Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Battle of Cowpens

Battle of Cowpens

8.4
A battle during the American Revolutionary War in 1781 where American forces led by Daniel Morgan defeated the British
  • proper noun
  • /ˈbætəl əv ˈkaʊpənz/
translation icon : Batalla de Cowpens
  • The Battle of Cowpens in 1781 demonstrated the effectiveness of American forces against the British.

Examples

  • Daniel Morgan's strategy during the Battle of Cowpens showcased his leadership and military acumen.

  • He was awarded a silver medal by Congress for his leadership at the Battle of Cowpens, during which he commanded the 3rd Maryland Regiment, Continental Army.

    Blog text (4)

  • The decisive victory for the Americans at the Battle of Cowpens was a turning point in the Revolutionary War.

Synonyms

Cowpens
vsBattle of Cowpens
1 9.3

A 1781 battle in the American Revolution where American troops led by Daniel Morgan defeat the British

is the full formal name used in historical writing

Surface Forms

Battle of Cowpens main

Morphology

battle + of + Cowpens

This is a directly compositional place-name construction: 'battle' (armed fight) + 'of' + 'Cowpens' (a place), so it denotes a battle that took place at Cowpens. The 'Battle of X' naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words and that Cowpens is a place would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Battle of Cowpens is named for the place where it happened — farmland with many cow pens, small fences used to hold cattle. In 1781 General Daniel Morgan used clever tactics there to beat the British, so the name now refers to that important American 'victory'.