The Fife and Drum. Sons of the Revolution. Chapter News. Sons of the Revolution In the State of North Carolina

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1 The Fife and Drum Sons of the Revolution In The State of North Carolina Spring 2015 Edition Chapter News 31st Annual Board of Manager s Meeting & Luncheon Sons of the Revolution In the State of North Carolina Saturday, June 13, 2015 Raleigh, NC Location to be Announced 10:30 AM - Meeting 12:00 PM - Luncheon You are encouraged and invited to have your spouse, family and guest join us. Complete details to be distributed at a later date. Dress: Coat and tie go to for details Charlotte On Saturday, January 31, the Gen. Wm. Lee Davidson Chapter represented the State Society at the annual commemoration of the Battle of Cowan s Ford. Chapter members, Hall and David Martin, Chapter President, Gus Succop, and State President, Dan Hopping (in costume), gave their respects at the General s grave. The commemoration is an annual event organized by the Mecklenburg Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and is held at the Hopewell Presbyterian Church, where Gen. Davidson is buried. On February 1, 1781, Gen. Davidson posted 800 men at four fords along the Catawba River to slow the advance of Lord Cornwallis troops while Generals Greene and Morgan withdrew their troops preparing them for the eventual battle at Yorktown. Early in the engagement with British troops, Gen. Davidson was struck in the heart and killed. The General s body was laid to rest in the cover of darkness at Hopewell Church. He was 34 years old at the time of death. Raleigh If you are interested in becoming a charter member of the Raleigh Chapter, contact Dan Hopping at: hopping@nextretailgroup.com.

2 All things GREEN(E) By Randy Sprinkle, Vice President, SRNC It s Springtime, and things are popping up Green(e) all over. There is no time like the present to reflect on the origin of one of NC s great city names, and the ripple effect that honor created. The naming of Greensboro was in honor of our Revolutionary War hero, GEN Nathanael Greene, commander of the American forces at the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, We all know that the loss at the Courthouse paved the way for the ultimate victory, not too far down the road, at Yorktown. What you may not know is that numerous other memorial namesakes have occurred over the years, as a direct result of the efforts to pay homage to one of our nation s great Revolutionary War heroes. Here is a sampling of some of the better known tributes to GEN Greene. -a classic equestrian monument: Nathanael Greene Monument. Location: 5 miles north of downtown at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, 2332 New Garden Rd, Greensboro, NC This is probably the grand-daddy of ALL General Nathanael Greene monuments anywhere it consists of two bronze statues, the larger of which is Nathanael Greene on a stallion. The smaller figure is a representation of a classically-garbed Athena with a shield and laurels. The monument stands over 27 feet tall. Dedicated in 1915, Francis H. Packer, Sculptor. -a world class craft brewery/ Brew Pub/ Restaurant: Natty Greene s. Location: downtown, 345 South Elm Street, Greensboro, NC Natty Greene s started as a product of two partner s dream of opening a craft beer brewery. After successfully creating several Triad area restaurants, two college kids, Chris Lester and Kayne Fisher, turned their love of great beer into finely crafted beverages. As part of Greensboro s downtown revitalization, Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Company opened in a renovated three-story building at the corner of Elm and McGee Streets and was an instant hit. The brew house s success led to their products being available in over 100 locations. Outgrowing the original locale, the business has expanded into Production Brewery facility in Greensboro as well as a Brew House in Raleigh. Nathanael Green statue at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro. -a public school: Nathanael Greene Elementary School. Location: Liberty NC, 20 miles SE of Greensboro. This public school serves for Kindergarten through 5th grade. -a city circle statue: General Nathanael Greene Statue. Location: south downtown, in the Holiday Circle roundabout at Greene and McGee Streets. Not to be confused with the monumental statue in Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, this 22- foot tall statue of GEN Greene memorializes the great General but also serves as a memorial for Greensboro s Bicentennial in The bronze statue of Greene stands eleven and a half-foot tall and is mounted on a brick and marble pedestal. James Barnhill, Sculptor. Dedicated March 26, The site is one block west of Natty Greene s Pub. Continued on Page 6 The Fife and Drum, Spring Page 2

