from his pocket whispered, “You can say that again!”

  Oh no, Ben thought, every time they show up I’m reminded that I’m on some sort of quest to free Daniel Morgan’s spirit. Ben had tried not to think about it, but here he was on the sacred ground of the battlefield, and he still didn’t know how to accomplish his mission.

  The children hurried into the movie theater, where they watched a grandfather telling his grandson about how he had fought in the battle. The actors were convincing as the grandfather told his grandson about how he had been in the militia from the area. The Patriots had all been willing to die to see Banastre Tarleton and his men brought down.

  When the movie was over, the children moved to the map room. Ranger Snow explained the battle plan. The children watched as blue lights lit across the map, indicating Patriot victories prior to the Battle of Cowpens.

  “Wow, we were taking them down!” Sam said, excited to be seeing this exhibit firsthand.

  “Shh! we’re listening,” Kara retorted.

  Ranger Snow continued, “General Nathanael Greene became the new commander of the Continental forces in the South in December 1780. He found the troops to be battered and disorganized, so he divided the army and sent Daniel Morgan and the most able part of the troops west ‘to give protection and spirit up the people.’”

  “That Morgan was the man!” Sam spoke aloud again.

  Sal and Amanda, who had climbed under the seats, giggled.

  “What was that?” Sam asked.

  “No clue!” Ben lied.

  Grammy looked sternly at the children as Ranger Snow continued, “Cornwallis answered Greene’s move by dividing his forces, too, sending Tarleton to cut off Morgan. Discovering that Tarleton was after him, Morgan retreated toward the Broad River. Morgan knew that Tarleton would catch him before he could reach Greene, so he decided to make a stand at the Cowpens.”

  Sam cheered, “Morgan rules!”

  Again, the twins giggled.

  “Sam, you’re going to have to be quiet,” Grammy said with a stern look.

  “It’s not all me. It must be Ben. I think he’s a ventriloquist!”

  “Sam, one more word and you’ll be punished,” Grammy whispered.

  “Outnumbered by Tarleton two to one, Morgan needed the militia to even the odds. They came from North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. Some of the finest sharpshooters were from the Upstate of South Carolina, called the Spartan militia,” Ranger Snow explained.

  “That must be how Spartanburg got its name,” Jen whispered.

  Sal and Amanda nodded to each other. “That girl’s paying attention,” Amanda whispered to her brother.

  “Morgan knew his men. They were used to backwoods tactics, and he planned to use these skills. Morgan called for courage, but he did not ask them to face the British bayonet. He only wanted them to get off three fires and then retreat, just like they had done when they were fighting the Indians. Morgan was fearless as he ‘spirited up’ the men,” Ranger Snow said with authority.

  Ben flinched as he heard the word fearless. He knew better. Morgan was brave, but he was a man who needed encouragement too.

  Ranger Snow continued, “Before dawn, Morgan positioned his soldiers in three lines. The first line was sharpshooting marksmen. Morgan directed them to fire at the advancing British and fall back into the second line. The militia units were on the second line. Morgan ordered them to fire when they were at killing distance, targeting the officers. After three shots, they were to retreat behind the third line and reload. The third line was Morgan’s Flying Army, part of the Continentals, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Edgar Howard, who had orders to stand fast. William Washington’s dragoons were posted in a slope behind the third line. Mounted scouts watched for Tarleton down Green River Road.”

  “Wow, what a plan!” Sam shouted.

  “That’s not all!” Ben tried to explain, but the words wouldn’t come.

  “Everyone watch out! Ben’s the expert now,” Jen snickered, mocking Ben’s attempt to chime in.

  “Children, watch your manners!” Grammy said, upset and embarrassed by the behavior of her grandchildren.

  “At daybreak, Tarleton struck. When the British fired their cannons, Tarleton’s infantry advanced with a cheer. Then, Morgan cried in return, ‘They gave us the British hallo, boys. Give them the Indian hallo!’ The militia waited until the enemy was only fifty yards away, and then they opened fire. This staggered the British line, but the men rallied and moved forward, only to be hit again by another volley. The militia retreated behind the Continentals to regroup. Tarleton’s dragoons charged the retreating militia but were driven from the field by Washington’s cavalry. Then, Morgan’s Flying Army met the British head-on. They exchanged volley for volley,” Ranger Snow said dramatically.

