today we're looking at the siege at yorktown
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at the questions down in the description although the american revolution would not
end until 1783 the siege of yorktown in 1781 is considered by many to be the final major battle
that resulted in the american victory in the war in the autumn of 1780 george washington and the
continental army were camped north of new york city washington was waiting there for french
reinforcements to arrive and when they did he planned to attack the british and their commander
general henry clinton near new york city in the southern theater of the war british general
charles cornwallis was attempting to march his army north across the carolinas and hopefully trap
george washington between his army and general henry clinton's army in new york
although cornwallis had had initial success after the fall of charleston in mid-1780
from there he had met a lot of resistance his army had been plagued by guerrilla tactics
used by the continental army against them and the march north became stalled cornwallis had defeated
the americans at the battle of guilford courthouse but his army had suffered so many casualties that
he felt he needed to reach the atlantic ocean in order to receive reinforcements by sea
cornwallis was ordered by general henry clinton to march to yorktown and build fortifications
and a port to receive ships as this was happening americans under the command of marquita lafayette
were engaging cornwallis army of 7 000 and pursued them towards yorktown in the meantime french
troops under conte de rochambeau had arrived in new york and washington was planning for an attack
on new york city but then washington begins to receive very important information first he gets
word from lafayette that cornwallis was basically now trapped on the virginia peninsula at yorktown
now of course washington was from virginia and he had been to yorktown and so he knew this was
a vulnerable city that cornwallis could easily be attacked second he received communications
from admiral degrasse who was the commander of the french naval fleet informing washington that
they were heading for virginia and not new york so washington along with council from rochambeau
they make the decision that instead of attacking new york they were going to take advantage of the
situation and march south to surround corn wallace at yorktown and eliminate that british army
the march had to be kept very secret as washington wanted british general henry clinton in new york
to believe the americans were staying there otherwise clinton might possibly send
reinforcements to cornwallis so washington you know went as far as to send out fake dispatches
in hopes that it would be intercepted by the british and he also had portions of his
army remain in camp to give the appearance that the americans were staying there near new york
and so on august 19th 1781 4 000 french troops along with 3 000 americans began the march south
to yorktown by september 29th americans and french troops began to surround cornwallis at yorktown
the total american and french force now numbered around 15 000 as additional
troops fighting in the south had joined in the campaign the british numbered near 8
000 in yorktown now about three weeks earlier on september 5th the french naval fleet had arrived
at the mouth of the chesapeake bay and had been victorious at the sea battle of virginia capes
and they broke through the british blockade so now they cut off cornwallis escape route by sea
the french and americans now began to lay siege to the british by cutting off all means
of communication and cutting off all means of supply to the british on october 9 1781
the america commenced a tremendous bombardment of yorktown basically firing heavy artillery shells
into the city and laying waste to the town but the british were not so quick to surrender the british
had actually constructed a series of redoubts or small forts around yorktown to defend the city as
the americans and french moved closer it really became a battle of inches as each redoubt had to
be captured and as each redoubt was captured the americans would then turn the artillery pieces in
the redoubt around and begin to fire at the next redoubt and eventually they got close enough they
could turn all of those guns towards yorktown itself and so for eight days from october 9th to
october 17th the siege wore on as the americans and the french moved closer and closer into
yorktown eventually on the morning of october 17th cornwallis realized the situation was hopeless
and sent out an officer with a white handkerchief to indicate the surrender of the british troops
cornwallis himself did not attend the surrender ceremony which took place a couple days later
on october 19th as he had another british commander hand over his sword to the americans
and all 8 000 british troops were captured and over 200 pieces of artillery this was an enormous
victory for the americans as now an entire british army had been captured now back in britain people
were already tired of the war and when word of the defeat at yorktown reaches the people in england
they begin to argue that this war just is too costly and not really worth continuing so although
it would be not for another two years until september of 1783 that the treaty of paris would
be signed officially ending the war the victory at yorktown had secured victory in the revolution
for the americans so with that hopefully you learned something and thanks for watching