Siege Of Yorktown Research Paper

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The Siege of Yorktown

The Siege of Yorktown was the final battle of the American Revolution. The Revolution started in 1775. Prior to the siege of Yorktown both the Patriots and the British had multiple victories and losses. When the time for this final battle was coming, both sides needed a win. Britain's loss at Saratoga marked a turning point in the war for the Patriots and some still hoped to build off of it, with George Washington leading them.

George Washington could not attack General Clinton in New York City right away because he had to wait for troops from France. “In the summer of 1780, the Americans received a major boost to their cause when 5,500 French troops, commanded by Comte de Rochambeau, arrived at Newport, Rhode Island”(National Park Service). A British fleet trapped the troops there so they could not sail to meet Washington. Washington ended up waiting an entire year for …show more content…

Some of the reasons for the British surrender are that “British supplies began running low” and “many soldiers were wounded or sick” (Ritchie, 176). This was Britain's end as such a powerful world nation and “Clinton and Cornwallis eventually returned to England where they engaged in a long and bitter public controversy over who was to blame for the British defeat at Yorktown” (National Park Service).

Britain might has continued to fight if they had not decided that it was too costly to. As a result Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris. This was the final treaty that “was signed which ended the war and acknowledged American independence” (National Park Service). Some conditions that were agreed to are that Britain withdraws its troops and the Loyalist properties would be returned. Along with “giving Americans the right to fish in the waters off the coast of Canada” and allowing “British earchants [to] collect debts that Americans owed them” (Ritchie,