 The story of this pivotal event, the Crossing of the Dan, cannot be told without placing this vital crossing into the wider context of the entire Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. This interpretive exhibit then becomes quite unique in that it not only describes a local event, but brings together all the little-known significance of the Southern Campaign. The "retreat" to the Dan that began in January 1781 at the Cowpens battlefield in South Carolina had transformed into a "race to the Dan after the Council of War at Guilford Court House in present day Greensboro, North Carolina. With the Crossing of the Dan River at Irwin's and Boyd's ferries in Halifax County, Virginia, by General Nathanael Greene on February 14, 1781, the winning of this race can be described as the beginning of the end for the British Lt. General Charles Cornwallis led British army. The upcoming exhibit for this event will become one of the highlights in the history of the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. This permanent, interpretive exhibit of the Crossing of the Dan will be housed on the top floor of The Prizery which overlooks the original Boyd's Ferry site. The exhibit is intended to keep the story alive and bring visitors to Halifax County. The exhibit will describe 1) the event, 2) the military events that preceded the event, 3) what the people of Halifax County did to aid Gen. Greene, 4) the military action after the event, including the final encounter at Yorktown, and 5) communicate the purpose and value of the American Revolutionary War. 
Fruland & Bowles, Inc. of Toledo, Ohio has been contracted for project management, content development, space planning, concept design, research and estimation. They are teaming with Project Arts & Ideas of Dearborn, Michigan in the development of the concept design segment of this world-class exhibit.
The Concept Design was completed April 12, 2006 and approved by the exhibit committee. The final panel design was completed on October 27. Two years of storyline research was finally completed in June, 2007. The exhibit Grand Opening will be July 26, 2008 at The Prizery. A detailed agenda will be published soon. Mark your calendar!
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Douglas Powell is head of the ad hoc committe planning the exhibit and may be contacted for more information.
 The Race to the Dan,The Retreat That Rescued the American Revolution, by Larry G. Aaron. Published May 2007. "The Crossing of the Dan was as significant to the southern campaigns as Washington's crossing of the Delaware. In fact, Greene's crossing of the Dan led more quickly to long-term victories than those at Trenton and Princeton. Greene's crossing led to Guilford Courthouse and, six months later, to Yorktown . . ." - Dr. Lawrence E. Babits, George Washington Distinguished Professor of History, East Carolina University, North Carolina Proceeds for this publication have been donated by the author to the creation and upkeep of the Crossing of the Dan Exhibit to be housed in The Prizery at South Boston, Virginia. Price: $18, includes $3 shipping. To order copies email Halifax County Historical Society. Books On-line: • Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States by Henry Lee • The Life of Major General Henry Lee by Cecil B. Hartley • The Pictorial Field-Book of The Revolution by Benson J. Lossing • The life of Nathanael Greene, major-general in the army of the revolution by W. Gilmore Simms • The History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the Independence of the United States by William Gordon • Engineers of Independence by Paul K. Walker • The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, a project of the Rhode Island Historical Society • A Gallant Defense: The Siege of Charleston, 1780, By Carl P. Borick • An answer to that part of the Narrative of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton, K. B. which relate to the conduct of Lieutenant-General Earl Cornwallis during the campaign in North-America in the year 1781, by Earl Cornwallis • Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War in America with Sketches of Character (1822), by Alexander Garden • Sketches of the Life and Correspondence of Nathanael Greene by William Johnson • The Campaign of 1781 in the Carolinas With Remarks Historical and Critical on Johnson's Life of Greene by H. Lee • The Writings of Thomas Jefferson by Thomas Jefferson • Nathanael Greene: An Examination of Some Statements Concerning Major-General Greene, . . ., by George Washington Greene Exhibit News Stories: • The Crossing of the Dan Exhibit - Economic Impact Study, News & Record, January, 2007 • Crossing of the Dan exhibit to be installed at the Prizery, News & Record, Nov. 5, 2006 • The 225th Anniversary Celebration of Crossing of the Dan February 10-11, 2006 • Crossing Of The Dan Initiative Receives $20,000 Grant - G-V, December 1, 2004 • The DAR "Retreat To The Dan" Memorial Dedication South Boston, Virginia - G-V, 2/10/99 • The Daily Dispatch: May 31, 1862 Related Web Sites: • The Story of the Crossing • One page summary of the Crossing Story - A Teacher's Resource • "100 Days That Shook the World", By John Ferling, Smithsonian.com • "Forget Independence" - John Ferling, author of "100 Days that Shook the World," imagines an alternate history, By Amy Crawford • "Rise and Fight Again", Rhode Island News - Greene Series • SAR Magazine "Race to the Dan" by Larry G. Aaron • The Crossing Exhibit Project Committee • Slide Show Presentation of the Planned Exhibit • The Southern Campaign, by Douglas Powell, February 10, 1999 • Master List of Revolutionary War Web Sites • American Revolution.org History Links • The Battle of Guilford Courthouse • Guilford Courthouse National Military Park • Guilford Courthouse: A Pivotal Battle in the War for Independence • Nathanael Greene and the Supply of the Continental Army • Early American Portraits • The War Ring's Site for Nathanael Greene • General Nathanael Greene's Southern Brigade • Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion • Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution - Newsletter • The National Park Service American Revolution Web Site • After The Race to the Dan - "Lord Charles Cornwallis's March Down the Cape Fear River" • Pension Statements |
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