Number 1: Cowpens

Cowpens is the first battle of my series chronologically, and also the first of the battles I've actually run.  I covered this battle extensively on this blog in 2008 .  It's a challenging battle to do.  For those of you who don't know the action, a combined arms force of British regulars and provincials under Banastre Tarleton ran headlong into a novel defense developed by General Daniel Morgan in the South Carolina backcountry.  Morgan deployed a defense in depth of three lines, the first two of militia and the third of veteran continental light infantry with support from various mounted elements.  Tarleton was decisively defeated when his rapidly advancing troops were enveloped on both flanks by cavalry and the militia that retired in front of his advance.

It's a tough battle to game, and the mechanisms have to be right or the militia simply gets run over and the small force of Continentals is overwhelmed. It's a game I hosted at Enfilade a couple of years ago and the game turned out pretty historically, with the Brits taking some damage when confronting the line of militia, and the British Legion foot being rocked by a blast from the Continentals.  Failed charges by the British cavalry resulted in an envelopment of the British left and the end of the game.

All the units are painted and the unit strengths are based on those in Greg Novak's American War of Independence: Book Two the Southern Campaigns. 
British Order of Battle
17th Light Dragoons     6 figures (3 stands)
British Legion Light Dragoons 24 figures (3 troops of 4 stands)
British Legion Infantry     24 figures (6 stands)
Light Infantry Battalion    16 figures (4 stands)
7th Foot                         20 figures (5 stands)
1st Batt. 71st Foot         24 figures (6 stands)
Royal Artiller  1 section 3 pdrs.

American Order of Battle
Maryland/Delaware Light Infantry Battalion     36 figures (9 stands)  3rd Line
Virginia/South Carolina State troops                12 figures (3 stands)  3rd Line
Triplett's Virginia Militia                                   16 figures (4 stands)  3rd Line
1st and 3rd Continental Light Dragoons           8 figures (4 stands)    Cavalry Reserve
Virginia/North Carolina Light Horse                 4 figures (2 stands)   Cavalry Reserve
McCalls Carolina/Georgia Light Horse/Volunteer Light Horse 8 figures (4 stands) Cavalry Reserve
Roebuck's Spartanburg militia                        12 figures (3 stands)
Thomas's Spartanburg militia                          16 figures (4 stands)
Hayes' Little River militia                                20 figures (5 stands)
McDowell's North Carolina militia                  24 figures (6 stands)