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THE BATTLE OF COWPENS In the early morning of January 17, 1781, in South Carolina, American troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeated a force under British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton in one of the more decisive victories for the Americans in the south during the Revolutionary War (snip) The British infantry had been stunned by the fire from the American’s first two lines and now faced the third line, predominately composed of experienced Continental troops overseen by Lieutenant Colonel John Howard. Meanwhile, Tarleton sent his reserve infantry and additional dragoons to try to outflank their opponents on the Americans’...

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens in 1781, a victory for the Continental Army in South Carolina. To mark the day, we raise the Cowpens Flag, the United States flag which was flown during the battle, designed much like the Betsy Ross 13-star flag except for the one star in the middle of the circle. Independence Forever!

EVEN Captain Bligh might have blushed. The first woman captain of a US navy guided-missile destroyer was relieved of her command for using language so foul that it amounted to “cruelty and maltreatment”, it emerged yesterday. Captain Holly Graf, commander of 400 sailors aboard USS Cowpens, was dubbed “Horrible Holly” by those who felt the lash of her tongue. Officers complained to navy investigators that she humiliated them in front of the crew by showering them with obscenities and calling them “idiots” and “stupid”. Graf’s behaviour, detailed in a navy report, came to light last week when it emerged she...

Women are so common in the upper ranks of the U.S. military these days that it's no longer news when they break through another barrier. Unfortunately, the latest benchmark isn't one to brag about: being booted as captain of a billion-dollar warship for "cruelty and maltreatment" of her 400-member crew. Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1969602,00.html#ixzz0hE3OcWl4

JABOURI PENINSULA, Iraq, April 16, 2006 – Operation Cowpens concluded maneuvers here April 14 after nearly a month of discovering caches and hampering insurgent efforts in the area. The joint operation included the 1-8 Combined Arms Battalion as well as two units of the Iraqi army's 4th Division: 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade and 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade. "The people saw that their people were there," said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey, command sergeant major, 1-8 CAB, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers. "I don't think it could have been done...

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2006 – A coalition military operation on Iraq's Jabouri Peninsula has yielded numerous mortar and artillery rounds, weapons and ammunition, bomb-making materials, and suspected insurgents, military officials reported today. Officials said "Operation Cowpens" was planned and conducted to engage insurgents, deny them resources, and degrade their ability to make and deploy roadside bombs and otherwise engage coalition forces on the peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the Tigris River. Elements of the Fort Carson, Colo.-based 1-8 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, along with 3rd Battalion, 1st...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...