American and French ground forces under the commands of General George Washington and General Jean Comte de Rochambeau, in concert with French naval forces under the command of Admiral François-Joseph, Comte de Grasse, surrounded and […] American History Central is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a program designed to allow sites to generate revenue by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. A French army under…. The Americans, French, and British negotiate the terms of surrender.
Siege of Yorktown (September 28–October 19, 1781), joint Franco-American land and sea campaign that entrapped a major British army on a peninsula at Yorktown, Virginia, and forced its surrender. Need the study guide for a different exam?
After a series of reverses and the depletion of his forces’ strength, the British commander in the southern colonies, General Lord Cornwallis, moved his army from Wilmington, North Carolina, eastward to Petersburg, Virginia, on the Atlantic coast, in May 1781.
The victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake is strategic, because it keeps the British from reinforcing their troops in Yorktown, or evacuating them. They are forced to halt the operation. De Grasse brings 3,000 additional troops to Yorktown. Gen. Charles O’Hara).
Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Clinton told him that…, …setting up a base at Yorktown. Yorktown Battlefield is part of the Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia, The Declaration of Independence [Rough Draft]. Following a siege and bombardment lasting about 20 days, Cornwallis surrendered his army to Washington on October 19, 1781. Washington was thus vindicated in his hopes of entrapping Cornwallis on the Yorktown Peninsula.
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The following information is provided for citations. Cornwallis refuses to attend the formal ceremony, and sends General Charles O’Hara in his place. Washington’s army and a force under the French Count de Rochambeau placed Yorktown under siege, and Cornwallis surrendered his army of more than 7,000 men on October 19, 1781.…, …the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown, is to be credited chiefly to Washington’s vision. GET THE BEST OF AMERICAN HISTORY CENTRAL DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX! General George Washington instructs Marquis de Lafayette to use his 5,000 troops to block Cornwallis from escaping by land. The Battle of Yorktown occurred during the months of September and October 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia. Easy unsubscribe links are included in every email.
The victory at Yorktown ended fighting in the Revolution and virtually assured success to the American cause.
The total number of British prisoners taken was about 8,000, along with about 240 guns. American and French forces attack strategic British positions outside of Yorktown.
Washington and de Rochambeau arrive in Yorktown, and the Siege begins. The French defeat the British in a naval battle in the Chesapeake Bay, off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Cornwallis had about 7,500 men and was confronted in the region by only about 4,500 American troops under the marquis de Lafayette, General Anthony Wayne, and Frederick William, Freiherr (baron) von Steuben. Cornwallis surrenders more than 7,000 officers and men. The Battle of Yorktown was the decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War. Summary The Siege of Yorktown , Battle of Yorktown , German Battle or Surrender at Yorktown , the latter taking place on October 19, 1781, was a victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by British lord and Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis.
This combined allied force left a screen of troops facing Clinton’s forces in New York while the main Franco-American force, beginning on August 21, undertook a rapid march southward to the head of Chesapeake Bay, where it linked up with a French fleet of 24 ships under the comte de Grasse. MyC-SPAN users can download four Congressional hearings and proceedings under four hours for free each month. Colonel Alexander Hamilton led another 400 troops, and took Redoubt Number Ten. The siege virtually ended military operations in the American Revolution. Washington also refuses, and instructs O’Hara to give it to his second in command, Benjamin Lincoln. They deliver supplies and men to the Marquis de Lafayette.