Chasing Cornwallis

by Paul Andriscin

Replacements Unlimited, located in McCleansville, North Carolina, buys used pottery, glassware, silverware and the like to replace items that have been broken so people can fill their sets with pieces that have been damaged.  So when my wife mentioned that she wanted to finally get rid of some stuff we’ve had sitting around for far too long, we began planning a trip to North Carolina.  When I found McCleansville on the map, I quickly discovered it was only 15 miles from Guilford Court House, site of one of the significant battles of the American Revolution in the South.  So we planned the trip to include not only a visit there but also to include swinging into Virginia and visiting the new American Revolution museum in Yorktown.

After dropping off many boxes at Replacements, we headed to Guilford.  The battlefield is a National Park and staffed and maintained by the Park Service. The park road splits off Old Battleground Road and leads to a small visitor’s center. Admission was free we were told by Park Ranger Pete Brock who had a big grin when I told him I was one of the Site Interpreters at Mount Independence in Vermont. Pete then told me he was from Orwell!  He moved to North Carolina in 1984 and had been at Guilford for some time.  We had a nice visit and then he put on an animated film about how the battle progressed using red and blue blocks to show where troops moved and shifted about.  It was well done, clearly narrated and any visitor could follow the flow of the battle.  The displays were well done, very informative and covered a myriad of different aspects of the conflict in the South including slavery and the role Quakers had in tending the wounded of both sides.

The real gem in the Visitor’s Center is a 30 minute film “Another Such Victory” which engages the audience with the story of the battle told through the eyes of participants ranging from British Redcoats to Colonial Regulars and Militia as well as a nice portrayal of the Quaker hospitals caring for the wounded.  It’s one of the best interpretive films I have seen at any historic site.  

A 2 ¼ mile driving tour begins just beyond the parking lot and covers the field well with markers, signage and trails.  However, the best way to do the tour is by using the Cell Phone Audio Tour.  By calling a number from your phone, you get a 2 – 3 minute message describing the actions at that location.  The Cell Phone Tour is free but you must use your own service and minutes. This device made the field even more understandable.

The last part of the park we stopped was the Colonial Heritage Center at the Hoskin’s Farm where Cornwallis formed his troops for battle.  Although the center was closed for renovations, as were the farm buildings, we were able to wander around and take some photos.  The Hoskin’s farm is a preserved example of a farmstead of the era.  I would have enjoyed going into the buildings to examine the interiors.  Maybe next time?

On the whole, I would rate Guilford Court House National Military Park as an excellently interpreted American Revolution site that anyone can visit and get a reals sense of the struggle here. I strongly suggest a visit if you are in the area.

The other site we visited was the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown located in the Historic Triangle on the Virginia peninsula.  The James and York Rivers flow on either side and Jamestown, Historic Williamsburg and Yorktown all are within a few miles of each other.  The newest attraction is  American Revolution Museum at Yorktown being just barely a year old and operated by the State if Virginia. The museum consists of inside exhibits and an outdoor display.  We quickly went out for the morning artillery demonstration was about to begin.  Passing through a recreated military encampment complete with company cooking pit, we entered a amphitheater built into a small hillside. Located in front was an earthwork featuring two cannon, accouterments and artillery paraphernalia.  

An officer announced the demo was about to begin with three blasts from a signal whistle. Then he called for volunteers from the audience to help fire a brass 6 pounder that looked brand new.  As he selected the crew, he assigned tasks and tools.  An 8 year old manned the worm while a young woman was given the rammer.  Another lad of perhaps 7 became the vent tender and another grade schooler was a Powder Monkey.  Lastly, a call for an officer to put the crew to task was called for and a woman nearby volunteered.  As she walked up, he husband leaned towards me and said “She’s good at giving orders!”  Following a script she read the commands; each command was explained by the reenactor officer. Finally, the Powder Monkey was handed a bag of Black Powder and told to run it up to the gun.  The rammer pushed it home.  Now I’m sitting there thinking this place must have some fantastic insurance.  I mean what could go wrong?  The crew was in place; out came the lintstock.  Then the officer thanked the crew, dismissed them and brought the rest of the real gunners out.  Turns out the powder was a sham and the display was, to that point, just to show how the artillery was actually manned.  The real crew made ready and within a few minutes the 6 Pounder belched a huge cloud and the echo roared across the York River.  Great demonstration.

The rest of the outdoor display included a farmhouse, kitchen, tobacco barn complete with drying tobacco, slave quarters and a barn with live chickens, ducks and turkeys.  All the buildings were occupied by reenactors doing interpretations of whatever their building represented.  The military camp housed the gun crew and had a unique (to me) cooking pit which was designed for an entire company to cook together.  Having never seen this before, I questioned the cook who told me this was a Spanish design from years prior that was adopted by most other European militaries by the 1770s.  The pit was about 20 feet in diameter, then an 18’’ trench was dug around it with the dirt being thrown on top of the circle. About every 2 feet or so, a slot was cut into the circle so as to allow a portion of the company to do their meals.  When the unit was moving on, the dirt on top filled in the trench and the men simply left.  Interesting concept.  Got me wondering if there was anything like this on the Mount.

Indoors the displays are some of the most advanced presentations I’ve seen and make use of many different computer technologies.  There is a very short film on the Saratoga Campaign and some info on the causes of the Revolution but the focus is on the war in the South and, of course, Yorktown.  One of the most fascinating displays (in my estimation) concerned the battle of Cowpens.  A large clear Plexiglas panel, roughly 6’ x4’, showed ghost-like holograms of Banastre Tarleton alternating with Daniel Morgan as they explained the battle and their roles.  Other films were shown on more conventional screens and dealt with life in the South, trades and shipping, slavery and the Southern Campaign. There was even a video of Joseph Plumb Martin telling his role as a soldier.

The real jewel of this museum is their 4D film on the siege of Yorktown.  This is an experience not to be missed. The screen surrounds the theater on three sides and projects a 3D image that is strikingly real and seems to leap into your seat with you.  But the real 4^th Dimension here is the sound which literally shakes the theater with every cannon blast and lightning strike.  It is truly a delightful and insightful experience for the historian and novice alike. 

On the downside the museum is lacking in linear display of events.  If you are well versed in the Revolution, you will have no problems viewing and following the exhibits. On the other hand, my wife, who has a good background in the period, found it confusing how the displays were arranged.  She was right; there was little continuity in the arrangement.  Additionally, I found some minor errors and omissions, especially in the Saratoga film and the causes of the American Revolution. Taxation was mentioned as the reason, but barely mentioned were the Coercive Acts, especially the Quebec Act and the Proclamation Line.  But, alas, American History continues to ignore the real reasons for declaring independence.

On the whole, I’d highly recommend visiting Yorktown.  The displays and visuals make up for the confusing layout with their outstanding technological achievements.  The outdoor village and camp are nicely done with very knowledgeable people stationed there who welcome questions and are more than prepared to answer them.

One last piece of info if you are heading this way.  About a mile from the museum along Ocean Road and across from Yorktown Beach is the Yorktown Pub.  Fantastic fresh seafood, good brews and ciders on tap.  This place was a fitting end for a wonderful day.  All in all, we had a much better time here than Cornwallis.