The Battle Of Siege Of Yorktown

In 1781 general George Washington and his 17,000 troops of the continental army and the army of France entered the city of Yorktown, Virginia. With Lord General Cornwallis he only had 9,000 troops to try to defend the city of Yorktown. This is known as the most important battle in the revolutionary war.

During the American Revolution, the Americans and French (Franco-American coalition) fought the British at the Battle of Yorktown also known as “The Siege of Yorktown”. The Americans and the French fielded a combined force of roughly 16,000 soldiers to defeat the British force estimated at 7,000 soldiers. American General George Washington and French Lieutenant General de Rochambeau led the American and French soldiers. The British commanding officer was Major General Lord Cornwallis. The battle occurred from September 28 thru October 19, 1781. Cornwallis lost his dominance in the Carolinas and decided to march his army north to Virginia and seize Yorktown and Gloucester along the York River.

In August 1781, General George Washington, who was camped in New York, learned that Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis' army of nearly 9,000 soldiers was encamped near Yorktown, VA (Lengel,

Washington took away that fear when he launched the attack on Hessian troops. He followed up this victory by a win at Princeton. Next, he was forced to fight a battle that he knew he would lose. The British navy took over Philadelphia at the battle of Brandywine Creek. Washington’s militia was strengthened in October, when General Gates won at Saratoga, New York. In the spring of 1778, good news arrived when the French decided to send money, troops, and a fleet to help the colonies. When the British heard the news they decided to consolidate their position to New York and New Jersey. In the time period between 1778 and 1781 Washington kept the British army concealed to New York City. At the time he faced a variety of disappointments by losing the battles of Brooklyn Heights, Kip’s Bay, Harlem Heights, and White Plains.

The battle of Yorktown was an accidental battle. George Washington was wanting to attack New York with the French fleet. But he found out that the French fleet was sailing for Chesapeake Bay. Washington set up some large brick bread ovens and a large camp to make the British think that Washington’s army was planning on staying. Then Washington let false plans fall into British hands to make them think that Washington was planning an attack. With French general Rochambeau sailing down the river, the French fleet sailing for Chesapeake Bay and Marquis De Lafayette keeping Cornwallis holed up in Yorktown General Washington planned to meet with Rochambeau and Lafayette hoping that the French fleet would be blockading Cornwallis from escape. Clinton

Prior to the historic Battle of Yorktown, General Washington had experienced a number of losses. These battles where along the upper east cost of the colonies in fairly strategically important places, such as New York and Boston. This is partly the reason why the British underestimated the strength and resiliency of the American forces. Additionally, they believed that the Americans would diplomatically end their rebellion, which unintentionally aided the American effort. Up until the Battle of Yorktown, the frustrations by the American forces were building up and a change in tactics was needed. Instead of the conventional combat tactics, General Washington began to use a guerrilla warfare methodology. Consequently, British forces were not expecting nor were accustomed to this type of attack and rapidly became exhausted.

The battle of Yorktown was fought during September and October of 1781. By definition, the actual battle is considered a siege. French naval forces cut off any support or hope of escape, and Franco-American forces outnumber the British on the land. Allied forces surrounded Yorktown and bombarded the town with artillery until the British surrendered. There were many events that took place prior to this historic siege which set the conditions for what is widely considered the decisive battle leading to a Franco-American victory and America’s independence.

The Geography of the battle was important for the way the colonist won the war. The location that the British had chosen made it easy for the colonist to surround them. The battle took place in Virginia, Yorktown in the summer of 1781. The location made it easy to be surrounded because Yorktown, is located near the coast where the French ships could take over the boarding and drop off area. Yorktown was a peninsula located on the shores of Chesapeake Bay in the state of Virginia. The British could not manage to get help from naval ships because the french ships were blocking any ships from coming in or out. Surrounding the British was a huge advantage because they were almost powerless running low on food and water. This battle was the last

The days before the battle helped the Americans capture a victory at Yorktown. At first, the war was between the Colonies and the British; however, the French came into the war to help aid the Colonists and win the war over Great Britain. Before the battle of Yorktown, General George Washington was stationed in New York with his army. “In the spring of 1781, Washington traveled to Rhode Island to meet with Comte de Rochambeau and plan to attack on Clinton” (“History of the Siege”). Lieutenant General Henry Clinton is a British general who marches through the northern and middle colonies in an attempt to gain control in those areas. The French were a big advantage to the Colonists because of their naval fleet. George Washington was expecting the French fleet to arrive in New York and help aid in the attack on Clinton, however, he “learned that the French fleet was sailing to the lower Chesapeake Bay”

