The Battle of Cowpens was a victory for the Continental Army, where Daniel Morgan devised a new tactic to use militia and tricked the over-aggressive British Dragoon commander Banastre Tarleton into attacking what he believed was an army running away.
The British did not respect the American militia, and for good reason! The militia had constantly folded in the face of British regulars time and again.
It occurred during the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of Camden, to name a few Revolutionary War battles.
The militia was much more successful when used with cover, such as their success at Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga.
However, due to musket inaccuracy, fighting in the open field was necessary because it created a wall of musket balls rather than one inaccurate shot.
Morgan also used rifles at the Battle of Cowpens that were much more accurate, but they took time to load. These were excellent when used as snipers, but it was important to use them with regulars that had a bayonet because the rifle did not have a bayonet.
Morgan devised a plan where he created three lines. The first two lines would fire and then retreat into the reserve, and the British would then face the regulars after being sniped and taken two volleys from the militia.
William Washington then used his cavalry to attack the remaining British, which led to many captured and almost the capture of Banastre Tarleton.