The title is from the orders General Nathaniel Greene gave to General Daniel Morgan, the victor of the Battle of Cowpens, as he gathered his little army to face the best trained and equipped army in the world. The Battle of Cowpens was one of the turning points in the Revolutionary War. The book is a fictional account of the lives of three local South Carolina Upcountry children and their families during the four days leading up to the decisive battle. It is rich in authentic historical detail. Illustrated with over forty original drawings by South Carolina artist Doug Sanders, the book puts the reader 'on the ground' as perhaps no previous telling of the Cowpens Campaign has done. The book has resurrected the sights and sounds, the hopes and fears of a time when history held its breath for an hour and the common man stood eye to eye with Kings and Colonels. Written for young people, Spirit Up the People is also suitable for adults interested in early American history and the life and times of our colonial ancestors, and certainly essential to those interested in the Cowpens Battle.
Gereald Teaster