forced to retire. But by chance Sumpter himself had been badly wounded; and the Americans, without a leader to hold them together, retreated and dispersed. Tarleton, therefore, although defeated, was successful in gaining his point, and received particular commendation for this action from Lord Cornwallis. [Sidenote: 1780.] In December reinforcements from New York were sent to South Carolina, and among them a troop of the Seventeenth, which was added to Tarleton’s command for the forthcoming operations. Cornwallis designed to march once more into North Carolina. The Americans, true to their habitual tactics, resolved to keep him in the South by harassing his outlying posts, and to this end sent 1000 men under General Morgan across the Broad River to attack Lord Rawdon in the district known as “Ninety-six,” on the western frontier of South Carolina. Cornwallis replied to this by detaching Tarleton, with a mixed force of about 1000 men, to the north-west to cut off Morgan’s retreat. [Sidenote: 1781.] On the night of the 6th January, Tarleton, after a very fatiguing march, managed to get within six miles of Morgan, who retreated in a hurry, leaving his provisions half-cooked on the ground. [Sidenote: 7th Jan.] At three next morning Tarleton resumed the pursuit, and at 8 A.M. came up with the American force, disposed for action, at a place called the Cowpens. As usual Tarleton attacked without hesitation, in fact so quickly that he barely allowed time for his troops to take up their allotted positions. The 7th Foot and legion infantry formed his first line, flanked on each side by a troop of cavalry; the 71st Foot and remainder of the cavalry were held in reserve. The Americans were drawn up in two lines, whereof the first was easily broken, but the second stood firm and fought hard. Seeing that his infantry attack was failing, Tarleton ordered the troop of cavalry on the right flank to charge, which it duly did under a very heavy fire, but being unsupported, was driven back by Morgan’s cavalry with some loss. Tarleton then ordered up the 71st, which drove back the Americans brilliantly for a time, but being, like the rest of the British force, fatigued by the previous hours of hard marching, could not push the attack home. The Americans rallied and charged in their turn, and the British began to waver. Tarleton ordered his irregular cavalry to charge, but they would not move; and then the American cavalry came down upon the infantry, and all was confusion. [Sidenote: 1781.] “Where is now the boasting Tarleton?” shouted Colonel Washington, as he galloped down on the broken ranks. But the boasting Tarleton, who had driven Washington once to hide for his life in a swamp, and once to swim for his life across the Santee, was not quite done with yet. Amid all the confusion the troop of the Seventeenth rallied by itself, and with these, a mere 40 men, and 14 mounted officers who had formed on them, Tarleton made a desperate