Spotlight: Virginia - Historic Yorktown

Spotlight: In the fall of 1781, a combined army of colonial troops, led by General George Washington, and French troops under the command of General Comte de Rochambeau laid siege to British troops under the command of Lord General Charles Cornwallis at the small town of Yorktown. General Cornwallis had led his troops to the Yorktown peninsula in hopes of getting some much needed rest. Meanwhile Gen. Washington and his troops were preparing for a major offensive against New York when word reached him that the French fleet was headed to Virginia. Recognizing the opportunity to catch the British unawares, Washington led every available soldier down to Virginia, where he and his troops penned the British troops in by land while the French fleet prevented their escape by sea. Cornwallis requested help from the British forces in New York, but the fleet sent under the command of Admiral Graves was both outnumbered and outmaneuvered by French Admiral De Grasse. The two day naval battle ended with the British fleeing back to New York. In the meantime, Washington and his troops encircled the 9,000 British troops at Yorktown. For three weeks, the Colonial army, fortified by heavy French cannon, bombarded the British troops. However, British Redoubts #9 and #10 were keeping the cannons out of range of the city. On the moonless night of Oct. 14, the American army attacked Redoubt #10 while tasking the French with taking Redoubt #9. Both attacks succeeded, allowing the Colonial army to move in the heavy artillery. A British counterattack on Oct. 15 succeeded in spiking 6 guns, but failed to break through. Next, Cornwallis attempted to sneak off the peninsula by crossing the river in boats; but they were scattered in a storm. Finally, on Oct. 17, 1781, Lord Cornwallis waved the white flag of surrender. After two days of negotiations, Cornwallis reluctantly signed the surrender documents. Too embarrassed to deliver his sword to General Washington in person, he sent his second-in-command. Rather than accept the proffered offering, Washington sent the man to his second-in-command to accept it. Although the battle didn't officially end the war, it was the last major engagement of the American Revolution, successfully paving the way for the creation of a new country, the United States of America.

Yorktown today

Location: The Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center is located at 1000 Colonial Parkway, Yorktown.

Cost: $7 per adult; A 4-site ticket to Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Battlefield and Yorktown Victory Center: $37/adult, $25/youth (13-15), and $14/child (6-12) can be purchased in Jamestown.

Time: The Visitor Center is open from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Park grounds are closed at sunset. Plan on spending between 2-5 hours exploring the Visitor Center and battlefield.

Description: Yorktown Battlefield is part of Colonial National Historical Park, run by the National Parks Service. The Visitor Center has an orientation film "Siege at Yorktown," a museum with artifacts from the battlefield, and a bookstore, as well as information on tours. On the battlefield, visitors can take a ranger-led tour of the earthworks, fields and historic buildings that played a part in the battle. Other points of interest include:

Replica cannon deck

battlefield dioramas

General Washington's command tent

battlefield artillery

- Cornwallis' Cave - While legend places Cornwallis’ headquarters here, he was actually located in a bunker near Tobacco Road.
- Moore House - Site of negotiations that led to the British surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
- Nelson House - Restored mansion of Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Virginia, and commander of the Virginia Militia during the Siege of Yorktown. 
- Poor Potter Archaeological Site - Described as a “poor potter” by Royal Governor William Gooch in 1732, William Rogers actually operated a large-scale pottery in Yorktown from 1720-1745 in violation of English trade laws.
- Yorktown Victory Monument - Commissioned by the Continental Congress in 1781 to commemorate the great victory at Yorktown, this monument was constructed between 1881 and 1884.

Victory Monument

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - The battlefield park is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years Day.
- The ticket to Colonial National Park sold at the Yorktown Visitor Center is only good for designated National Park sites at Yorktown and Jamestown. The 4-site ticket is not sold at Yorktown Visitor Center.

Nearby: Riverwalk Landing Marina, American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestown