Twelve years in the making, the National Park Service American
Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) released its landmark
Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States
in June. Realizing that many historic sites of the Revolutionary War
and War of 1812 were at risk from rapid urban and suburban development,
Congress authorized the study in 1996. The goals of the study were 1)
to gather current information about the significance of, current
condition of, and threats to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812
sites, and 2) to present preservation and interpretation alternatives
for the sites.
Trading Ford, NC (3 February 1781) was included in the survey, along
with other historic sites which 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.
(Race to the Dan map)
A sub-committee 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, commented,
“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, SC on January 17th, Greene and his generals began a strategic
retreat which 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 February 2nd, then moved on to cross the Yadkin at the
Trading Ford. The British arrived at the end of the day on the 3rd, in
time to have a brief encounter with Greene's rear guard, only to find
that the 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
the 4th, 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, February 13th, 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 which would
occur at Guilford Courthouse on March 15th.
(Read the Trading Ford account...)
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 (CBA). The CBA Revolutionary War Sites Inventory
Project was funded by a grant from the ABPP and was supervised by
professional landscape consultant Susan Vincent. The Trading Ford site
was submitted as potentially eligible for the National Register.
The Trading Ford Historic District Preservation Association was
subsequently founded to work toward the preservation of historic sites
in the area.
The
Report to Congress... recommends preservation
efforts by federal, state, and local governments; private citizens and
companies; and non-profit Friends groups. 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 and 2009 Civil War battlefields.
