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GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — While many people in the Piedmont Triad are familiar with the battle of Guilford Courthouse, most don’t know the importance Joseph Winston played in that battle.
“We cannot talk about the establishment of the United States as an independent country without also talking about men like Joseph Winston,” said Jim Morgan, a researcher with the American Revolution Tour of North Carolina.
Major Joseph Winston was part of all the major campaigns in North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. He played critical roles in each campaign he was a part of, but it was the role he played during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse that he is most recognized for.
Morgan says that according to his research, Nathanael Greene, the commander of the Continental Army of the South, had established the first, second and third lines of defense. His plan, however, quickly fell apart.
“That’s when Henry Lee, somewhere back in here on his horse, gives the order for the men here to withdraw,” Morgan said. “They follow a narrow path, which is roughly where Old Battleground Road is today.”…