"Hal" Dixon Monument, Guilford Courthouse
The “Hal” Dixon monument is a lectern shaped granite block on a double base standing between five and six feet tall. The lectern top bears a bronze tablet with an inscription dated 1895 although the monument was not dedicated until July 4, 1896.
IN MEMORIAM / LIEUT. COL. 'HAL' DIXON / OF CASWELL COUNTY, N.C. / 3RD N.C. REGIMENT, CONTINENTAL LINE / BRANDYWINE SEPT. 11TH 1777. / GERMANTOWN OCT. 4TH 1777. / MONMOUTH JUNE 20TH 1778. / STONO FERY JUNE 20TH 1779. / CAMDEN AUG. 16TH 1779. / GUILFORD COURT HOUSE MARCH 15TH 1781. / THE EMBODIMENT OF CHIVALRY / THE IDOL OF HIS SOLDIERS / THRICE WOUNDED IN BATTLE / FROM WHICH HE DIED / JULY 17TH 1782 / 1895
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
July 4, 1896
36.131610 , -79.845010
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"Lieut. Col. 'Hal' Dixon, " The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 7, 2018) Link
"Lieutenant Colonel Henry ('Hal') Dixon, Jr. (1740-1782)," Rootsweb.ancestry.com, (accessed May 21, 2012) Link
Baker, Thomas E. and Michael H. White. The Monuments at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, North Carolina, (Greensboro, NC: Guilford Courthouse NMP, 1991)
Grimes, J. Bryan. "Why North Carolina Should Erect and Preserve Memorials and Mark Historic Places: Address Before the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, Raleigh, N.C., November 4, 1909," ([Raleigh, NC: The News and Observer, 1909]), (accessed May 18, 2012) Link
Guilford Battle Ground Company. "Invitations and Programs for Fourth of July Celebrations at the Site of the Battle of Guilford Court House," (various, 1888-1906), (accessed May 29, 2012) Link
National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. North Carolina National Register of Historic Places. "Inventory Form - Guilford Courthouse National Military Park," (accessed November 6, 2019) Link
“Hal’ Dixon Monument.” The Union Republican (Winston-Salem, NC), February 13, 1896
“The Celebration at Guilford Battle Ground,” Webster’s Weekly (Reidsville, NC), July 9, 1896
Yes
Mt. Airy granite and bronze
Descendants of Dixon living in Kentucky and California through Col. Henry C. Dixon, his grandson
The crowd at the annual celebration held on July 4th was said to be the second largest to date. Senator Marion Butler was orator of the day and spoke on North Carolina’s contributions to civil and religious liberties. “He paid an eloquent tribute to our patriotic ancestors and showed that nowhere in America can Anglo Saxon blood be found in its purity to the extent that it dominates in North Carolina.”
The inscription contains 2 errors; the battle of Monmouth was fought on June 28th, rather than June 20th, and the battle of Camden occurred in 1780 instead of 1779.
Henry, or Hal, Dixon was a Revolutionary War officer born in what is today Caswell County. Dixon was appointed "Inspector General over Militia" by the North Carolina legislature in 1778. Along with Jethro Sumner and Nathanael Greene, Dixon was charged with the defense of the southern states during the Revolutionary War.
The memorial is located within Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. The monument faces west.
The memorial stands alongside the former railroad bed (today a biking path). Mature trees and bushes serve as a picturesque backdrop.
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