NPS Photo Third Line ArtilleryTwo replica six pounders mark the south end of the American third line. It was here that the climax of the battle occurs as a whirlwind of charges and countercharges finally lead to the retreat of the American army.The guns stand in the place where Captain Anthony Singleton’s guns would have been placed to help anchor the left flank of the American third line. Singleton’s guns start the battle at the American first line, sitting in the New Garden Road about 50 yards from where the park’s main entrance gate now sits. Singleton’s guns fired the first shots of the battle as the British came into sight near Horsepen Creek. The British then brought up their own artillery, and the first 20 minutes of the battle is an artillery duel while the British deploy their infantry. Once the British advance began, Singleton’s guns retreated to the third line. When you stand at these guns you stand in the middle of where the 2nd Maryland Continental Infantry regiment would have held the flank. To the north, the rest of the third line would have stretched along the crest of a ridge, with the steep creek valley below them. All around these guns, chaos erupts as the British finally reach the area after fighting through the first two lines of American defense. After an initial hasty attack is repulsed to the north, the 2nd Guards battalion appeared in the low ground. While it is densely wooded today, the low ground to the west, and ground to the south wood have been cleared farm fields at the time of the battle, giving the defending artillery and continentals the advantage of clear fields of fire. A few yards behind the position of the guns, you can also see the site where Guilford Courthouse would have stood at the time of the battle. This is where General Greene and his staff would have stayed for the majority of the battle, and where they narrowly escaped capture when the British broke the left flank of the American line. The courthouse would have been a plain single story building on the north side of the New Garden Road, and there would have been an “Ordinary” (18th century tavern and Inn) on the south side of the road where Tour Stop 6 is now located. Visit these sites and walk down into the low ground that the British had to attack across to reach the final American defensive line. |
Last updated: September 19, 2020