Thomas Hollandsworth volunteered in John Cunningham’s Company of Abram Penn’s regiment during the Revolutionary War. These men from Henry County, Virginia, were called to muster for the pending conflict around and near Guilford Courthouse in present-day Greensboro, North Carolina. Colonel Abram Penn wrote the order: “You are forthwith required to march the militia under your command from this county to Hillsborough, North Carolina, or to any post where General Stevens maybe with the men under his command, observing to avoid a surprise by the enemy, by the best route to be found. Given under my hand this 11th day of March 1781.”

That being said, 19 company commanders and approximately 250 men from Henry County, Virginia, completed their march to Guilford Courthouse. I doubt that they realized the importance of their mission. The war had not gone well for the rebels for some time. The British under Cornwallis had turned their attention to the South. They captured Savannah, and then on 12 May 1780, they captured the Southern Army at Charleston, South Carolina. I suspect that they (the British) prematurely gloried in their victory.

In December, the rebel leader, General Gates, was replaced by Major General Nathanael Greene. There were 2,307 men on the rosters, but only 1,482 were present and fit for duty. Less than a thousand were adequately clothed and equipped. Nevertheless, they marched to battle. Successes at Kings Mountain and then Cowpens emboldened his army. Six hundred British prisoners were captured and marched to confinement at Henry County Courthouse, now Martinsville, Virginia, home to Thomas Hollandsworth and his neighbors. Now, these militiamen were called on to battle Cornwallis’ forces.

Greene’s army was not fit to fight Cornwallis’ army. He led his men to the relative safety of Virginia beyond the Dan River. Greene had seen to it that there were boats at all the major river crossings, and he used these to cross the swollen Dan at Irvine’s and Boyd’s ferries near South Boston, Virginia. This became known as the race for the Dan River. Greene’s army crossed safely, and Cornwallis retreated.

Both armies moved. Greene’s army arrived at Guilford Courthouse on 24 March 1781. The next morning, skirmishing commenced with Cornwallis’ forces. The second line of defense behind the North Carolinians was the Virginia militia. Due to an embarrassment at Camden, where the line failed, riflemen were positioned behind them with orders to shoot any who ran. This was not a good omen for the Virginia militia. But this day, they did not run, and the result was that Cornwallis won a tactical victory, however costly that day. He lost about a third of his army. A member of the English Parliament lamented that “Another such victory would destroy the British Army.”

Unfortunately, Thomas Hollandsworth and his compatriots did not arrive in time to be of use at Guilford’s courthouse. They arrived as American forces were retreating. Although they missed the battle, they were more than willing to have been called upon and would have committed themselves to the conflict had they arrived in time.

Thomas Hollandsworth returned to Henry County, Virginia. He owned a mill to grind flour and cornmeal. His establishment was a gathering place for his many neighbors who came to have their corn ground into meal. The mill is long gone, but the memories of his service are not forgotten. A marker was placed near where his mill was located. His grave was marked by the SAR; however, a real estate agent bulldozed the area and the grave some years later.
Thomas willingly served his country. He was ready to fight for his rights and for his love of what became a free nation. While his grave is gone, his memory is not. But for him, I would not have understood the sacrifices of the many men and women who fought for their new nation or who were more than willing to sacrifice their last breath for freedom. They were simple folk. They were united in a just cause, leaving us a new nation dedicated to the principles of freedom for all.