Cavalry After Action Report
Cowpens 2004
by Ron Crawley

OK, it's not really much of an After Action Report but I thought I would say a few words about our Rev War debut at Cowpens. It was great to join the SC Independent Rangers on one of the best Cowpens weekends I have seen in a long time. Troops Harrelson, Murphy, and Crawley proved to be as well equipped as most of the other enactors, although we had some problem breaking up the light gray of our clothing. One person accused us of wanting to be Confederates and another (my wife) complimented me by saying I looked like "a burlap sack." No accounting for taste! We made a handful of contacts: two gentlemen ( Dan Fowler and Dave Borne) from Williamsburg, VA who arrived sans equine but constituted the "cavalry" for the event; Jeff Lambert who is vying for chairman of the Continental Line this year; and Ron Vido, a 2nd SC enactor who proclaims to be a competent horseman and interested in riding with us in WBTS or RevWar. Dan will need to fill in those blanks. A few things I would have liked to have seen: horses; drill; a musket that fired more than twice (no doubt due to my inexperience). I went back on Sunday but the early morning rain deterred most of the reenactors and all but a handful of spectators.

I think we accomplished a great deal in working with the Rangers (they are the most active volunteer group at Cowpens during the year), making contacts, and getting our feet wet in this aspect of the hobby. I look forward to the day when we can make a better showing at Guilford Courthouse, Musgrove Mill, or Cowpens.

Ron Crawley
McCall's State Troops