On March 15, 1781, Nathanael Greene fought Cornwallis to a pyrrhic British 'victory' on this 220-acre field — a win that effectively ended British control of the Carolinas and set the stage for Yorktown.
2332 New Garden Rd, Greensboro, NC 27410
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free admission. The park is an NPS unit with no entry fee.
Access
Wheelchair OK
220 acres of preserved battlefield with paved park roads, walking paths, and open fields; some unpaved trail sections
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1781 · Revolutionary War Battle Site · Pyrrhic British Victory Leading to Yorktown · National Military Park (est. 1917) · NPS Unit, Free Admission
By March 1781, the American Southern Campaign had been a string of British victories — Camden, Fishing Creek, Waxhaws — that had destroyed the Continental Army in the South. General Nathanael Greene spent the winter of 1780-81 rebuilding his force and practicing a strategy of strategic retreat that wore down British supply lines without risking total annihilation.
On March 15, 1781, Greene chose to stand on ground near the Guilford County courthouse, deploying his forces in three lines across the forested hills. The first line consisted of North Carolina militia behind a fence rail; the second, Virginia militia in the woods; the third, Continental regulars on the high ground. Greene's tactical model was borrowed directly from Daniel Morgan's victory at Cowpens two months earlier.
Cornwallis attacked with around 1,900 effectives against Greene's approximately 4,400 — though most of Greene's force was inexperienced militia. After hours of brutal fighting across three defensive lines, Cornwallis ordered his artillery to fire grapeshot into a melee where British and American soldiers were intermixed, an act that cleared the field but also killed British soldiers. Cornwallis held the courthouse but had lost 532 men — roughly 27 percent of his force — compared to Greene's 261 dead and wounded. Greene retreated in good order with his army intact.
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park was established in 1917 and today encompasses 220 acres. It is administered by the National Park Service and contains 28 monuments. The visitor center museum holds period weapons, maps, and interpretive exhibits on the Southern Campaign.
Sources
Guilford Courthouse's haunted reputation circulates primarily through Greensboro-area ghost tour programming and regional dark-tourism aggregators. The accounts describe uniformed figures — described in period dress consistent with Continental or British regulars — appearing at dusk along the tree lines that mark the former battle positions. Some visitors report apparitions near the monument clearings that dot the southern end of the park.
US Ghost Adventures, which operates Greensboro ghost tours, lists the battlefield among haunted sites in the area, citing soldier apparition lore. The accounts are consistent with the general pattern of Revolutionary War battlefield ghost lore in the mid-Atlantic and South: apparitions moving in formation, period sounds with no traceable source, and a heavy atmosphere attributed to the scale of casualties.
The paranormal case here is lore-grade rather than investigatively documented. No credible paranormal investigation group has published findings from a formal investigation at the site. The NPS does not permit nighttime investigations. We carry this entry for the battlefield's dark history value and the documented ghost tour presence, pending any future corroboration from investigation reports.
Walk the preserved 1781 battlefield grounds across 220 acres. The park contains more than two dozen monuments marking the positions of Continental and British units. A paved road loop connects major interpretive stops, and walking trails provide access to the forested battle lines.
NPS rangers offer interpretive programs and battlefield walks seasonally. Check the NPS site or call the visitor center for current programming.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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