Nathanael Greene Statue, Greensboro
The 22-foot tall statue of Nathanael Greene commemorates the Revolutionary War hero that Greensboro is named after. The statue is also a symbol for Greensboro’s Bicentennial in 2008.
Front: GENERAL / NATHANAEL GREENE / 1712 – 1786
Left side: “I never saw such fighting since God made me. / The Americans fought like demons.” / General Charles, Earl Cornwallis
Back: A Gift from / The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation / commemorating Greensboro's Bicentennial / 2008 / James Barnhill, Sculptor
Right side: “… in the very name Greene are / remembered all the virtues and talents / which can illustrate the patriot, the / statesman, and the military leader.” / Marquis de Lafayette
March 26, 2008
36.068550 , -79.791840
View in Geobrowse
"Nathanael Greene - Greensboro, NC," Waymarking.com, (accessed September 2, 2014) Link
"Statue of Nathanael Greene in Downtown Greensboro," Greensboro Daily Photo, February 19, 2009, (accessed June 10, 2014) Link
"The Statue Project," Nathanael Greene Monument Foundation, (accessed June 10, 2014) Link
Patterson, Donald W. “Standing Tall Again,” Greensboro News and Record (Greensboro, NC), March 26, 2008
Saba, Natalie D. "Nathanael Greene (1742-1786)," in New Georgia Encyclopedia, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/, (accessed September 2, 2014) Link
“General Helps Mark 200th,” Greensboro News and Record (Greensboro, NC), March 27, 2008
“Slavery Through the Eyes of Revolutionary Generals,” Journal of the American Revolution, November 7, 2017 (accessed May 2, 2023) Link
Yes
Granite base, Bronze statue
The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation
Between $165,000 - $175,000
The dedication of the Nathanael Greene Statue was a part of a greater celebration for Greensboro’s Bicentennial. The week of the unveiling involved a traveling Bicentennial torch, which made a tour around Greensboro and stopped at the Nathanael Greene unveiling, before ending at the New Bridge Bank Baseball Park for the Bicentennial Celebration later in the week.
Nathanael Greene, a Quaker, was appointed by Washington to command troops in the South during the American Revolutionary War. Greene led his troops in battles such as the Battle at Guilford Courthouse, which did not result in a victory, but did weaken the British military. Through Greene’s efforts he helped push the British towards surrender in Yorktown. Greensboro, the site of the Battle at Guilford Courthouse, is named after Nathanael Greene.
The iconic Nathanael Greene Monument at Guilford Courthouse has been dedicated on July 3, 1915.
[Additional information from NCpedia editors at the State Library of North Carolina: This person enslaved and owned other people. Many Black and African people, their descendants, and some others were enslaved in the United States until the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. It was common for wealthy landowners, entrepreneurs, politicians, institutions, and others to enslave people and use enslaved labor during this period. To read more about the enslavement and transportation of African people to North Carolina, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/africa-carolina-0. To read more about slavery and its history in North Carolina, visit https://www.ncpedia.org/slavery. - Government and Heritage Library, 2023.]
The statue is located on top of a 10-foot pedestal in the center of the Greene and McGee Street traffic circle. The statue faces north, towards Greene Street.
The statue is placed in the center of a traffic circle, surrounded by bushes and the scenery of downtown Greensboro.
Know anything else about this monument that isn't mentioned here? If you have additional information on
this or any other monument in our collection fill out the form at the Contact Us link in the footer. Thank you.