  “Told you Dan was the man!” Sam cheered.

  “Tarleton sent in the Seventy-first Highlanders and ordered them to ‘give no quarters and take no prisoners.’ They charged with bayonet and sword. Howard ordered his men to face the enemy, but the order was misunderstood. They turned and moved away from the line. Seeing this, the other units thought a retreat had been ordered, so they also turned and moved back, reloading as they went,” Ranger Snow paused.

  “Oh no!” Sam groaned.

  “Morgan galloped to the front of the retreating men and cried, ‘Face about, boys! Give them one good fire and the victory is ours! Form, form, my brave fellows…Old Morgan was never beaten!’

  “The British, believing they had forced the Patriots back, came on like a mob. The Patriot line turned and fired as Morgan had directed. Half the British line fell, and the rest, stunned, threw down their weapons and fell face forward in surrender. Howard then ordered a bayonet charge on the Highlanders. Pickens’s militia appeared on the right and attacked. The sharpshooters swarmed out of the swamp to cut off any retreat. Meanwhile, the militia of the Flying Army came up on the British right. The double envelopment was complete! The British were hemmed in all around. The Patriots took the British cannons. Tarleton ordered his reserve dragoons to charge, but they refused and fled. The cries of ‘Tarleton’s quarters’ echoed through the battlefield. The Patriots had not forgotten the cruelty of Tarleton’s men at the Waxhaws,” Ranger Snow explained.

  “Couldn’t blame ’em,” Jen whispered.

  “But Morgan and Howard had no intention of a massacre. They ordered the men to ‘Give them quarters!’ This meant to take them prisoner. Washington pursued Tarleton down Greene River Road until Tarleton shot Washington’s horse out from under him and escaped. The Battle of Cowpens lasted less than an hour, but it turned the tide of the war. It signaled the beginning of the end for the British. Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown on October 19, 1781,” Ranger Snow concluded.*

  “Whoo! Hoo!” the children all clapped as the lights came on.

  “Thanks so much, Billy. Now the children understand what was at stake here at Cowpens,” Grammy said as she hugged her former student.

  “You’re welcome. You know you were the one who got me interested
in history in third grade, so I have you to thank for becoming a park ranger. I love my job!”

  Grammy beamed with pride. “You’re great at it, Billy. I better get these Patriots fed and in bed. We all have an exciting two days ahead of us!”

  As they drove home, all the cousins were asking questions about the war and about General Daniel Morgan except Ben. He was deep in thought about his trip to Cheraw and what he had just seen and heard. Morgan was so brave to put his fear aside and lead the men in battle.

  “I’m going to drive you kids by Morgan’s statue as we go through downtown Spartanburg. It’s right on our way to the Beacon Drive-In! Need to fill you up because you have twenty-five miles to march in the next two days,” Grammy smiled.

  The Beacon was the favorite restaurant of all the cousins. They loved the burgers, fries and onion rings and the way the men always yelled out the orders to the cooks. They also loved to hear Grammy tell the story of how she and their grandpa had met there the summer before they went to college.

  The children got out of the car to have their pictures taken in front of the statue of Daniel Morgan. As they drove off, Sam yelled, “Chili cheese aplenty here we come!”

  As they drove away, Ben looked back at the statue standing proudly above him. He could feel Morgan’s restless spirit reaching out to him. Even Sal and Amanda, riding snugly in his pocket, were awed by the general’s presence.

  * Script from Illustrated Map Program at Cowpens Battlefield (National Park Service), 2013.

  Chapter 8

  Morgan’s March

  Grammy woke the children early the next morning. She had to be sure they had their authentic dress and coats, caps and gloves. No one knew what kind of weather this time of year would bring in Upstate South Carolina. They were all glad it was sunny and not raining like in 1781.

  Grammy had also packed a backpack of snacks for each of her grands. They would need lots of energy for the trek.

  Everyone assembled at Asbury Methodist Church to register. People, including reenactors from all over the country, were excited to begin the journey. The route had been carefully mapped out by Mayor Henderson, historians and interpreters. It would progress along the same route and at about the same pace that Morgan and his men had traveled over 230 years earlier.