Battle of Guilford Court House National Military Park, located in Greensboro area, Guilford County, North Carolina, commemorates the battle that took place on March 15, 1781, between the British and the Americans.
This fight marked the beginning of the campaign that ultimately resulted in the American triumph in the Revolutionary War. The British suffered a significant defeat in this fight, which contributed to their surrender at Yorktown seven months later.
In order to preserve the battlefield, it was designated as a National Military Park, which is managed by the National Park Service (NPS). According to historical facts discovered via research, the understanding of the fight has evolved significantly since the late twentieth century, which will have an impact on the location of monuments and markers.
David Schenck, a local resident, launched efforts in 1886 to get possession of land in order to establish a park to memorialize the Battle of Guilford Courthouse as a memorial. His efforts were furthered the following year when he established the non-profit Guilford Battle Ground Company (GBGC). The federal government would receive the property that had been purchased by the group, which he had intended to do from the beginning.
When the United States Congress eventually designated Guilford Courthouse as a national military park in 1917, the Guilford Courthouse Garden Club (GBGC) graciously donated its 125 acres at no charge. It is highly likely that the park would not exist today if it were not for the generosity of David Schenck.
Despite the fact that the GBGC was generous in creating the park, the years of rule by the organization left a mixed legacy. First and foremost, Schenck did not maintain the terrain in its approximate historical state, but rather enhanced the beauty of the area to provide a more pleasurable experience.
Prior to the grounds being designated as a military park, state historical groups began erecting monuments in the land purchased by the GBGC for the purpose of preserving history. Although well-intentioned, these monuments and interpretations were not founded on scientifically investigated facts and were frequently placed in handy, if wrong, sites around the world.
To begin with, his view of the conflict was far more limited in scope than the narratives of the time period he was writing about. As a result, the National Park Service has progressed beyond Schenck’s depiction of the battle and has developed a more thorough knowledge of the war’s course of events.
Using historical data as a guide, the National Park Service plans to rebuild the battlefield and its monuments. A resurrected Guilford Battleground Company is assisting in the preservation of the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and Colonial Heritage Center, where British forces gathered before advancing on the town of Guilford.