Trading Ford area recognized in report to Congress as at-risk site

dispatchonline (NC) ^ | June 17. 2008 | Anon

[Pharmboy]

The Trading Ford area along the Yadkin River has been identified by the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program as a site at risk from rapid urban and suburban development.

The park service released its "Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States" last week.

The Trading Ford was included in the survey along with other historic sites that comprise the "Race to the Dan River." A linear resource, the inclusive "Race to the Dan River," is listed in the "Roads, Trails, and Waterways Needing Further Study" section of the report. These are resources that due to their size and complexity had no equivalent survey methodology that allowed them to be represented in an equitable manner.

A subcommittee of the National Park Service Advisory Board gave each resource a ranking. The "Race to the Dan River" received a class of "A, site of a military or naval action with a vital objective or result that shaped the strategy, direction, outcome, or perception of the war."

Paul Hawke, chief of the ABPP, said: "The 'Race to the Dan', and all of its contributing resources, are considered among the most significant sites we looked at."

During the early days of winter 1781, Nathanael Greene, Southern commander of the U.S. Forces, divided his forces, baiting Lord Cornwallis and the British to follow suit. After a decisive victory at Cowpens, S.C., on Jan. 17, Greene and his generals began a strategic retreat that would lead both armies 230 miles across the heart of the North Carolina Piedmont.

The Patriots lost beloved General Davidson at Cowan's Ford on the Catawba. Dispirited but forging on, they reached Salisbury on Feb. 2, then moved on to cross the Yadkin at the Trading Ford. The British arrived at the end of the day on Feb. 3, in time to have a brief encounter with Greene's rear guard, only to find that the rest of Greene's forces were safely across the now-swollen river, and that all the boats were on the far shore.

On the morning of Feb. 4, the British furiously cannonaded the Americans before giving up their attack and marching north to the Shallow Ford to cross the river. The pursuit continued until Greene and his army crossed the Dan River at Irwin's Ferry in Virginia Feb. 13, again leaving a swollen river facing the British army who lacked the boats to follow. Greene had led Cornwallis away from his base of supply in Charleston and provided himself with time for reinforcements to reach him. The stage was set for the encounter between the two armies that would occur at Guilford Courthouse on March 15.

Historians widely consider the "Race to the Dan" to have been a masterful strategic maneuver. A campsite at Abbott's Creek in Davidson County is included in the route.

Salisbury historian Ann Brownlee, having previously surveyed the Shallow Ford site, led a group of volunteers who surveyed the Trading Ford site in 2000 and 2001, under the auspices of the Carolinas' Backcountry Alliance. The Trading Ford site was submitted as potentially eligible for the National Register.

"The Trading Ford survey opened the door to the discovery of a wealth of historic sites concentrated in the Trading Ford area," said Brownlee, who subsequently founded the Trading Ford Historic District Preservation Association to work toward the preservation of these historic sites.

"I don't know how it will turn out," she said. "But I'd be irresponsible if I didn't do everything I can to preserve this irreplaceable heritage. This has the potential to be developed into a high-quality heritage tourism destination, which would truly enhance the area and enrich us all. We're not against development, but we need a balance, which also includes historic preservation. It's time for us to rise to the occasion, before it's too late."

The ABPP's recognition of the role the Trading Ford played in the Revolutionary War is the second recent national recognition afforded this historic area. The Civil War Preservation Trust recognized another Trading Ford area site, the Yadkin River Bridge battlefield, as among the nation's 25 most endangered 2008 Civil War battlefields.

Further information on the Trading Ford area can be found online at www.trading-ford.org.

[Pharmboy]

We're not against development, but we need a balance, which also includes historic preservation.

Sounds right to me.

[fieldmarshaldj]

"The British arrived at the end of the day on Feb. 3, in time to have a brief encounter with Greene's rear"

Kinky.

[Pharmboy]

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list

Freepmail me to get on or off this list

(A post emphasizing the importance of the RevWar in the south; under-reported and under-appreciated in school)

[aculeus]

bttt

[Ron Jeremy]

I don’t see the need to preserve every battle site in the country. Take this one for example, it seems as though nobody has cared about it one way or another (unlike, say, Gettysburg). No need to tell people that they need to start caring.

If europe did this, the whole place would be one giant national park.

[Pharmboy]

This was a key event in the RevWar in the South.

And we didn't have, essentially, continuous wars as they had in Europe; we averaged about one a century.

And, as the quoted person in the article and my first post said: "Balance."

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks Pharmboy. Adding to the catalog. Historians widely consider the "Race to the Dan" to have been a masterful strategic maneuver. A campsite at Abbott's Creek in Davidson County is included in the route. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[RushLake]

Obviously some are in need of perspective. Thank you for your continued efforts to provide perspective on these things. The public schools are doing their best, as I’m sure you know, to drive our past away the easier to indoctrinate future generations to the idea that the concept of “America” is unimportant.