Greensboro in Guilford County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Fragmented Attack

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 19, 2006

1. Fragmented Attack Marker

After the American First Line of Defense was breached by the attacking British troops, some of the North Carolina militiamen joined "Light Horse Harry" Lee and William Campbell as they fell back to this point. They were pursued by two of Cornwallis' regiments.

Inscription. Among these trees you may find it difficult to stay oriented to the battlefield. The combatants faced the same problem. Stationed here on the left flank of the American First Line, Lt. Col. Henry Lee and his legion of cavalry and infantry had orders to withdraw and support the second line after the first line gave way. Disoriented by the thick woods and chase of battle, Lee’s forces veered southeast and missed the left flank of the second line.

This confusion had serious consequences for both armies. A large contingent of redcoats and Hessians split off from the main British advance and pursued Lee’s Legion in a separate running battle. That action fragmented the British attack. Both sides’ battle plans began to unravel.

“The country in general presented a wilderness, covered with tall woods, which were rendered intricate by shrubs and thick underbrush, but which was interspersed here and there, by a few scattered plantations and cleared fields.”
- British Annual Register for 1781

Erected by Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic

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lists: Notable Events • Notable Places • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1781.

Location. 36° 7.73′ N, 79° 50.847′ W. Marker is in Greensboro, North Carolina, in Guilford County. It is on Tour Road, on the left when traveling east. Marker is in Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, on the Auto Tour at stop 2. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3615 Old Battleground Rd, Greensboro NC 27410, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont

and specifically in Piedmont Triad.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Local Hero (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Col. Arthur Forbis

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 1, 2010

2. Fragmented Attack Marker

(about 400 feet away); Crown Forces at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (about 500 feet away); Capt. James Tate (approx. 0.2 miles away); Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lieut. Col. “Hal.” Dixon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Revolutionary War Patriots (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Battle Begins (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greensboro.

More about this marker. The right side of the marker features a picture of the wooded battlefield, below a portrait of Lt. Col. Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee (1756-1818), cavalry leader and father of Robert E. Lee. The bottom left of the marker contains a picture of a “Hessian soldier of the Von Bose regiment. These professional German soldiers were hired to fight alongside the British.”

Also see . . .
1. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. National Park Service. (Submitted on September 18, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

2. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse 1781. An account of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse from a British perspective from BritishBattles.com. (Submitted on September 18, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

Marker in Guilford Courthouse NMP image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 1, 2010

3. Marker in Guilford Courthouse NMP

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 19, 2006

4. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

The marker is located in Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, at Stop # 2 on the auto tour road.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,443 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on March 18, 2023, by Michael Buckner of Durham, North Carolina. Photos: 1. submitted on September 18, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 2, 3. submitted on August 1, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on September 18, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.