Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Guilford Courthouse National Military Park , at 2332 New Garden Road in Greensboro , North Carolina , commemorates the Battle of Guilford Court House , fought on March 15 , 1781 . This battle opened the campaign that led to American victory in the Revolutionary War . The losses by the British in this battle contributed to their surrender at Yorktown seven months later . The battlefield is preserved as a National Military Park and operated by the National Park Service ( NPS ) . Based on research of historical evidence , the interpretation of the battle has changed since the late 20th century , which will affect the placement of monuments and markers . Battlefield preservation . In 1912 , local resident David Schenck initiated plans to gain control of land to commemorate the Guilford Courthouse battleground as a park . The following year , he chartered the non - profit Guilford Battle Ground Company to advance such efforts . From an early date , he planned on the group ' s donating the property it purchased to the federal government . When the US Congress finally established Guilford Courthouse as a national military park in 1917 , the GBGC turned over its at no charge . Without David Schenck ' s generosity , it is entirely possible that the park would not exist today . Although generous in starting the park , the years of control by the GBGC left a mixed legacy . First , Schenck did not preserve the terrain in its approximate historical state , but beautified the landscape for a pleasing experience . Before the grounds were established as a military park , state historical societies began to erect monuments in the area purchased by the GBGC . Although well - meant , these monuments and interpretations were not based on researched evidence and were often constructed in convenient , if inaccurate , locations . Second , he adopted an interpretation of the battle that encompassed a much smaller area than is indicated by contemporary accounts . Historians believe his limited funds , coupled with landowners ' demanding top dollar , influenced his interpretation . This mis - led researchers and historical groups who relied on his work ; they placed historical monuments and markers in the wrong spots . It also hampered government efforts to acquire land or resist development in areas outside the original area designated as battleground by Schenck . Since his time , the expanding city of Greensboro approached and encircled the park with private development , destroying some battlefield areas . When the National Park Service assumed responsibility for the park , their historians and researchers sought to clarify the accuracy of the locations of the battle . The renewed accuracy places many of the monuments in locations that had very little reference to the actual battle . Today , the National Park Service has moved beyond Schenck ' s interpretation of the battle with a more researched understanding of the battle ' s events . It hopes to reconstruct the battlefield and its monuments to be consistent with historical evidence . To many ' s dismay , areas outside the current park boundary have been developed privately . A revived Guilford Battleground Company supports preservation efforts for Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and nearby Tannenbaum Historic Park , where British forces assembled for their advance . The park is linked by a bicycle path to the adjoining Greensboro Country Park , and residents use both for jogging and cycling . They typically outnumber visitors touring the battlefield . Administrative history . The military park was established on March 2 , 1917 . It was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service August 10 , 1933 . As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service , the military park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 , when it was established .