Devil of a Whipping

The Battle of Cowpens

By: Lawrence Babits

Narrated by: Knighton Bliss

The battle of Cowpens was a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War in the South and stands as perhaps the finest American tactical demonstration of the entire war. On January 17, 1781, Daniel Morgan's force of Continental troops and militia routed British regulars and Loyalists under the command of Banastre Tarleton. The victory at Cowpens helped put the British army on the road to the Yorktown surrender and, ultimately, cleared the way for American independence.

Here, Lawrence Babits provides a brand-new interpretation of this pivotal South Carolina battle. Whereas previous accounts relied on often inaccurate histories and a small sampling of participant narratives, Babits uses veterans' sworn pension statements, long-forgotten published accounts, and a thorough knowledge of weaponry, tactics, and the art of moving men across the landscape. He identifies where individuals were on the battlefield, when they were there, and what they saw--creating an absorbing common soldier's version of the conflict. His minute-by-minute account of the fighting explains what happened and why and, in the process, refutes much of the mythology that has clouded our picture of the battle.

Babits put the events at Cowpens into a sequence that makes sense given the landscape, the drill manual, the time frame, and participants' accounts. He presents an accurate accounting of the numbers involved and the battle's length. Using veterans' statements and an analysis of wounds, he shows how actions by North Carolina militia and American cavalry affected the battle at critical times.

And, by fitting together clues from a number of incomplete and disparate narratives, he answers questions the participants themselves could not, such as why South Carolina militiamen ran toward dragoons they feared and what caused the "mistaken order" on the Continental right flank.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2001 Lawrence Babits (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the best analyses that we have of an individual Revolutionary War engagement." ( Journal of American History)

The exhaustive guide to the battle of Cowpens

Being more of a scholar, I appreciated Babits take on the battle of Cowpens, and it’s helped me understand the battlefield as I looked at it. The text is exhaustive, and is suited for scholarly pursuits. I enjoyed it, and will now look for it in print.

Use of Quote in the narration

Don’t say read punctuation!

Very distracting

As for the author, no need to use quotation for mundane descriptions.

Reading the book now because narration so difficult to get through

Trent

Don't forget the reference downloads!

This book is NOT a novel. It is an in depth review of a pivotal battle of the American Revolution. It really isn't something you can listen to in your car on the way to work. You'll need the reference maps and documentation to follow along.

If you are into the study of military tactics, this is a great book. If you are looking for an overview with entertaining dialog, this book is not for you.

a study

the author describes this book as a study of the battle. there are statistics a plenty mixed with eye witness accounts. the descriptions are quite clinical, and rob the story of any sort of drama. the narrator speaks in something very like a monotone that reinforces essay/study approach. a lot of good facts, but tough sledding to get through them...

Wonderful in-depth review of battle

A must read for anyone interested in the impact of Cowpens in the Revolution. Long my favorite battle (who doesn’t love a double envelopment), I really enjoyed the book.

Very Poorly Narrated

This book is not for the faint of heart. You must be a real military historian to really enjoy this book. The story is very well researched and written but the narration simply kills it.

Well researched, poorly presented

Babits did an immense amount of research but almost to a fault, as the narrative flow is lost in the minutiae. An uninspiring reader does not help either.

The Narrator

the Narrator using quote and unquote is very annoying and takes your focus off the story. there is no need to use those words in telling this story, I will avoid this Narrator in any future purchases no matter how good the book is.

Poor narration

Poor narration made the listening monotonous. Also, one needed a map to keep track of all the geography noted by the author regarding troop movements.

The Reader Was A Bot

The history and story behind Cowpens is compelling but the audios delivery was awful. The unwavering voice with mispronounciations was really insulting and I wanted my money back from the start. Audible should know better!!!