As the work on the parallels continues, the British attempt to disrupt Allied operations by using what little artillery they have left. Their attempts prove futile.
October 9. The Allied lines are now within musket range of the British and American and French artillery are in place. In the afternoon, the Allied barrage begins, with the French opening the salvo.
On the American side, George Washington touches off the first cannon to commence their assault. His artillery consists of three pounders, three pounders, two 8-inch mm howitzers, and 6 mortars, totaling 14 guns.
For nearly a week the artillery barrage is ceaseless, shattering whatever nerve the British have remaining and punching holes in British defenses. October Washington orders troops to dig a second parallel yards closer to the British lines.
British redoubts 9 and 10 prevent the second parallel from extending to the river and the British are still able to reinforce the garrisons inside the redoubts.
They have to be taken by force. The new line is in place by the morning of October On a moonless night, after firing incessant artillery to weaken British defenses, American and French forces prepare a surprise assault on redoubts 9 and To maintain stealth, soldiers do not to load or prime their weapons.
Then, Lt. To prevent the British defenders from escaping the coming onslaught, Lt. As American troops hack at the abatis with axes, the British are alerted. A British sentry fires at the Americans and the Americans proceeded to assault the fortification, climbing over the parapet and descending into the redoubt.
Serious fighting ensues in close quarters, but the British are overwhelmed. It is a stunning victory with the Americans sustaining only 34 casualties. The French simultaneously assault redoubt 9 and, after an equally fierce firefight, wrest control from the British. In a last-ditch effort, Cornwallis orders a futile counterattack on October 15, which fails miserably. Blindfolded and brought inside American lines, the British officer secures terms of surrender for the British Army.
In a field outside of Yorktown, the capitulation takes place as British troops and their Hessian allies, with flags furled and cased, march sullenly between contingents of American and French forces. The British seek honorable terms of surrender, but Washington refuses as American forces were denied the that honor in Charleston, South Carolina, earlier in the war. The Battle of Yorktown marks the collapse of the British war efforts.
But the world truly changes that day as the military operations of the War for Independence cease. It is all over. Lord North resigns 15 days later. Although it takes the Americans two more years of skillful diplomacy to formally secure their independence through the Treaty of Paris, the war is won with the British defeat at Yorktown. During the American Revolution, the colonies were facing a superpower.
At that time, Britain possessed one of the best armies in the world. Their forces were well-equipped and expertly trained. Additional destruction came during the Civil War Siege of and the occupation by Union troops that followed. Today, there are still some tangible reminders of Yorktown's historic past that have survived, giving much of the town a colonial atmosphere.
For hours of operation, see Yorktown Programs and Activities. As you stroll the streets, you have the opportunity to imagine Yorktown as it once was--a thriving tobacco port--that witnessed the last battle of the American Revolution. Box Yorktown , VA Explore This Park. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Washington's Continental Army , substantially aided by French land and naval forces, surrounded the British southern army under the command of General Charles, Earl of Cornwallis. The resulting siege at Yorktown forced Cornwallis' surrender and compelled the start of serious negotiations that ended in recognition of American independence at the Peace of Paris.
Washington's fame grew to international proportions having wrested such an improbable victory, interrupting his much desired Mount Vernon retirement with greater calls to public service. By , Washington's already substantial worries over the health, pay, and morale of his Continental Army stationed outside of New York City were worsened by the success of Cornwallis' southern campaign.
Cornwallis' tactical victory at Guilford Courthouse March 15, left the Americans destitute of funds, soldiers, and morale. Additionally, former Major General Benedict Arnold , a newly crowned British Brigadier after the attempted surrender of his command at West Point , prepared for Cornwallis' arrival by destroying precious Continental supplies in Virginia.
Washington could only watch and wait for an opportunity to attack New York, or wait for a British mistake. The opportunity presented itself when Cornwallis entrenched his army at Yorktown and Gloucester Point on the peninsula of Virginia's York and James Rivers, with the expectation of reinforcement or evacuation. Lafayette fixed Cornwallis in place while de Grasse kept control of Chesapeake Bay, preventing British naval assistance through his victory at the Battle of the Capes September 5, In the process, Washington's combined Franco-American army transported from Head of Elk to the lines outside Yorktown.
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