Lord Cornwallis returns to Guilford Courthouse
Pictured are Howard Burnham as a
scornful Lord Cornwallis, with Sherry
and Jim Sheek. The Sheeks are
GBC members with Jim serving on the
board, and Sherry is a longtime
volunteer at Tannenbaum Historic Park.
scornful Lord Cornwallis, with Sherry
and Jim Sheek. The Sheeks are
GBC members with Jim serving on the
board, and Sherry is a longtime
volunteer at Tannenbaum Historic Park.
S
eptember 16, 2008, Charles, Lord Cornwallis returned to Guilford Courthouse, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War. On this occasion, some 227 years after his original visit, however, neither his army nor Nathanael Greene, his legendary nemesis, was present.
H
oward Burnham's entertaining and educational portrayal of Cornwallis was enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience of GBC members and guests. Burnham, a native of England whose grandfather was an American, also claims an ancestor who was killed in the American Civil War. Now settled in Columbia, SC, he is in great demand to present his performances, and travels widely portraying a number of diverse characters. They range from Charles Dickens to Winston Churchill.
I
n his presentation, titled Never Play Hockey with a Bishop or One Battle may give us America: Earl Cornwallis' American Misfortunes, he "recalls his successes as the ablest British field commander of the Revolutionary War and his failures as a flawed strategist in the Southern Campaign when he was outsmarted by Nathanael Greene, 'the general who never won a battle but won a war'." Although he cited some events of his youth and his later assignments in India, the major portion of his presentation covered his years in America from 1776-1781.
T
he Guilford Battleground Company is planning additional events that current and future members are encouraged to attend.
