The Battle 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.

While researching skirmishes and major battles throughout the Revolutionary War to find an artillery battle that exemplifies what we do as Field Artillery there was one battle that stuck out. There was no battle more glorious or more significant in shaping our great nation than the battle of Yorktown. Think of the Revolutionary War, visions of guerrilla-like hit-and-run tactics of the minute men causing confusion and exhaustion to the neat marching formations of Great Britain come to mind. Now consider the final battle of Yorktown; a small town on the Virginia peninsula flanked by the York and James River on either side. It seemed impossible that a small loosely organized and virtually un-armed

The battle was won, despite insufficient arms and ammunition. It would be one of the few military victories Washington would experience that year.

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.

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

The battle of Trenton and the battle of Saratoga brought a crucial victory to the Continental Army, but the battle of Trenton improved morale in the patriots more so than the battle of Saratoga did. The battle of Trenton proved to be significant by ultimately turning the tide of the conflict in their favor, improving morale and hope for the war.

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

During the Revolutionary War, there were many battles that were fought, but there were a few that changed the result of the war. The battles of Trenton and Princeton were fought strategically. During both of the battles, Washington made bold moves that later impacted the army’s success. Another battle that was fought was the Battle of Saratoga, and before this battle, the Continental Army did not have a strong chance of winning because they were facing the powerful and well equipped British army. The Battle of Saratoga was the battle that completely changed the tide of the war. The Battle of Yorktown was the last land battle fought of the Revolutionary War. It was also the battle where the British surrendered to the Americans and won

During the Battle, both sides used different tactics and strategies. Burgoyne decided to go with a risky strategy of dividing his army into three columns, two towards Bemis Heights and one to follow the road that paralleled the Hudson. The American forces (led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold) placed expert riflemen (led by Daniel Morgan) in charge of taking out the left flank of the British (led by Simon Frasier). This strategy worked well for the Americans, of course until they ran out of ammunition.

The American Revolutionary War was a war that brought unity among American Colonies. The Colonies fought Great Britain for many years to gain their independence from the mother country. The American Revolutionary War was between the years of 1775 and 1783. There were many major battles fought, but one major battle that ended the long war was the Battle of Yorktown. The Battle of Yorktown was “fought September 28 to October 19, 1781” (“American Revolution: Battle of Yorktown”). The battle was a successful victory for the Colonies from the beginning of the battle to the end.

The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most famous battles of the Civil War. The battle was fought from July 1 to July 3 near Gettysburg. The famous battle was between Robert Lee and his Northern Virginia Army and George Meade and the North's Army of the Potomac, The Union. The original leader of the Army of the Potomac was General Joseph Hooker, but President Lincoln relieved Hooker of his duties and named Meade the new General of the Army. Many soldiers died from both sides during this battle and that is the reason it is known as one of the bloodiest battles. The Battle of Gettysburg was General Robert Lee's second attempt at invading the North and there was a definite aftermath to this battle.

The Revolutionary War started in 1775. The American colonies have had enough of the British occupants and set their foot down in pursuit to freedom and independence. Each battle that happened during the Revolutionary War had its own significance and contributions to the independence of the colonies. Many brave men laid their lives in pursuit of the dream of independence from British control. One particular battle paved the way for that independence to become a reality. That battle is known as the Battle of Yorktown. The Battle of Yorktown took place in what we know today as Virginia. It was a decisive battle that turned the table during the Revolutionary War. The battle ultimately led to the liberty of the American Colonies from the

“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” This quote in a letter to James Madison, from George Washington, on March 2nd, 1788, explains that once the push for liberty comes through and change is made, it is like the snowball effect. At this point of the war, there were constant losses for the Continental Army they were lacking faith and hope for their liberty. The soldier’s enlistments were also very near to their end and time was going by fast; many were prepared to leave and not signing up again. Overall, the Continental Army was headed towards failure. They needed something to give them a push in the right direction. The battle that raised high spirits in the army was The

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.

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,