| The American Revolution - The Southern Campaign |
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The Event was held on February 10-11, 2006
In the Southern Campaign Morgan's retreat, which began at Cowpens, became a race after the Council of War at Guilford Court House on 9 February, 1781. The race ended with the successful Crossing of the Dan at Boyd's and Irvine's ferries on the 13th and 14th of that month.
"This American retreat, which extended across the breadth of North Carolina, is considered one of the masterful military achievements of all time."Dennis M. Conrad, Project Director and Editor, The Papers of General Nathanael Greene Praise came from both sides. "Bloody" Tarleton later recounted: "Every measure of the Americans during the march from Catawba to Virginia was judiciously designed and vigorously executed." Otho Williams 10 years later corresponded with Light-Horse Harry Lee: "The retreat of the southern army to the Dan River, though now forgotten, was, in my estimation, one of the most masterly and fortunate maneuvers of our beloved Greene." 
The celebration of the 225th Anniversary of "The Crossing of the Dan" will become one of the highlights in Halifax County's participation in the Jamestown 2007 Celebration.
There is also a permanent, interpretive exhibit of "The Crossing" in the process of design and construction which is planned to be opened in 2007 at this location. This exhibit is being created to preserve the story of The Retreat, The Race, and The Crossing of the Dan.
Beginning in the evening of February 10, 2006, there will be a Gen. Greene interpretation by D’oyle G. Moore in the Prizey theater along with period music prior to the presentation. Living history participants will begin on Saturday morning, the 11th, starting around 10:30 and continuing through most of the afternoon. Brunswick stew and pork barbecue will be available on the grounds near the Boyd's Ferry site. General Greene - D’oyle G. Moore - will arrive on his horse, MacAwesome, for another presentation outside prior to guest authors John Buchanan and Dr. Lawrence E. Babits providing lectures concerning this historical event inside at The Prizery theater. Donations are welcomed for the funding of the permanent exhibit of The Crossing scheduled to open in 2007 in The Prizery overlooking Boyd's Ferry. Location At Constitution Square by Dan River in downtown South Boston, Virginia. See Map Times Friday, February 10: 7 p.m. - Period music being performed on the harpsichord, cello, and dulcimer at the Chastain Theatre in The Prizery. 8 p.m. - D’oyle G. Moore presenting a first person historic dramatic monologue of General Nathanael Greene. Saturday, February 11: 
• All day: Living history encampment at Constitution Square by the banks of the Dan River near Boyd's Ferry. If inclement weather, in The Prizery Banquet Hall. The PBS presentation Rebels & Redcoats will be shown in the lobby of the Prizery continuously during the day. The Dan River Basin Association will have a batteau available for rides on the Dan River.
• 10:00 AM. Dedication ceremony by the Historical Society in The Prizery in memory W. Carroll Headspeath, local historian and author of Retreat To The Dan. • 10:45 AM. Music by the Guilford CH Fifes and Drums. • 11:00 AM. The Crossing of the Dan Observance Program. - Welcome by Town Manager , Col. Ted Daniel, US Army (Retired) - Raising of the Betsy Ross flag - Halifax County H.S. Jr. ROTC - Pledge of Allegiance - Invocation - Rev. Randy Williams, pastor of the Halifax United Methodist Church - Speakers include SAR presidents from North Carolina - Lt. Col. Joe E. Harris, US Army (Retired) and Virginia Society President Lawrence E. McKinley, at Constitution Square. • 11:45 AM. General Nathanael Greene (D’oyle G. Moore) arrives on his horse, MacAwesome, along with his mounted militia, the Halifax County Saddle Club riders. General Greene describes the crossing event. • 12:30 PM. Re-enactment of the Crossing of the Dan by Lieut. Col. Carrington and Lieut. Col. "Light Horse Harry" Lee, with Banastre Tarleton's troops in hot pursuit - at Boyd's Ferry • 1:00 p.m. - Period Music in the Chastain Theatre prior to the lecture series. • 2:00 p.m. - The author of "The Road to Guilford Courthouse" John Buchanan to speak. The name of his talk will be "A River Not Too Far: The Crossing of the Dan." He will talk "about the crucial importance of the Southern Campaign to the overall war effort -- still little recognized by the general public --and use the Race to and Crossing of the Dan as a critical operation that had a major impact on the war." His talk will be 30-40 minutes and he will then answer questions. • 3:00 p.m. - Dr. Lawrence E. Babits. He is the author of A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens (1998) and will lecture on the Southern Campaign of 1781 and its events, with an emphasis on the significance of the retreat that led to the Crossing of the Dan. • 5:00 PM. All Activities close. Food Vendors: Pig Pickin' Brunswick Stew Fish Fry Fried Chicken The Crossing of the Dan Events Committee - Ted Daniel - Town of South Boston Douglas Powell - Sons of the American Revolution Jane Edmunds - Daughters of the American Revolution Barbara Bass - Halifax County Historical Society Bill Carder/Joe Morgan - Berry Hill Plantation Resort Linda Shepperd - Halifax County Tourism Department Chris Jones - The Prizery Paul Johnson - Dan River Basin Association Here is the past nine year history for February 11 in South Boston, Virginia:
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| Read the story of the Crossing of the Dan here. | ||
| Map to South Boston, VA | dan@possumhollow.us 434.575.7253 |
Troop Movement Map to Boyd's Ferry |
- Humanities Feature Bureau - MP3
