Why the Battle of Yorktown Was Critical to the American Revolution

On October 19, 1781, British forces under General Charles Cornwallis signed terms of surrender to George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown at 2 pm, and the Revolutionary War ended. From the article:

"Why the Battle of Yorktown Was Critical to the American Revolution

Allies Unite
During the summer of 1781, General George Washington's army was encamped in the Hudson Highlands where it could monitor the activities of Lieutenant General Henry Clinton's British army in New York City. On July 6, Washington's men were joined by French troops led by Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau. These men had landed at Newport, RI before proceeding overland to New York.

Washington initially intended to utilize the French forces in an attempt to liberate New York City, but met resistance from both his officers and Rochambeau. Instead, the French commander began to advocate for a strike against exposed British forces to the south. He supported this argument by stating that Rear Admiral Comte de Grasse intended to bring his fleet north from the Caribbean and that there were easier targets along the coast.

Fighting in Virginia
During the first half of 1781, the British expanded their operations in Virginia. This began with the arrival of a small force under Brigadier General Benedict Arnold which landed at Portsmouth and later raided Richmond. In March, Arnold's command became part of a larger force overseen by Major General William Phillips. Moving inland, Phillips defeated a militia force at Blandford before burning warehouses in Petersburg. To curb these activities, Washington dispatched the Marquis de Lafayette south to oversee resistance to the British.

On May 20, the army of Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis arrived in Petersburg. Having won a bloody victory at Guilford Court House, NC that spring, he had moved north into Virginia believing that the region would be easy to capture and receptive to British rule. After uniting with Phillips' men and receiving reinforcements from New York, Cornwallis commenced raiding into the interior. As the summer progressed Clinton ordered Cornwallis to move towards the coast and fortify a deep water port. Marching to Yorktown, Cornwallis' men commenced building defenses while Lafayette's command observed from a safe distance.

Marching South
In August, word arrived from Virginia that Cornwallis' army was encamped near Yorktown, VA. Recognizing that Cornwallis' army was isolated, Washington and Rochambeau began discussing options for moving south. The decision to attempt a strike against Yorktown was made possible by the fact that de Grasse would bring his French fleet north to support the operation and prevent Cornwallis from escaping by sea. Leaving a force to contain Clinton in New York City, Washington and Rochambeau began moving 4,000 French and 3,000 American troops south on August 19 (Map). Eager to maintain secrecy, Washington ordered a series of feints and sent false dispatches suggesting that an attack against New York City was imminent.

Reaching Philadelphia in early September, Washington endured a brief crisis when some of his men refused to continue the march unless they were paid one month's back wages in coin. This situation was remedied when Rochambeau loaned the American commander the needed gold coins. Pressing south, Washington and Rochambeau learned that de Grasse had arrived in the Chesapeake and landed troops to reinforce Lafayette. This done, French transports were sent north to ferry the combined Franco-American army down the bay.

Battle of the Chesapeake
Having arrived in the Chesapeake, de Grasse's ships assumed a blockading position. On September 5, a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves arrived and engaged the French. In the resulting Battle of the Chesapeake, de Grasse succeeded leading the British away from the mouth of the bay. While the running battle that ensued was tactically inconclusive, de Grasse continued to draw the enemy away from Yorktown.

Disengaging on September 13, the French returned to the Chesapeake and resumed blockading Cornwallis' army. Graves took his fleet back to New York to refit and prepare a larger relief expedition. Arriving at Williamsburg, Washington met with de Grasse aboard his flagship Ville de Paris on September 17. After securing the admiral's promise to remain in the bay, Washington focused on concentrating his forces.

Joining Forces With the Lafayette
As troops from New York reached Williamsburg, VA, they joined with the forces of the Lafayette who had continued to shadow Cornwallis' movements. With the army assembled, Washington and Rochambeau began the march to Yorktown on September 28. Arriving outside the town later that day, the two commanders deployed their forces with the Americans on the right and the French on the left. A mixed Franco-American force, led by the Comte de Choissey, was dispatched across the York River to oppose the British position on Gloucester Point.

Working Towards Victory
In Yorktown, Cornwallis held out hope that a promised relief force of 5,000 men would arrive from New York. Outnumbered more than 2-to-1, he ordered his men to abandon the outer works around the town and fall back to the main line of fortifications. This was later criticized as it would have taken the allies several weeks to reduce these positions by regular siege methods. On the night of October 5/6, the French and Americans began construction of the first siege line. By dawn, a 2,000-yard long trench opposed the southeast side of the British works. Two days later, Washington personally fired the first gun.

