In a lightly wooded area, General Morgan was able to choose his ground wisely, and was able to accomplish a military tactic only used one other time in history: the Double Envelopment. The only other documented Double Envelopment occurred on Aug 2, 216, at the Battle of Cannae in southern Italy, when Hannibal's army defeated a much larger army of the Roman Republic. A double envelopment is a military maneuver in which both flanks of an enemy force are attacked simultaneously, while the center force slowly retreats, drawing the enemy into a pincers situation. Sun Tzu, in The Art of War, advised against the tactic, feeling that the enemy force would retreat before the move could be completed, and this has been the case for hundreds of years. At the Battle of Cowpens, Tarleton was so completely confident of his superiority that he was unable to comprehend that these ragtag Continentals could present much resistance, and so he fell for the tactic "hook, line and sinker". Tarleton eventually escaped with 50 of his men, leaving the rest to be captured! This battle destroyed British confidence and eventually led to their defeat.
A painting in the Visitors Center by a survivor depicts the battle, with cavalry coming in from the left flank to attack a demoralized British force.
The captured cannon are on display in the Visitors Center.
Complete with arrows stamped on the top to help soldiers figure out which direction to point them (no....not really!).
Monday, Nessie was scheduled for her 36 month, 45k mile chassis service. We also had signed up for Camp Freightliner to learn about the chassis. During a short break, I took a quick pic of Nessie and some friends being worked on in a 6-bay air-conditioned shop.
The backlot at Freightliner is pretty much a gravel parking lot, but they are kind enough to provide 50 amp electricity and a water/dump station. As I write this, every spot is filled and there are several rigs parked along the edge of the road. Busy place!
Our two day class went well, with much information being presented. There were 14 people in the class, and, as expected, we got lost in the woods of personal situations from time to time, but Mike, the instructor, was very gracious in answering all questions and guiding the conversation back to reality. Most of the information revolved around a thorough reading of the factory manual via Power Point presentations. Some of us had taken the time to read our manuals, but it was obvious that many had not, and we got some very humorous questions! We did get a great photo binder showing the specific locations (in our coach) of vital components and maintenance items. All in all, very worthwhile, but with some "sleepy" sections!
We were offered a discount on filters, fan belts and the like, so most purchased spare parts, as we did. Pat, the service manager was extremely gracious and helpful with us. She absolutely knows Freightliner products backwards and forwards, and was able to guide us through the service procedures. When I forgot to tell her about an item that needed attention, she was able to "sneak" us in the next day, and she provided additional discounts where she could. Wonderful lady! I should also compliment Mike, the instructor and 20-plus year Freightliner employee. He was never asked a question that he couldn't answer, and spoke for 8 hours a day for 2 days without notes. He's a wealth of information and "tips" for any Freightliner chassis owner! Kudos, Mike!
Two catered lunches and a catered dinner completed the class, and we met several new friends. Recommend the class if you have a Freightliner product!
We made use of the dump/water fill facilities today, so we're good for a couple of more days, and the wifi is extraordinarily fast, so life is good! All we need to do now is find something to do until our next rv park has a site for us.
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