3 President s Message By Dan Hopping Dan Hopping Compatriots, we have a very busy year ahead of us and we need your participation. We have opportunities to participate in over a dozen events this year. We can t grow the society if potential members do not know we exist. Our color guard will participate in as many as possible. In the list below, the items in bold are the most important for the entire membership. SRNC Potential Events: National History Day Finals April 25* Memorial Remembrance May 23, 24* Memorial Day May 25* Waxhaws Massacre May 30 SRNC Annual Meeting June 13 Ramsour s Mill June 20 Colson s Mill Jul 11 House in the Horseshoe Aug 01* Musgrove Mill Aug 15 Overmountain Victory Trail Sep 23 to Oct 7* Triennial Meeting October 1 to 4 Walnut Grove Plantation Oct 3* Kings Mountain Oct 07* Southeastern Primitive Rendezvous Oct 17 to 22* Veteran s Day Nov 10* Wreaths Across America Dec 14* * indicates that we participated in 2014 Bold indicates an important event for all members In the upcoming events article in this newsletter, I discuss these opportunities. Our SRNC Annual Meeting will be held on June 13th in Raleigh. We are holding this meeting in Raleigh to encourage more people to attend. Raleigh has the largest concentration of SRNC members and is easy to travel to for most other members. We will have more details on the meeting in a few weeks. Please mark your calendars for the 13th of June. We will have a Board meeting at 10:30 am and a social with cash bar at 11:30 am. Lunch will start at noon with a program following. While you are in town, you might want to stop by the NC Museum of History to view the Story of North Carolina exhibit. Members can drive in to Raleigh for the meeting on Saturday morning and still get home during daylight. The June Board meeting will be extremely important since we have to update our Bylaws and policies. We need all Board Members to attend. Three Director seats are becoming open in June and we need three replacements. If you are interested in serving the Society please let our Registrar, John Harman know. The Director positions are for a three year term and three Directors must be replaced every June. Directors stepping down from the Board are not eligible to be reelected to the board for one year. The GSSR Triennial is this October 1 through 4 and is hosted by the Virginia Society. It will be held in Williamsburg and we need to have as many of our members as possible to attend since we are scheduled to host this national event in Williamsburg is a great venue and I think you will enjoy the program. Registration information is due in a few weeks and we will pass it on when we get it. We hope to have a Raleigh Chapter meeting in May and have a few volunteers for charter officers so far. If you have interest in serving as an officer of the chapter, please let me know. The first meeting of the new chapter will be to accept the bylaws and choose a chapter name. There will not be separate dues to be in the chapter. It is easy to join just agree to be a member. The chapter will have its own social events and projects. State board members and officers are eligible for membership. There are thirty-three potential members in the Raleigh area. We think established chapters will help in recruiting. Other potential new chapters are Pinehurst and the Tri-cities area. The Fife and Drum, Spring Page 3

4 Upcoming Events The first event on our calendar is the National History Day in North Carolina. This national program makes history come alive for students by getting them involved in discovering the past. This is a year-long academic program for students in grades 6 through 12. They choose historical topics related to a theme; conduct extensive primary and secondary research; draw conclusions about their topics significance in history; and present their work in original papers, websites, exhibits, performances, and documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring at local, state, and national levels where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. A national study has found that students who participate in National History Day develop skills in critical thinking, research, writing, presentation, and more. Our next event is the Memorial Remembrance at Bennett Place State Historic Site on the northwest side of Durham. This event honors all military of the United States. We will represent the Revolutionary War with an information booth and the Color Guard will give several presentations and fire volleys during the two day event. The SRNC leading the march of Patriots, May State Awards Ceremony This year students are invited to choose a topic that relates to the theme of Leadership and Legacy in History. The six district competitions have taken place to thin out the state wide entries and the more than 300 finalists will convene on the Museum of History in Raleigh on April 25 for the State competitions. The winners in this competition will advance to the Nationals in June. Please consider helping with the State competitions at the NC Museum of History on April 25th. Contact me if you can assist - this is a rewarding experience. The Office of Archives and History, which is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, administers the program in North Carolina, with major support from the Federation of N.C. Historical Societies, the North Carolinian Society, the N.C. Society of the Cincinnati, and the Sons of the Revolution in the State of North Carolina. We will need three compatriots to help with the booth from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on both days. On Sunday there will be a march and ceremony around the Unity Monument at the end of the day. The other military exhibits and uniformed living historians will be for the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, the Civil War, WW I, WW II, the Korean War and Vietnam. This is a great memorial event and it has over a thousand visitors who will come by our booth. If you can make it even for a half day, you will find it very rewarding. Contact me if you can help. On Monday the 25th of May we will participate in the Memorial Day ceremony at the Raleigh National Cemetery and will represent the Revolutionary War and lay a wreath and the color guard will fire a volley. 31st Annual Board of Manager s Meeting Saturday, June 13, 2015 Raleigh, NC The Fife and Drum, Spring Page 4

