The Battle of Yorktown

 

Major Historical Figures

            British:

  1. Sir Henry Clinton, at New York
  2. General Charles Cornwallis, stationed in Yorktown
  3. Admiral Thomas Graves and Admiral Samuel Hood, in charge of British fleet

            American and French:

  1. George Washington
  2. Comte de Rochambeau
  3. Marquis de Lafayette – French commander
  4. Admiral de Greene, in charge of the French fleet

 

Sir Henry Clinton intercepted letters from Washington to Rochambeau of an attack at New York City. Alarmed, he sent urgent letters to General Charles Cornwallis to ask for 3,000 soldiers’ aid. While Cornwallis was marching with the troops, they were attacked by Marquis de Lafayette’s army at Green Springs. He decided that he needed the troops so he kept the soldiers. Cornwallis retreated into a small tobacco port called Yorktown; and because Yorktown was on a peninsula near the Chesapeake Bay, he thought he could easily get supplies from the British by the sea.

 

Originally, Washington and Rochambeau planned to attack Clinton in New York City. However, in August 1781, Admiral de Grasse told them he would sail to Chesapeake Bay instead of New York. His plan was to position his fleet at Chesapeake Bay to block Cornwallis from escaping on water, while Washington and Rochambeau marched to Yorktown. By doing so, they could siege, or surround and blockade Cornwallis. However, Congress did not have enough money to pay the Patriot troops or the cost of them marching south to Yorktown. Rochambeau offered Washington half his own army’s war chest to pay the troops.

 

For their plan to succeed, Washington knew that they had to convince Clinton that they were still planning to attack him so that he would keep all his troops stationed in New York. They also wanted Cornwallis to let down his guard. Washington left 3,000 of his soldiers still positioned near New York as a distraction while his other 2,000 soldiers marched south with the French. In the beginning, they pretended that they were heading to Sandy Hook in New Jersey as an extra precaution. On August 30th, they picked up their pace and marched towards Yorktown, Virginia. By the time Clinton finally realized that they were after Cornwallis and not him, they had already marched through Philadelphia. Hurriedly, Clinton sent reinforcements to Yorktown by the British navy.

 

Meanwhile, Admiral Sir Samuel Hood of the British noticed that Admiral de Grasse was heading to Chesapeake. Admiral Sir Samuel Hood took a direct route to the Chesapeake. He arrived before the French fleet. Finding no one there, he headed to New York. There, Admiral Samuel Graves joined him and sailed south to the Chesapeake Bay. By that time, Admiral de Grasse’s fleet had reached the bay. The French fleet led by Admiral de Grasse defeated the British. By doing so, they had control over the entire bay and were able to blockade the British and Germans at Yorktown.

 

After the French fleet’s victory, Washington and Rochambeau’s army joined Lafayette’s in surrounding the small tobacco port on land. They hurried to force Cornwallis to surrender before a larger, stronger British fleet came to the rescue. The siege at Yorktown’s result: Cornwallis and 8,300 British and Germans were trapped in Yorktown. During the surrender ceremony, the song, The World Turned Upside Down was played – upside down for the British. The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War and started peace talks in Europe. Less than half a year later, Britain voted to end the war and negotiate a peace treaty.