Yorktown Battlefield

Colonial National Historical Park C o l o n i a l N a t i o n a l Historical Park Virginia N a t i o n a l Park Service U.S. D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e I n t e r i o r Yorktown Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln accepts the surrender of the British army from Brig. Gen. Charles O'Hara, Cornwallis's second in command, in John Trumbull's paintinglhe Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, 19 October 1781. COURTESY ARCHITECT of THE CAPITOL Echoes from the Past: Yorktown by Foot (Town Map) The Town of York T h e soldiers w h o g a t h e r e d a t Y o r k t o w n in t h e l a t e s u m m e r a n d e a r l y Nelsons, a n d t h e A m b l e r s , w h o w o u l d play i m p o r t a n t roles in V i r g i n i a f a l l o f 1781 t o f i g h t t h e last m a j o r b a t t l e o f t h e A m e r i c a n R e v o l u t i o n d u r i n g t h e R e v o l u t i o n a r y W a r , still r e m a i n e d . T h e siege o f 1781 d e - k n e w l i t t l e a b o u t t h e t o w n ' s history. It h a d b e e n e s t a b l i s h e d in 1691 s t r o y e d so m u c h o f t h e t o w n t h a t , by t h e e n d o f t h e R e v o l u t i o n a r y by a n A c t f o r Ports passed by t h e V i r g i n i a H o u s e o f Burgesses. This War, t h e n u m b e r o f b u i l d i n g s h a d b e e n r e d u c e d t o f e w e r t h a n 7 0 . l e g i s l a t i o n p r o v i d e d f o r t h e c r e a t i o n o f several p o r t t o w n s , t h r o u g h T h e 1790 census listed 661 r e s i d e n t s . Follow the walkway from the visitor center to see these points of interest: Yorktown Victory Monument Authorized in 1781, construction did not begin until the 1881 centennial of the surrender. Dudley Digges House* Built ca. 1760 by Digges, a lawyer and Virginia government official, 1752-81. Sessions House* Built in 1760, was home t o merchant John Norton. Nelson House See below. Smith House* Home of Lt. Gov. David Jameson at the time of the 1781 siege. Ballard House* Restored 1720 home of merchant sea captain John Ballard. Cole Digges House* Built about 1720, was home of Cole Digges. Customhouse Built about 1721 by Richard Ambler and used as his office w h i c h all t r a d e g o o d s w e r e t o pass a n d w h e r e c u s t o m s w e r e t o be p a i d . In l a y i n g o u t Y o r k t o w n , 50 acres o f l a n d w e r e p u r c h a s e d f r o m W h i l e s o m e r e b u i l d i n g t o o k place a f t e r t h e w a r , Y o r k t o w n n e v e r re- B e n j a m i n Read n e x t t o t h e Y o r k River a n d t h e t o w n w a s s u r v e y e d g a i n e d its e c o n o m i c p r o m i n e n c e . A disastrous f i r e in 1814 d e s t r o y e d i n t o 85 h a l f - a c r e lots. t h e w a t e r f r o n t d i s t r i c t as w e l l as s o m e h o m e s a n d t h e c o u r t h o u s e o n M a i n Street. D u r i n g t h e Civil War, C o n f e d e r a t e a n d t h e n U n i o n forces By t h e e a r l y 1700s t h e t o w n w a s a m a j o r p o r t s e r v i n g W i l l i a m s b u r g , h e l d t h e t o w n . D u r i n g t h e U n i o n o c c u p a t i o n , t h e c o u r t h o u s e (this t h e n e w capital of V i r g i n i a . The w a t e r f r o n t was f u l l of w h a r f s , docks, o n e b u i l t in 1818) a n d S w a n Tavern served as p o w d e r m a g a z i n e s . In s t o r e h o u s e s , a n d businesses. O n t h e streets a b o v e t h e w a t e r f r o n t , 1863 a f i r e b r o k e o u t in a n e a r b y h o s p i t a l b a k e r y a n d s p r e a d t o t h e s t a t e l y h o m e s o f t h e w e a l t h y m e r c h a n t s l i n e d M a i n Street, w i t h t a v - m a g a z i n e s . T h e r e s u l t i n g explosions d e s t r o y e d t h e w e s t e n d o f t o w n . erns a n d o t h e r shops s c a t t e r e d t h r o u g h t h e t o w n . In 1697 t h e f i r s t c o u n t y c o u r t h o u s e a n d Grace C h u r c h w e r e c o n s t r u c t e d . Y o r k t o w n T h o u g h smaller t o d a y t h a n d u r i n g c o l o n i a l t i m e s , t h e t o w n c o n t i n u e s had become a crowded t o w n , w i t h 200-250 buildings. t o f u n c t i o n as a n a c t i v e c o m m u n i t y . Several houses a n d o t h e r struct u r e s f r o m t h e c o l o n i a l p e r i o d a r e still s t a n d i n g a n d g i v e t h e t o w n Y o r k t o w n r e a c h e d its p e a k in t h e 1750s, w h e n t h e r e w a s a p o p u l a - m u c h o f t h e c h a r a c t e r o f a l o n g - v a n i s h e d e r a . T h e best w a y t o u n d e r - t i o n o f a b o u t 1,800. T o b a c c o , w h i c h h a d f u e l e d t h e t r a d e system a n d s t a n d Y o r k t o w n is by w a l k i n g its streets. T h e m a p a n d list a t r i