5 SRNC Activities 234th Anniversary of the Battle of Cowan s Ford In January, the SRNC participated in the ceremonies at the 234th Commemoration of the Battle of Cowan s Ford. The Battle of Cowan s Ford was the first battle in the Race to the Dan after the battle of Cowpens. It was fought on 1, February 1781 at Cowan s ford on the Catawba River in northwestern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, between a force of over 4,000 British and fewer than a thousand patriots who were attempting to slow the British advance across the river. The American General William Lee Davidson was killed in this battle. The Charlotte Chapter of the SRNC is named after General Davidson. The General Davidson Chapter was represented by SRNC Secretary and Charlotte Chapter President the Reverend Dr. Gus Succop and Hall Martin. Dan Hopping representing the SRNC David Martin, Gus Succop and Hall Martin giving honors at General Davidson s grave Dan was joined in a volley by the president of the SC SAR, Daniel K. Woodruff. The Fife and Drum, Spring Page 5

6 George Washington Luncheon The SRNC and the Raleigh Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution hosted the annual George Washington Luncheon on February 21st. The attendees included the SRNC, SAR, DAR, Society of Colonial Wars, The Society of the Cincinnati, First Families of NC and other heritage organizations. The SRNC represented more than half of the attendees. The program was by Stuart Dunaway on The American Revolution Action in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Stewart s talk focused on the British Southern Campaign in North Carolina, with detailed focus on the period of February to March After the Race to the Dan and prior to The Battle at Guilford Courthouse, numerous skirmishes occurred. Every engagement between Patriot forces and the British army explained the modus operandi of both armies. It also highlighted the division of sentiment of the North Carolina citizens, which Cornwallis wrote about. Stuart presented never before published references from the Scottish Archive which enabled researchers to locate several of these small battle sites. SRNC Color Guard members, Scott Kennedy and Dan Hopping, spent a day preparing the historical garden for the Bennett Place State Historical Site, getting the place ready for the last event of the Civil War Sesquicentennial in April. All things GREEN(E) By Randy Sprinkle Continued from Page 2 -a road: Nathanael Greene Drive (serves as entry in Greensboro County Park). Location: directly South of Guilford Courthouse National Military Park As access to Country Park, the drive leads to a large, friendly suburban park with many amenities: a Bark Park (for dogs), 2 lakes for fishing, educational programs, Guilford County Veterans' Memorial, nature/ hiking/and biking trails, playgrounds and shelters, and seasonal paddle boat rentals. -a hiking trail: Nat Greene Trail (3.6 miles long) Location: 1 mile north of Guilford Courthouse Nat Greene Trail is one of the oldest and most popular of the city's watershed trails. It winds through diverse mixed hardwoods and pines along the watershed buffer of Lake Brandt s southeast edge. Wildflowers and running cedar adorn the trail as it meanders around the coves of Lake Brandt. 1 of 6 watershed trails designated as part of the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail system. The Trail is accessible at the Lake Brandt Marina or at the intersection with the Lake Brandt Greenway, just south of the H. Michael Weaver Bridge. It is hiking only, bicycles are prohibited. TURN Season 2: Two-hour Premiere Monday, April 13, :00 PM EST AMC (American Movie Classics) Check your local listings Follows New York farmer, Abe Woodhull, who bands together with a group of childhood friends to form The Culper Ring, an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America s fight for independence. Scott Kennedy and Dan Hopping outstanding in their field Set your DVRs and don t miss an episode. The Fife and Drum, Spring Page 6

7 Preamble from our By-Laws The Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of North Carolina, Inc. has been chartered and organized to perpetuate the memory of the men who, in military, naval, or civil service, by their act or counsel, achieved American Independence. Other objectives of the Society are: To keep alive the spirit of patriotism To foster devotion toward the institutions of our country To encourage historical research in relation to the Revolution To preserve documents, relics and individual records of the Revolutionary period To promote the celebration of patriotic anniversaries To impress the importance of these subjects upon the rising generation The Fife and Drum Byron E. Brady, Editor Published by the Sons of the Revolution In the State of North Carolina Publication Deadlines Spring - March 31st Fall - September 15th Winter - December 15th Contributors Rev. Augustus Succop Dan Hopping Randy Sprinkle The Fife and Drum, Spring Page 7