Daniel Morgan Joins Fight for Independence
Daniel Morgan received a captain’s commission from the Continental Congress in June 1775, and soon raised a force of 96 skilled riflemen much like himself, hardy and fearless, and toughened by years of fighting with Native Americans. The merit of Morgan’s riflemen was quickly recognized, and they were selected to accompany Colonel Benedict Arnold on a mission to capture Quebec in British Canada.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses what happened after Daniel Morgan joined the fight for independence, and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery, The New York Public Library, Library of Congress, Brandywine Museum of Art, U.S. Army Center of Military History, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Wikipedia.
The Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, was a great victory for Daniel Morgan and his army of Continentals and militiamen. They had virtually annihilated Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton’s famed British Legion, but Morgan’s contingent was in a dangerous position, with a larger British force under Lord Charles Cornwallis only twenty-five miles away. The race was now on to get to a place of safety.