g h t w a s t h e basis f o r m u c h o f t h e t o w n ' s w e a l t h , h a d e x h a u s t e d t h e soil h i g h l i g h t m a j o r f e a t u r e s . Please be a w a r e t h a t s o m e b u i l d i n g s a r e o f n e a r b y p l a n t a t i o n s . Planters b e g a n m o v i n g w e s t w a r d in search o f p r i v a t e residences a n d n o t o p e n t o t h e p u b l i c . f e r t i l e l a n d . P r o m i n e n t f a m i l i e s , h o w e v e r , such as t h e D i g g e s , t h e Thomas Nelson Jr., Esq. Y o r k t o w n ' s m o s t ardent p a t r i o t w a s Thomas Nelson Jr., w h o led t h e local "tea p a r t y " and tossed tea o f f a merchant ship in Yorkt o w n harbor in N o v e m b e r 1774. He w a s b o r n December 26, 1738, in Y o r k t o w n , scion of a f a m i l y p r o m i nent in colonial Virginia society. A f t e r c o m p l e t i n g his e d u c a t i o n in England, Nelson j o i n e d his father's mercantile business and married Lucy Grymes, w i t h w h o m he had 11 children. From 1761 t o 1775, Nelson served in t h e Virginia House of Burgesses and t h e n t w o years as a delegate t o t h e Second C o n t i n e n t a l Congress in Philadel- phia, w h e r e he signed t h e Declarat i o n of Independence. In June 1781, he w a s elected t h e t h i r d governor of Virginia, succeeding Thomas Jefferson, a n d , w i t h t h e rank of brigadier general, comm a n d e d t h e Virginia militia at t h e siege of Y o r k t o w n . Shortly after Cornwallis's surrender, ill-health forced Nelson t o resign as governor. He died on January 4, 1789. Today his house, b u i l t in 1730 by his g r a n d f a t h e r Thomas Nelson, " t h e i m m i g r a n t , " still bears t h e scars f r o m t h e artillery b o m b a r d m e n t d u r i n g t h e siege. while he served as collector of customs. Poor Potter Site of the largest known colonial pottery factory, established about 1720. Open seasonally. Somerwell House* Restored brick home of Mungo Somerwell, a Yorktown ferryman. Grace Church Built about 1697, this still-active church served the YorkHampton Parish in colonial times. Swan Tavern* Reconstructed tavern and dependencies built on original 1722 sites. Medical Shop* Reconstructed 18th-century medical shop of Dr. Corbin Griffin. Archer Cottage* Typical colonial waterf r o n t dwelling. *Not open to visitors *NPS Concessioner The Second Siege of Yorktown The Nelson House, on the southwest corner of Main and Nelson streets, is considered one of the finest examples of early Georgian architecture in Virginia. The Marquis de Lafayette, whose tactical skill helped to defeat Cornwallis, was entertained here during his triumphal 1824 United States tour. The house is open daily in summer. Check at the visitor center for other times of the year. Y o r k t o w n came under siege again in t h e spring of 1862 w h e n U n i o n Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan began his Peninsula Campaign t o capt u r e Richmond. Confederate M a j . Gen. John B. Magruder, w h o had r e f o r t i f i e d and e x t e n d e d t h e remains o f t h e 1781 British defense line a r o u n d t h e t o w n , w a s ordered t o contain t h e Federals u n t i l reinforcements a r r i v e d . He d e p l o y e d his small force in a w a y t h a t made it appear much larger. Convinced he w a s greatly o u t n u m b e r e d , McClellan planned f o r a siege and called up more m e n , siege guns, and mortars. He even sent Prof. Thaddeus L o w e a n d Brig. G e n . Fitz-John Porter up in observation balloons t o survey Magruder's pos i t i o n , t h e f i r s t aerial f l i g h t s ever m a d e o v e r an enemy's defenses. In m i d - A p r i l C o n f e d e r a t e Gen. Joseph E. J o h n s t o n b r o u g h t reinf o r c e m e n t s , b u t t h e siege d r a g g e d o n a n o t h e r t w o w e e k s . On t h e n i g h t of M a y 3-4, 1862, t w o days before McClellan's grand b o m b a r d m e n t of t h e Confederate lines w a s t o b e g i n , Johnston o p e n e d an i n tense artillery fire o n t h e U n i o n p o s i t i o n t o mask t h e w i t h d r a w a l of his forces f r o m Y o r k t o w n . As a U n i o n garrison, Y o r k t o w n served f o r t h e n e x t t w o years as military headquarters for t h e Federal-held d i s t r i c t of Eastern V i r g i n i a . A Confederate naval gun helps protect the Yorktown waterfront during McClellan's 1862 siege. Grace Church, in the background, witnessed the 1781 siege as i well. S Right: The Yorktown fl Victory Monument I commemorates the 1 allied victory over JS Cornwallis. ©JEFF GEJASS ^SfJ The Siege of Yorktown 'n the spring of 1781 the American War / of Independence entered its seventh year. Having practically abandoned their efforts