North Carolina Society, Sons of the American Revolution

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse

225 years ago following the Patriot victory at the Battle of Cowpens in January of 1781, Lord Cornwallis pursued General Nathanael Greene’s Army in hopes of catching up with it to rescue the British troops taken prisoner. Thus began the famous “Race to the Dan River ” campaign. The Catawba River was the first natural barrier in North Carolina for both armies in this chase. Both would eventually cross at Cowan’s Ford. Both would eventually cross a second barrier – the Yadkin River – at Shallowford near Winston-Salem , North Carolina . The race finally ended after the Americans successfully crossed the Dan River near modern day South Boston , Virginia on the 13^th and 14^th of February.

It was at this crossing point on the Dan River Lord Cornwallis halted the British pursuit thus ending the chase. No longer under pressure, General Greene now had the necessary time to reinforce his Army and to choose a site favorable for a direct confrontation. A month later both armies would engage here at Guilford Courthouse.

History records the battle beginning about noon on March 15^th. General Greene divided his Patriots into three lines of defense. The first line consisted of North Carolina militia that inflicted heavy British losses and then withdrew. The second line made up of Virginia militia struggled over an hour in hard fought skirmishes before finally giving way to the British advance. The heaviest fighting took place on the third line where more experienced veterans of the Continental Line fought tenaciously in hand-to-hand combat. The action ended from British cannons fired directly into the middle of both sides thus blasting them apart. General Greene then gave the order to withdraw.

British troops remained on the battlefield here at Guilford Courthouse to care for the wounded and bury the dead, but soon Lord Cornwallis would march away in hopes of being transported by ship. Initially headed for the port of Wilmington , North Carolina he would turn and march his troops north to the Chesapeake Bay only to be surrounded by the American and French Armies at another port called Yorktown , Virginia .

JH/March 18, 2006