The Battle of Yorktown gave General Washington the advantage he needed to win. General Washington, with the help of the French saw the opportunity to end the war by cornering General Cornwallis at Yorktown. (The History Channel Website, n.d.) Prior to the surrender of General Cornwallis to General Washington at Yorktown, the British were winning several battles. General Washington needed to do something before he had no other options left. General Washington’s forces were low in numbers and strength but knew the land to give them an edge in being rooted out by the British. (Lanning, 2005) General Washington used time and heavy militia to replenish his losses but did not have the troops to capture British Garrisons. (Lanning, 2005) The British in turn, could not pass the militia aiding General Washington. (Lanning, 2005)The militia, fighting alongside continental troops, had the land and the support of the people who aided their cause during the battle. The stalemate continued with no sign of either side budging. Guerilla-style operations were used to win many fights and battles that General Washington’s own troops could not. (Lanning, 2005) General Cornwallis, saw Yorktown in Virginia as a viable location to gather resources for future encounters with the Americans. General Cornwallis moved northward from the Carolinas toward Virginia and occupied Yorktown with an estimated 6,000 to 9,000 British troops. (Lanning, 2005) (The History

Leading up the battle of Yorktown, in February, 1781, Major General Marquis de Lafayette was ordered to take his Continental troops to Virginia. About a month later General Cornwallis and his army had entered Virginia believing that if the American forces had resistance, he would have victory against the Americans and the French. Later that year in August on 1-2, 1781 Cornwallis and his army set up at Gloucester point, hoping to use it as a base for supply and weapons. Couple of weeks later, Washington heard about the base and sent a large army to destroy Cornwallis base. A month later on September 14, 1781, French General Rochambeau and General Washington arrived, and sent 400 French soldiers and 400 American soldiers to storm the British redoubt. On October 19, 1781, being taken under heavy from the Americans and the French, Major General Cornwallis realized that he was short of troops and decided to escape Yorktown before surrendering. Making the move to escape, a sudden storm from the Americans and French ruined his evacuation plan and Cornwallis was forced to surrender, due to the lack troops and supplies.

The Battle of Yorktown was a major turning point in the Revolutionary War and led to the creation of the United States of America. After six grueling years of war the end of the war was near. Six months before the morale of the continental army was at the lowest point of the war. Congress was bankrupt due to rampant inflation caused by the mass production of continental dollars. The continental army was being trounced in the south by the British who had regained South Carolina and Georgia. Also many of the men in the continental army were mutinying. However in July of 1780 a French force landed in Newport, Rhode Island and this boosted American morale greatly (Fleming 11-13). Russia had suggested peace negotiations between the

The Battle of Yorktown took place in October of 1781, but before that day many important events led up to the battle. In 1778, British military power was focused on the Southern region of America. Lieutenant Charles Cornwallis was leading a successful military campaign in the south, defeating the Continental Army in battles such as the Battle of Guilford courthouse in March of 1781. After that General Cornwallis moved his men to Virginia. In May of 1781 French Admiral the count de Barras told General George Washington that Admiral the count de Grasse was to arrive in America with a large French fleet. Another British commander, Benedict Arnold, was

The Battle of Guildford Courthouse took place March 15, 1781 in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was the largest battle fought in the southern campaign. The battle was part of the Revolutionary War and by some considered a crucial point in the war. It was three months after the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina. Lieutenant General Cornwallis commanded the British forces and Major General Nathanael Greene commanded the American Forces. Cornwallis claimed a terrain victory but wounds sustained were too much to overcome and Cornwallis surrendered seven months later during the Battle of Yorktown. Yorktown was the last major land battle and resulted in the Treaty of Paris being signed recognizing the independence of the United States. Before

The Siege of Yorktown was the biggest battle that ended the Revolutionary War. It all came to a halt when Lord Cornwallis surrendered to both American and French forces under many different commanders, including: George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, Hercules Mulligan, and many others. The Siege of Yorktown was as complex as a 1000-piece puzzle, yet as simple as awakening in the morning. There were many things going on behind the scenes of the Siege such as planning attacks, and strategizing. The main strategy remained steadfast: to allow the commanders of the Americans and the French to effectively win the war without firing a single shot. But it was not a rapid conquest. The war itself had lasted a long time.