A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens

Rating:
Summary: Fully informative, partly exciting
Review: A Devil of a Whipping is extensively detailed and very informative of what happened during the Battle of Cowpens. The first half of the book basically sets up the scenario for the battle, and describes tactics, weapons, the armies, and prebattle military movements. Overall, the first half of the book is a barrage of in-depth information, most of which the common reader will find boring and useless.

But during the second half of the book, the pace picks up, as the author finally gets to the action-packed, minute-by-minute description of the Battle of Cowpens. Whether the author's sources of information are entirely accurate or not, the second half of the book is still exciting, since the author took care of explanations of tactics, etc., earlier in the book, which would otherwise have interrupted and taken away from the exciting, fast-paced battle sequence in the 2nd half of the book.

So, if you're looking for the most information you ever saw crammed into 160 pages of reading material, read Devil of a Whipping.

Rating:
Summary: Fully informative, partly exciting
Review: A Devil of a Whipping is extensively detailed and very informative of what happened during the Battle of Cowpens. The first half of the book basically sets up the scenario for the battle, and describes tactics, weapons, the armies, and prebattle military movements. Overall, the first half of the book is a barrage of in-depth information, most of which the common reader will find boring and useless.

But during the second half of the book, the pace picks up, as the author finally gets to the action-packed, minute-by-minute description of the Battle of Cowpens. Whether the author's sources of information are entirely accurate or not, the second half of the book is still exciting, since the author took care of explanations of tactics, etc., earlier in the book, which would otherwise have interrupted and taken away from the exciting, fast-paced battle sequence in the 2nd half of the book.

So, if you're looking for the most information you ever saw crammed into 160 pages of reading material, read Devil of a Whipping.

Rating:
Summary: Daniel Morgan at his best
Review: After you read this book, you will wonder who was the protagonist; Banister Tarlton or Daniel Morgan. Both individuals and the times they lived-in provide a story almost unbelievable except that its true. Their devotion to their cause cannot be understated and the detail provided in this book enlightens the reader to those times when a fast horse and sure shot won the day. Its sad that in today's world few people would risk all for any cause, much less such a lost cause as independence for a small colony controlled by the largest military power in the world. Read this book and you will step into the shoes of the participants that heard the shot fired around the world.

Rating:
Summary: A devil of a good read
Review: Babits certainly put in the time to do the research for this book. As anyone knows who has done research involving combat actions, memories, even very shortly after a battle can become blurred. Babits I think does a good job sifting through some of the bogus recollections that comes from this "fog" of battle. The battle reconstruction, unit movements, and analysis of casulties is the best I have read regarding this action. Anyone reading this book should do so carefully. Footnotes should be consulted and time should be spent with the variety of charts and maps. The book is a little slow, but then most books of this nature are read by people looking for knowledge and not a good time.

Rating:
Summary: "Bloody" Tarleton Has His Lunch Handed to Him!
Review: Babits' book is a long overdue and comprehensive description on what was probably one of the three most important battles in the Revolutionary War (Saratoga NY and Kings Mountain being the other two).

Books on battles and campaigns can sometimes be tedious and dry. Not so with this one! The author's writing style is technical without being tedious and easy to follow without being simplistic.

I particulary enjoyed how Babits vividly described the battle and how the American tactics and use of terrain led to a decisive victory. Especially helpful were the many detailed and helpful maps in the text. Including many maps made the book easier to follow and broadened my understanding of the battle.

Since I live within 1.5 hours of the battlefield, I have been able to visit the battlefield several times. Babits book has really enhanced my visits.

All in all, a highly recommended read!

Rating:
Summary: A Devil of a Work
Review: Dr. Babits has researched and written what should be considered the best reconstruction of a Revolutionary War battle. "A Devil of a Whipping" is good narrative. However, underneath most of the book is a technical and logical chronology of what took place throughout the Battle of Cowpens. The action is so perfectly dissected that Babits gives an almost minute-to-minute account of the battle.

Babits utilizes scores of veteran pension statements to give the reader a sense of were people where at a given point in the battle. We also get to know the colorful leaders-Morgan and Tarleton.

Babits also uses his experience as a reenactor and student of 18th century tatics to explain how and why the armies moved and used their weapons the way they did.

This work will most certainly stand the test of time. I would like to see other battles of the Revolution explored in such an innovative manner.

Rating:
Summary: A Devil of a Work
Review: Dr. Babits has researched and written what should be considered the best reconstruction of a Revolutionary War battle. "A Devil of a Whipping" is good narrative. However, underneath most of the book is a technical and logical chronology of what took place throughout the Battle of Cowpens. The action is so perfectly dissected that Babits gives an almost minute-to-minute account of the battle.

Babits utilizes scores of veteran pension statements to give the reader a sense of were people where at a given point in the battle. We also get to know the colorful leaders-Morgan and Tarleton.

Babits also uses his experience as a reenactor and student of 18th century tatics to explain how and why the armies moved and used their weapons the way they did.

This work will most certainly stand the test of time. I would like to see other battles of the Revolution explored in such an innovative manner.

