General Daniel Morgan

General Daniel Morgan. Hero of the Battles of Saratoga and Cowpens. Daniel Morgan was born in New Hampton, Hunterdon County in 1736. Like other residents on the New Jersey frontier, Morgan's father worked for the Union Iron Furnace. Uneducated, Morgan left home in 1751 and worked as a wagoner in Pittstown, NJ. He migrated to Virginia at 17 and became a wagoner for the British Army in the French and Indian War in 1756. Flogged for striking a British officer, he lost all love for the British Army. When the Revolutionary War started in 1775, Morgan accepted a captain's commission of a Virginia rifle company in the Continental Army. Called "Morgan's Rifle Corps", these sharpshooters could hit targets out to 200 yards. In 1777 Morgan was promoted to colonel of the Virginia regiment of riflemen. Morgan contributed greatly in two of the most important American Revolutionary War victories: Saratoga, NY in 1777, which led to the French becoming an American Ally, and Cowpens, SC in 1781, which led to the British retreat to Yorktown, VA and their final surrender. Morgan's regiment moved in advance of the infantry at the First Battle of Saratoga (Freeman's Farm). Making initial contact with the largest body of British infantry, Morgan fell back to the support of the Continental infantry. His riflemen fired from the trees keeping the British at long range while the infantry reloaded, and the infantry fired at short range while the riflemen reloaded, an effective and successful tactic to defeat the British. In the second Battle of Saratoga (Bemis Heights), Morgan's riflemen again supported the infantry. General Benedict Arnold, taking command from General Learned, ordered Morgan to kill British General Fraser. One of Morgan's riflemen climbed a tree and shot Fraser off his horse, killing him. These major contributions to the American victory at Saratoga yielded Morgan great praise. But having been passed over for promotion to brigadier general, Morgan resigned from the Continental Army in 1779. Recalled to the Continental Army in 1780 with the rank of brigadier general, Morgan with his riflemen, militia, and regular Continental Army troops confronted British Lt. Colonel Tarleton at Cowpens. Placing his militia and riflemen in front of the regulars, Morgan ordered his riflemen and militia after each firing two volleys to fall back behind a knoll, and the regular infantry to fall back to the top of the knoll. Tarleton's troops, feeling that the Americans were routed, charged forward only to be enveloped by the militia and Colonel William Washington's reserves. Tarleton was thoroughly defeated in what was considered the tactical masterpiece of the Revolutionary War.