to reconquer the northern states, the British still had hopes of subjugating the South. By trying to do so, they unwittingly set in motion a train of events that would give independence to their colonies and change the history of the world. The Final Campaign 1781 Above, top: Comtejeah Baptiste de Rochambeau by Charles Willson Peale. Above: Charles, Lord Cornwallis by Thomas Gainsborough, 1783. In May 1781 British Gen. Charles, Lord Cornwallis moved his army into Virginia from North Carolina after an arduous and costly southern campaign. He believed that if Virginia could be subdued the states south of it would readily return to British allegiance. In June he received instructions from Sir Henry Clinton, his superior officer in New York, to establish a naval base somewhere in the lower Chesapeake Bay area. The Marquis de Lafayette, operating with a small American force, shadowed Cornwallis's movements and clashed with his army near Jamestown in the Battle of Green Spring on July 6. After the Americans withdrew, Cornwallis continued toward the bay and, on the advice of his engineers, chose the port of Yorktown for his base. Early in August he transferred his army there and began to fortify the town and Gloucester Point across the York River. The Allied Army August 19-September 26 Learning that de Grasse's fleet is headingfor Chesapeake Bay, Washington and Rochambeau cancel a planned attack on New York City and, marching their soldiers south, board transports at Head of Elk and Baltimore and Annapolis, Md.,for Yorktown. Lafayette April 19-September8 Sent to Virginia to subdue British troops operating out of Portsmouth, Lafayette eludes Cornwallis and sets up gamp in Williamsburgto await the/' ~~ -f° arrival of Washington" andiRochambeauV Meanwhile, a large French fleet under Adm. Francois Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, had sailed up from the West Indies for combined operations with the allied French and American armies and proceeded to blockade the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, cutting off Cornwallis from help or escape by sea. At the same time. Gen. George Washington began moving the Allied Army, consisting of his own forces near New York City and a French army under Gen. Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, in Rhode Island, toward Virginia to attack Cornwallis by land. Following his victory over Adm. Thomas Graves and the British fleet in the Battle of the Capes on September 5, de Grasse maintained a strict blockade by sea while the Allied army, numbering over 17,000 men, gathered at Williamsburg. Cornwallis sent this note to Washington requesting a meeting to discuss terms for the surrender of the British army. Gen. George Washington, from Charles Willson Peale's larger painting of Washington, Lafayette, and Tench Tilghman at Yorktown. On September 28 they marched to Yorktown to face Cornwallis's 8,300-man garrison. After a week of laying out camps and preparing for a siege, the Allied army constructed its first siege line on October 6 and three days later commenced bombarding the British positions. After capturing British redoubts 9 and 10 on the night of October 14, a second siege line, designed to bring the Allied artillery to within point blank range, was completed the morning of October 17. That same day, after nine days of intense, round-the-clock bombardment that wrecked the town, and a failed attempt to escape across the York River, Cornwallis requested a cease-fire to discuss surrender terms. Two days later, on October 19, 1781, he formally surrendered his army. When Lord North, the British prime minister, learned of Cornwallis's defeat, he . is reported to have cried, "Oh God! It is all o v e r r The American victory at Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution, secured independence for the United States and significantlyx changed the course of world history. After the \ British surrender, the French forces remained in the Yorktown area during the winter while Washington and most of the American troops, expecting the war to continue, returned to New York. In the summer of 1782 General Rochambeau and his troops departed for New England and left for France in December. Washington kept the American army intact for two more years, until the Treaty of Paris officially ended hostilities in September 1783. ILLUSTRATION CREDITS: ROCHAMBEAU, INDEPENDENCE NHP; CORNWALLIS, NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON; LETTER, I, PIERPONT MORGAN LIBRARY, NEW YORK; WASHINGTON. MARYLAND STATE ARCHR/ES. Battle of the Capes September 5 The French fleet under Admiral de Grasse defeats the British fleet under Admiral Graves, allowing French Admiral de Barras to deliver siege guns to the Allied