Morgan County was formed in 1817 from portions of Anderson and Roane counties. It was named in honor of Daniel Morgan who lived from 1736 to 1802. Morgan was an American Revolutionary War officer who commanded the troops that defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens, and who later served as a U.S. congressman from Virginia. The original county seat was Montgomery until 1870 when it moved to Wartburg. The county has a population count of 21,579 residents calling the 522 square mileage county home.