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NPTC Southeast Convention Road Trip➤

My friend Patty and I travelled to Asheville, North Carolina for the 2023 National Park Travelers Club Convention. The convention rotates to a different region each year. For 2023, it was in the Southeast region. On the way down, during the convention and on the way home we visited nine National Park Service units and some other parks. On the second day of our road trip we visited Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.

Revolutionary War Campaigns in the South ➤

Often, when we think about Revolutionary War historic sites, we recall the battles in the North, like Bunker Hill and Saratoga. But the National Park Service maintains several Revolutionary War sites in the South. These sites played a pivotal role in the American victory at Yorktown. These sites include Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Kings Mountain National Military Park, Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, and Cowpens National Battlefield.

After France allied itself with the Patriots, the British shifted their strategy to the southern colonies. They planned to bolster their numbers by recruiting loyalists and reclaiming their profitable colonies. Under General Cornwallis, their strategy enjoyed success initially. But the engagements at King’s Mountain, Cowpens, and Guilford Courthouse shifted the tide of war in the south and made the victory at Yorktown possible.

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park ➤

The armies of General Cornwallis and General Nathanael Greene met on March 15, 1781 at Guilford Courthouse. Though Greene ultimately lost the battle, Guilford Courthouse was considered a victory within a defeat. The British suffered significant casualties during the battle. Soon afterward, they were forced to cede control of the Carolinas and ultimately went on to defeat and surrender at Yorktown.

We perused the museum in the visitor center and watched two films about the historic battle. Then we walked a trail through some monuments to the Hoskins Farm. The Hoskins had moved to North Carolina to get away from the fighting in the North, but soon found themselves in the middle of the war again.

Southeast Convention Posts➤

• Booker T Washington National Monument
• Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
• Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site
• Museum of the Cherokee Indian
• Great Smoky: Oconaluftee River Trail
• Great Smoky: Mountain Farm Museum
• Blue Ridge Parkway: Waterrock Knob
• Kings Mountain National Military Park
• Cowpens National Battlefield
• Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
• Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
• Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
• Antietam National Battlefield

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Location: 2332 New Garden Rd, Greensboro, NC
Designation: National Military Park
Date designated/established: March 2, 1917
Date of my visit: August 2, 2023