Army. The siege guns and de Grasse's blockade of the Chesapeake seal the fate of Cornwallis. Cornwallis April 25-August 1 Marching north from Wilmington, N.C., into Virginia, Cornwallis tries unsuccessfully to destroy Lafayette's small Americanforce before headingfor Yorktown to set up the naval base he was ordered to establish. Touring Yorktown Battlefield and limbers to carry them, and the powder carts and ammunition wagons for their service. Yorktown Battlefield is a part of Colonial National Historical Park, which also includes Jamestown and Colonial Parkway, connecting sites marking the beginning and end of British colonial experience in America. The park entrance fee is payable at the Yorktown Visitor Center, where events of the siege and the story of the Town of York are recounted in a theater program and exhibits. Two separate auto tours give you the complete story of events at Yorktown: the Battlefield Tour (Stops A to F) and the Allied Encampment Tour (Stops G to L). We encourage you to take both tours. Remember: Portions of the park tour roads are heavily traveled major thoroughfares. Be alert for slowmoving traffic, busy intersections, stop signs, joggers, and cyclists. Also, piease help us preserve the earthworks on the battlefield. They are important historic resources that help us understand both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Do not climb or walk on them, for they are subject to erosion and can be easily damaged; use only authorized trails. Battlefield Tour (red arrow signs) is a seven-mile drive covering the British Inner Defense Line, the Allied siege lines, the Moore House, and Surrender Field. Allow at least 45 minutes for this tour. A British Inner Defense Line After Washington and Rochambeau's allied armies arrived, Cornwallis withdrew his troops from most of his outer defenses to consolidate his position behind these earthworks. H General Washington's Headquarters As Allied commander, Washington positioned his headquarters between the American and French camps. I French Cemetery Located several hundred yards south of the French artillery park, this cemetery (according to tradition) contains the remains of approximately 50 unknown French soldiers. Augustine Moore House B Grand French Battery During the night of October 6, under cover of darkness and rain. Allied troops constructed the first siege line from this point eastward to the York River. On October 9, Aliied artiliery opened fire on the British, and the bombardment began. The Grand French Battery was the largest gun emplacement on the first siege line. C Second Allied Siege Line On October 11, Allied troops began this second line within point blank artillery range of the British. The line could not be completed, however, because two small, detached British earthen forts, Redoubts 9 and 10, blocked the way to the river. D Redoubts 9 and 10 On the night of October 14, French troops attacked Redoubt 9 while American troops stormed Redoubt 10, capturing both positions in less than 30 minutes. This allowed the Allies to complete their second siege line and construct a Grand American Battery for siege artillery between the two redoubts. Three days later, Cornwallis proposed a cease-fire. E Moore House On October 18, 1781, officers from both sides met at the home of Augustine Moore to negotiate the surrender terms for Cornwallis's army. Open seasonally. F Surrender Field On October 19, 1781, Cornwallis's army marched onto this field and laid down its arms. This ended the last major battle of the Revolutionary War and virtually assured American independence. Allied Encampment Tour (yellow arrow signs) begins at Surrender Field and takes you on a nine-mile drive through the American and French encampment areas. Allow at least 45 minutes for this tour. G American Artillery Park In 1781 this scenic area contained Washington's heavy siege guns, carriages J French Artillery Park This area, arranged similar to the American artillery park, contained the heavy siege ordnance used by the French. K French Encampment Area Many of the French troops were encamped here on the extreme left of the Allied line. Their commander, Comte de Rochambeau, maintained his headquarters near Washington's. L Untouched Redoubt This was one of the original detached works on the British outer defense line, abandoned by Cornwallis on September 29, 1781, one day after the arrival of the Allied armies. More Information Colonial National Historical Park P.O. Box 210 Yorktown, VA 23690 www.nps.gov/colo Yorktown Battlefield is one of over 390 parks in the National Park System. Visit www.nps.gov to learn more about parks and National Park Service programs. -:TGPO:2007—330-358/00775 Reprint 2007 Printed on recycled paper.