<P> That December, General Nathanael Greene arrived with an army of Continental troops . When Greene heard of Tarleton's approach, he sent Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and his backwoodsmen over the Appalachian Mountains to stop him . On January 17, 1781, the two forces met at a grassy field with widespread hardwoods, reeds, and marsh in a well - known Cattle grazing area called Cowpens . Pickens and his guerilla soldiers joined Morgan directly before the battle . Morgan still felt they were not strong enough to take on Tarleton's trained troops and wanted to cross a river that would separate them from the British and secure them a chance to retreat . Pickens convinced Morgan that staying on the British side of the river would force his men to fight it out in what some historians consider the best - planned battle of the entire war . The Patriots defeated the British and later victories at Hobkirk's Hill and Eutaw Springs would further weaken the British . </P> <P> FIghting continued throughout 1781 in the backcountry, where patriot and loyalist militias alike looted homes and killed civilians . One of the most infamous is William "Bloody Bill" Cunningham's "Bloody Scout," who terrorized homes and massacred dozens of Whigs . </P> <P> In December 1782, the British evacuated Charles Town . The overjoyed residents changed the name to "Charleston" because it sounded "less British ." </P> <P> In 1787, John Rutledge, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Pierce Butler went to Philadelphia where the Constitutional Convention was piecing together the Constitution . Thirty years old, Charles Pinckney had long been a critic of the weak Articles of Confederation . Although he was wealthy by birth and quite the epicurean, Pinckney became the leader of democracy in the state . On May 29, 1787, he presented the Convention with a detailed outline for the United States constitution, and John Rutledge provided valuable input . Pierce Butler, a major slaveholder who lost numerous slaves during the war who escaped to the British, included a constitutional clause for the return of fugitive slaves . </P>

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