Rating:
Summary: Long overdue
Review: I'm a "good sandlapper" from Lancaster County (formerly The Waxhaws of Andrew Jackson's birth), and went to grammar and high schools that bear the name of Colonel Buford, whose unit of Virginians was massacred by Tarleton just prior to King's Mountain and Cowpens. Growing up with many references to these battles (and even attending the Bicentenial re-enactment at Cowpens in 1981), i was severely disappointed with history books that overlooked, ignored, or understated the importance of the action in the Carolinas. Actions pivotal to the success of the Revolution. Babits has done his part to remedy this, and i applaud.

The author can be forgiven if his writing style and references are lacking. The fact that this work has been published at all is a major step towards rectifying a centuries-long bias toward us "backward" Southerners -- who did so much to ensure this Nation's independence, only to have it forever marred by the ensuing conflict between the States eighty years later. One can no longer mention the words "South Carolina" and "War" without the listener immediately jumping to Fort Sumter and Slavery, Rebel Flags and Bigotry. While those are no less important for very different reasons, the role of the Carolinas in the Revolution deserves its due. And this work, while far from perfect, tremendously supports those facts.

For these same reasons, i suggest Edgar's "Partisans and Redcoats," and Buchanan's "Road to Guilford Courthouse," themselves imperfect works that present previously ignored information.

Rating:
Summary: Long overdue
Review: I'm a "good sandlapper" from Lancaster County (formerly The Waxhaws of Andrew Jackson's birth), and went to grammar and high schools that bear the name of Colonel Buford, whose unit of Virginians was massacred by Tarleton just prior to King's Mountain and Cowpens. Growing up with many references to these battles (and even attending the Bicentenial re-enactment at Cowpens in 1981), i was severely disappointed with history books that overlooked, ignored, or understated the importance of the action in the Carolinas. Actions pivotal to the success of the Revolution. Babits has done his part to remedy this, and i applaud.

The author can be forgiven if his writing style and references are lacking. The fact that this work has been published at all is a major step towards rectifying a centuries-long bias toward us "backward" Southerners -- who did so much to ensure this Nation's independence, only to have it forever marred by the ensuing conflict between the States eighty years later. One can no longer mention the words "South Carolina" and "War" without the listener immediately jumping to Fort Sumter and Slavery, Rebel Flags and Bigotry. While those are no less important for very different reasons, the role of the Carolinas in the Revolution deserves its due. And this work, while far from perfect, tremendously supports those facts.

For these same reasons, i suggest Edgar's "Partisans and Redcoats," and Buchanan's "Road to Guilford Courthouse," themselves imperfect works that present previously ignored information.

Rating:
Summary: Forty Minute Battle That Led to Yorktown Dissected
Review: Lawrence Babits has packed a thorough study of the Battle of Cowpens into a slim book.

The forty-minute battle was crucial to our success in the war. It was a devastating defeat for the British, specifically "Bloody Tarleton," whose British Legion had been the scourge of the Carolinas. The defeat was so total because of the Masterful plan and seamless execution by General Morgan and his subordinates. Too few Americans know about Cowpens and its place in steering Cornwallis ultimately to Yorktown.

The author had a mission: to dissect the Battle of Cowpens through pension records of participants and memoirs in order to construct an accurate placement of troops during the battle, the size of American forces present, the total of British casualties and the duration of the affair.

He has done his work well and convincingly. In the process, Babits clarifies and rectifies some commonly held notions of Cowpens. The militia line made an orderly retreat through the Main line through previously established gaps in that line and not around the flank; Morgan's troop totals and casualties in his report were only for Continental troops -- the militia doubled Morgan's probable force to 1800 men engaged; Washington did not encounter Tarleton at the end of the battle but three British cavalry officers; the South Carolina militia did not cross the field during their planned withdrawal; the North Carolina militia stayed in the fight on the American right after their planned withdrawal.

If these details have lost you, it focuses on a major facet of the book. It is for readers who have some appreciation of the Revolution in the South and the Battle of Cowpens. While thoroughly researched and minutely written, my one criticism is that at times the author gets bogged down in details that interrupt the flow of the larger story. Thus the book may seem inaccessible to a first timer looking to find out about the Battle of Cowpens.

Not that the author doesn't tell the battle story in full. He does. This book underscores General Daniel Morgan's tactical brilliance as well as General Greene's strategic insight in detailing Morgan to the interior initially. Morgan's battlefield plan and his sub commander's (particularly William Washington and John Howard's) performances are correctly studies in leadership and execution. Morgan planned a tactical masterpiece that made use of all his troops' strengths and used some of their weaknesses (in the case of the militia) to his advantage. American arms have seldom exceeded this level of performance at the tactical level.

(Delaware partisan warning here) The author also highlights the rock steady performance of Captain Kirkwood and his Delaware Line during the battle and the pursuit of Tarleton. Kirkwood was one of the best Continental battlefield leaders of the war, noticed by George Washington as well as a host of others. Prohibited from rising to General by the virtue of his coming from a small state (the number of state troops raised had much to do with the general offices available), Kirkwood and his Delawares (as the author describes them; today we say Delawareans, although I'm not sure if that was the case 225 years ago) were a mainstay in Morgan's line, absorbing the direct fire of the main British regiment and receiving the most unit casualties of any of Morgan's forces. I was very glad to see Babit give this small band of Blue Hens their due.

This is a very good book in terms of research and analysis. Much more has been learned about the Battle of Cowpens because of Babits painstaking study. He has added to our knowledge of one of the Revolution's pivotal battles.