Daniel Morgan: Revolutionary Rifleman

by Don Higginbotham

Over the vast distances and rough terrain of the Revolutionary War, the tactics that Daniel Morgan had learned in Indian fighting--the thin skirmish line, the stress upon individual marksmanship, the hit-and-run mobility--were an important element of his success as a commander. He combined this success on the battlefield with a deep devotion to the soldiers serving under him. In a conflict that abounded in vital personalities, Morgan's was one of the most colorful. Illiterate, uncultivated, and contentious, he nevertheless combined the resourcefulness of a frontiersman with a native gift as a tactician and leader. His rise from humble origins gives forceful testimony to the democratic spirit of the new America.

Genres: History, Biography, American Revolution, American History, Nonfiction

255 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Don Higginbotham was an American historian and Dowd Professor of History and Peace, War, and Defense at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Reviews

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Daniel Morgan, Revolutionary Rifleman" by Don Higgenbotham is a reprint of the 1961 biography. It was recommended to me by a Park Ranger at the Saratoga Battlefield. (They have a wonderful historical book section at the store there.)

I found it a good introductory biography and an easy read on a very important historical figure. Colonel, later General Morgan was one of the American Revolution's experts in "light warfare". He played very important roles in both the Saratoga Campaign and in the later Southern Campaigns as well as commanding the Continental Army's screening forces during the Philadelphia Campaigns.

The biography is a bit dated in terms of style. I say this because it attempts to provide a simple straightforward description of what Morgan actually did. It does not attempt historical revisionism. It does not attempt to dwell upon any weaknesses he had. As, I guess, an old fogey, I greatly appreciated this approach.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in an easily read, mercifully short, well written, and interesting biography of an important figure in the American Revolution.

[Patrick]

A very good biography of this Revolutionary War general. It is especially good concerning Morgan's participation at Saratoga and his brilliant design of the attack at Cowpens. This book is pretty old but I haven't found anything more recent.

[William Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much insightful information about Morgan's character and military exploits. An excellent read!

[Robert Krenzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revolutionary Rifleman is a brief overview of the life of Daniel Morgan. It is well-researched, with good use of primary sources. It is also a fairly easy read.

Where I found this book lacking was in analysis. Rarely does it leave the well trodden path of narrative to explore the wilds of "why?" and "therefore." This is unfortunate, because I was often left wanting more.

Overall, it is a useful book about an important subject.

[Chuck Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Morgan has been a historical figure I have admired for years. His victory at Cowpens was perhaps the most important victory in the revolutionary war, not only the only American victory over a larger trained British force but directly leading to Cornwallis' defeat at Yorktown later in the war. Not only that, but his efforts at Saratoga aided greatly in the American victory which led to the French entering the war, which made Yorktown possible. Yet, by and large, Morgan has received little notice in most general histories about the war. The book I read, "Daniel Morgan: Revolutionary Rifleman" by Don Higginbotham was written in 1961. At the time the only other book about Morgan was written in the 1850's. Since this book was written other books about Morgan have appeared and Morgan played a major role in Jeff Shaara's historical fiction novels about the Revolutionary War. This book covers Morgan's entire life, which was quite interesting not even counting the war years. A big man, little educated, he was a brawler and a waggoner by trade before settling down to own a farm and a mill. He took part in the French and Indian War hauling freight and getting 499 lashes from the British for striking an officer. His raised a corps of Virginia riflemen to fight in the revolution and began his amazing career as a soldier. He became friends with George Washington as well as an important part of his army. After the war, he continued to serve as a Federalist Congressman and held other positions in Virginia. The book is more of a scholarly work, giving many details that might distract a reader, but it is well worth the effort. You will learn a great deal about the Revolutionary War and early America as well as a great deal about General Daniel Morgan. I highly recommend this book for history buffs.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Somewhat mixed feelings on this. Most biographies that I read are a little longer than this one, but I don't know whether or not this one should have been longer. I almost rounded up at the end, because I had the same feeling of losing a friend that I feel with reading most good biographies. However, there were a couple of things that kept this down to 3 stars. First and foremost, I did have to question Higginbotham a bit. He doesn't seem to have understood the difference between courthouse the building and Court House as part of the name of a town. At Monmouth and Guilford, he used courthouse. At the Battle of Monmouth Court House, he wrote "the sound of heavy firing toward the courthouse"... Admittedly, I haven't studied that battle in great depth, but nothing I've read indicates it was fought in the town, near the courthouse building. That seemed like shoddy research to me, although it's possible I'm wrong. The other thing I didn't like about it was his elevation of Horatio Gates to the status of a good general. It seems maybe Daniel Morgan liked Gates and so this is why he took the approach he did. This is one of those things in history that I'm sure people could debate with fans of Gates saying, "yes, he was a good general", and those who think he was a pompous fool arguing the opposite. I just happen to fall in the category of feeling like Gates was a pompous fool. (The joys of viewpoints in history -- I teach this to my students that two people can look at the same documents and come up with a different interpretation.) :)

At any rate, it wasn't bad. It gave a good overview of Morgan's life -- especially during the Revolution. I learned some things, and as I said, I was sad to see it end.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Morgan was one of those people that was born to be a military leader. He came from nothing and was a completely self-made man. He crossed paths with some of the most noteworthy characters in early American history while rising to the rank of General in the Revolutionary war, later becoming a congressman from Virginia. Like Washington himself, he was even a key player in the Whiskey Rebellion, which was one of the earliest challenges to the Constitution which Morgan revered. Despite being a relatively short book, if you like detailed tactical accounts of some of the most noteworthy battles in the American Revolution, including the men who participated, this book is for you.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, concise, and well-written book about one of our Revolutionary War heroes. This is worthwhile for anyone who wants to dig just a little deeper into the revolution and past the founding fathers. The Battle of Cowpens was his signature victory.

[Van Jones]

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[Michael Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough biography of Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War hero I have known a little about since I was a boy. I grew up around Cowpens, and so have long been familiar with Morgan and the double envelopment that won the day for the American Patriots. My knowledge about Morgan is now more complete, thanks to Don Higginbotham's research and writing. I particularly enjoyed reading about the old general's life after the war.

[David Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat old-fashioned biography of one of the United States' more dashing Revolutionary War leaders, who later personified the notion that backwoods riflemen clinched the rebels' victory. Higginbotham devotes most of this book to Morgan's wartime service, penning an exciting narrative of the Quebec expedition of 1775 and the clearest account I've yet read of the Battle of Cowpens, the “tactical masterpiece” of the Revolutionary War. He also indicates the most important service Morgan provided to the Continentals in the Southern campaign: marching into the back-country, rallying demoralized rebel militia (the rebels' greatest source of strength), and employing them effectively on the battlefield. A summary of Morgan's later career as a land speculator and a workmanlike account of his services in the Whiskey Rebellion and as a Congressman round out this straightforward and readable work.

[Katherine Hebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-documented "just the facts" biography of one of my heroes of the Revolutionary War. Although some of the thinking is dated (especially with language---Native Americans are nearly all "savages") and you don't get any sense of being present in the action, the book is a good portrait of a larger than life leader who, with his unEuropean battle strategies and tactics, helped win the Revolution.