Race to the Dan

Crossing at Irvine's Ferry and Boyd's Ferry in Halifax County, VA February 14, 1781:

Ceremony held in South Boston, VA

February 10, 2007

 

 

Good Morning, my name is Sam Powell; I am the senior Vice President of the North Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution

 

I bring welcome from President Joe Harris, and our 600 + members.  Let me introduce those with us today from NC:

 

From the Alamance Battleground Chapter: David Thompson, Ken Ingraham, Bob Yankle;

From the Gen. Francis Nash Chapter in Hillsborough area: Jay Stobbs, Pres., Stewart Dunaway;

and special thanks to the Guilford Courthouse Fife and Drum corps.

 

The Race to the Dan was strategically one of the most brilliant campaigns of the American Revolution. Had Cornwallis been able to catch and defeat Nathanael Greene's army, it would have been a disaster equal in effect to the defeat at Camden, SC. And the war would have gone decidedly in the favor of the British.

 

As it happened, Cornwallis was humiliated!  Not only had he lost a major engagement at the Battle of Cowpens one month earlier on January 17, 1781. But now he had failed to catch the retreating American army, despite the fact that he did everything possible to catch General Greene - burning his baggage and marching day and night in the wet and cold and with only minimal food or supplies.

 

The Race to the Dan will forever stand as one of the hardest fought and successful campaigns of the Revolutionary War. The escape of the American Southern Army set the stage for Greene to be heavily reinforced at the hard fought Battle of Guilford Courthouse one month later on March 15, 1781. The escape of the American Southern Army was also a critical factor leading to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, 8 months later on October 19, 1781.

 

Today we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of freedom. We remember the courage and determination of our ancestors who fought so bravely to deny the British their desired crippling blow.

 

The North Carolina Society, Sons of the American Revolution is proud to stand with you today in remembrance of the Race to the Dan.