Y is for Yorktown (Blogging through the Alphabet)

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Many of the locations in the United States of America were named for places overseas. This is true of places such as Birmingham, Alabama; Canterbury, Connecticut; Concord, Massachusetts; and Yorktown, Virginia. Of course, in addition to English names we also find influence of the Spanish, French, and German settlers – as well as others. The historic town of Yorktown, which sits upon the York River, is important to American history because it is the last major battle of the American Revolution.

There are many excellent resources to use when studying the Colonial and American Revolutionary time periods of American history. And there are so many different aspects one could study when learning about the Revolutionary War but learning about the last major battle – the Siege of Yorktown is extraordinarily important. In September and October of 1781, the combined military forces of the Americans and French led the Yorktown campaign which would ultimately see Lord Cornwallis surrender.

General Washington and Comte de Rochambeau 

Land Attack 

The British at Yorktown were vulnerable to both land attacks and a blockade by sea. This combined attack on the British started in late September 1781 with General George Washington's American forces and Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau's French forces surrounding Yorktown.

Blockade by Sea 

Cornwallis was hopeful that the relief forces being sent from New York would arrive to assist the British. He had received notice from General Clinton, commander in chief of the British Army, that men would be sent from New York but he failed to realize that a blockade would prevent the troops from arriving. The French fleet, under Admiral Francois Joseph, Comte de Grasse, prevented the British ships from providing the relief British soldiers.

Artillery Barrage 

The Franco-American forces attack moved closer to Yorktown as Cornwallis abandoned his trenches further out and moved closer to the York River. This allowed the French and American soldiers to move the cannons closer to fire upon the city. So from early to mid-October, the Franco-American forces fired upon Cornwallis and the British defenses crumbled. British food and ammunition were running low and there was no sign of reinforcements being able to make their way to Cornwallis.

Surrender 

On October 17, 1781, Lord Cornwallis asked for terms of surrender. Two days later, on October 19, approximately 8,000 British troops surrendered. This was the last large battle of the American Revolution. Some fighting would continue for two more years until the formal peace treaty was signed in 1783 but this was the last major action between the Revolutionaries and the British.


Today you can visit Yorktown Battlefield which is part of Colonial National Historic Park in Virginia.

Images from WPClipart.com

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