For the next three days, French and American guns pounded the British lines around the clock. Feeling his position collapsing, Cornwallis wrote to Clinton on October 10 calling for aid. The British situation was made worse by a smallpox outbreak within the town. On the night of October 11, Washington's men began work on a second parallel, just 250 yards from the British lines. Progress on this work was impeded by two British fortifications, Redoubts #9 and #10, which prevented the line from reaching the river.

Attack in the Night
The capture of these positions was assigned to General Count William Deux-Ponts and Lafayette. Extensively planning the operation, Washington directed the French to mount a diversionary strike against the Fusiliers' Redoubt at the opposite end of the British works. This would be followed by Deux-Ponts' and Lafayette's assaults thirty minutes later. To help increase the odds of success, Washington selected a moonless night and ordered that the effort be made using bayonets only. No soldier was permitted to load their musket until the assaults had began. Tasking 400 French regulars with the mission of taking Redoubt #9, Deux-Ponts gave command of the assault to Lieutenant Colonel Wilhelm von Zweibrücken. Lafayette gave leadership of the 400-man force for Redoubt #10 to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton.

On October 14, Washington directed all of the artillery in the area to concentrate their fire on the two redoubts. Around 6:30 PM, the French commenced the diversionary effort against the Fusiliers' Redoubt. Moving forward as planned, Zweibrücken's men had difficulty clearing the abatis at Redoubt #9. Finally hacking through it, they reached the parapet and pushed back the Hessian defenders with a volley of musket fire. As the French surged into the redoubt, the defenders surrendered after a brief fight.

Approaching Redoubt #10, Hamilton directed a force under Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens to circle to the rear of the enemy to cut off the line of retreat to Yorktown. Cutting through the abatis, Hamilton's men climbed through a ditch in front of the redoubt and forced their way over the wall. Encountering heavy resistance, they ultimately overwhelmed and captured the garrison. Immediately after the redoubts were captured, American sappers began extending the siege lines.

The Noose Tightens:
With the enemy growing nearer, Cornwallis again wrote to Clinton for help and described his situation as "very critical." As the bombardment continued, now from three sides, Cornwallis was pressured into launching an attack against the allied lines on October 15. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Abercrombie, the attack succeeded in taking some prisoners and spiking six guns, but was unable to breakthrough. Forced back by French troops, the British withdrew. Though the raid had been moderately successful, the damage inflicted was quickly repaired and the bombardment of Yorktown continued.

On October 16, Cornwallis shifted 1,000 men and his wounded to Gloucester Point with the goal of transferring his army across the river and breaking out to the north. As the boats returned to Yorktown, they were scattered by a storm. Out of ammunition for his guns and unable to shift his army, Cornwallis decided to open negotiations with Washington. At 9:00 AM on October 17, a single drummer mounted the British works as a lieutenant waved a white flag. At this signal, the French and American guns halted the bombardment and the British officer was blindfolded and taken into the allied lines to commence surrender negotiations.

Aftermath
Talks commenced at the nearby Moore House, with Laurens representing the Americans, the Marquis de Noailles the French, and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas and Major Alexander Ross representing Cornwallis. Through the course of the negotiations, Cornwallis attempted to obtain the same favorable terms of surrender that Major General John Burgoyne had received at Saratoga. This was refused by Washington who imposed the same harsh conditions that the British had demanded of Major General Benjamin Lincoln the year before at Charleston.

With no other choice, Cornwallis complied and the final surrender documents were signed on October 19. At noon the French and American armies lined up to await the British surrender. Two hours later the British marched out with flags furled and their bands playing "The World Turned Upside Down." Claiming he was ill, Cornwallis sent Brigadier General Charles O'Hara in his stead. Nearing the allied leadership, O'Hara attempted to surrender to Rochambeau but was instructed by the Frenchman to approach the Americans. As Cornwallis was not present, Washington directed O'Hara to surrender to Lincoln, who was now serving as his second-in-command.

With the surrender complete, Cornwallis' army was taken into custody rather than paroled. Shortly thereafter, Cornwallis was exchanged for Henry Laurens, the former President of the Continental Congress. The fighting at Yorktown cost the allies 88 killed and 301 wounded. British losses were higher and included 156 killed, 326 wounded. In addition, Cornwallis' remaining 7,018 men were taken prisoner. The victory at Yorktown was the last major engagement of the American Revolution and effectively ended the conflict in the American's favor."