Battle+of+Yorktown

By: alyssa Faszl and Emily Varner ** The Battle of Yorktown **

** The Beginning ** The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. This battle turned out to be the last stand for the British; it was make or break time for independence. In august 1781, George Washington, the Leader of the Continental Army, learned that British Major General Lord Cornwallis’ army was near Yorktown. Yorktown is in Virginia, just south of the Chesapeake Bay. Washington discussed the options with their French ally, Lieutenant Jean-Baptiste Pontonde Rochambeau, and came to the conclusion of quietly sneaking away from New York so they could attack Cornwallis’ army. They Started heading south on August 21. Washington arranged that the French would prevent Cornwallis’ army from getting more supplies. This movement was supported by the fleet of Rear admiral Comte de Grasse. In Chesapeake, de Grasse’s ships assumed blockading position. On September 5, a British fleet led by Rear admiral Sir Thomas Graves arrived and attacked de Grasse’s fleet. This resulted in the Battle of Chesapeake. De Grasse defeated the British and resumed blockading Cornwallis’ army. On September 17, Washington met with de Grasse aboard his ship, //Ville de Paris. //De Grasse promised to stay in the bay and Washington then focused on his forces. Washington’s troops reached Williamsburg and joined with French commander Marquis de Lafayette’s forces which had been following Cornwallis’ army. With the army assembled, Washington and Rochambeau began marching to Yorktown on September 28. The commanders deployed their forces and the battle of Yorktown began. ** Commanders ** American commander: George Washington French commander (American ally): Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau British commander: Major general Lord Charles Cornwallis



Uniforms ** __ British __ - Red coats - Bearskin/leather - Triangle hats

__ Americans __ - Blue coats - Rugged clothing __ French __ - White coats - Muskets and guns

** The Battle ** Washington’s army attacked Cornwallis’ redoubts, or temporary forts. As the British forces were weakening and their supplies were running low. They soon realized that there was almost no chance of a victory. As General Cornwallis begged for reinforcements from Britain he knew that they would never arrive in time. After relentless attacking for a whole week General Cornwallis knew it was time to give in or they would all be killed. At dawn on October 18th General Cornwallis sent out a small boy to give a letter to Washington so they could meet and discuss a ceasefire. The next day, October 19th, 1781, the British surrendered. As to British tradition they played the, “The World Turned Upside-Down,” as they marched out to the hands of the American’s. All 7,500 British surrendered that day. Casualties amounted to 500 British soldiers, 80 American soldiers, and 200 French soldiers. Overall there were almost 800 deaths out of the total 8,800 American, 7,800 French, and 6,000 British. 7,000 British reinforcement troops arrived on October 24, but they were too late; the battle had ended.

** Aftermath ** The Battle of Yorktown crippled the British control over the colonies but they still occupied North America for a few years after the fighting ended. The war ended with a peace treaty between the two. Soon after that America was a free and independent nation; the United States of America!

The World Turned Upside Down: []


Works Cited "The Battle of Yorktown." //British Battles// N.p., n.d. //Nettrecker//. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. . Hickman, Kennedy. "American Revolution: Battle of Yorktown." //about.com// N.p., 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Thorp, Dr. D., Clint Twist, Bradley Davis, Sharon Southern et al., eds. //Colonial America//. Vol. 10. Danbury, Connecticut: Brown Patworks Ltd., 1998. Print. Weber, Michael. //Battlefields Across America: Yorktown//. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997. Print.