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Yorktown: A Major Cause Of The Revolutionary War

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The American Revolution is undoubtedly one of the most defining events in American history. The American colonists, after suffering under unjust and improper taxation, decided to revolt from Great Britain and sought to become a nation of sovereign, independent states. “Taxation without representation,” as we have come to know this as, is perhaps the most major cause of the war. The climax of this war, the Yorktown Campaign, perfectly encapsulates the colonists’ desire for independence and their yearning for their own sovereignty (History). In the decades prior to the American Revolution, American colonists enjoyed many benefits of living under British rule, such as military protection, profits from trade, and political rights. They also received due process of law when arrested, freedom of the press, trial by jury, and protection from foreign attack. However, by today’s understanding, …show more content…

In July, after an unsuccessful campaign in the Carolinas, General Cornwallis moved up into Yorktown to join the British forces that were already there. His position, however, was vulnerable to any American ships that would seek to form a blockade in the nearby Chesapeake Bay. Led by Baron von Steuben, General Anthony Wayne, and General Marquis de Lafayette, American forces fought the British in several small battles, forcing them to retreat down the York peninsula. Believing that Yorktown was an excellent strategic location, Cornwallis fortified his defense and awaited naval support, reinforcements, and supplies from fellow Redcoat General Henry Clinton in New York. However, in late August and throughout early September, a French fleet under Admiral Francois de Grasse arrived from the Caribbean. This fleet blockaded the Chesapeake Bay, and defeated British naval forces, preventing Cornwallis from receiving the support he direly needed

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271 Words | 2 Pages

General Daniel Morgan and General Nathanael Greene withdrew towards Virginia after the American victory at the Battle of Cowpens. The combined forces of both Generals and the diagonal travel across North Carolina allowed the American army to retreat without General Cornwallis capturing any Americans. Cornwallis followed closely behind the American army throughout the American retreat. After two years of campaigning in the Carolinas, Cornwallis desired to defeat Greene’s army. After approaching the Dan River, General Nathanael Greene ordered all of the boats on the river to be collected and brought to the same location.

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After the siege of Charleston, Sir Henry Clinton traveled back to New York leaving Cornwallis in command of the British campaign in North and South Carolina. On the morning of August 16, 1780, General Horatio Gates chose to fight Cornwallis’ force even though just the previous night his men suffered the terribly infectious illness of dysentery. Gates was confident in his American army of around 3,700 soldiers because they outnumbered the British army of around 2,100 troops. The American advantage ended quickly as one thousand American troops were unable to fight due to the illness they suffered the night before.

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271 Words | 2 Pages

From the actions achieved by De Grasse, General Cornwallis had very little defenses against the, French and American fleets. From the

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General Cornwallis was a general for the colonies but eventually turned sides after falling in love with a loyalist. He then was a loyalist now becoming a general for Britain. General Washington had just won the battle of Trenton with the continental army and needed to resupply after defeating the hessians from Britain on December 25 1776. Cornwallis heard of the victory and went to Trenton with is 8,000 redcoats to overwhelm General Washington 's 5,000 militia men.

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The Siege of Yorktown, or Battle of Yorktown, was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. The Americans, led by General Washington, allied with the French, led by General Rochambeau, defeated the British who were led by General Cornwallis. This conflict, which took place in Yorktown, Virginia in the fall of 1781, was an American victory after they forced the surrender of General Cornwallis. His surrender at Yorktown was one of the greatest contributing factors that prompted Great Britain to negotiate a resolution to ending the war. The British Army under the control of General Cornwallis arrived at the Yorktown port along the Chesapeake Bay in June of 1781.

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Cornwallis also sent 350 British troops that night to attack the allied fortifications and spike (a process in which the torch holes of the cannons are plugged with a metal stake) French and American cannons. By morning, the French were able to drive out the British and repair all cannons. The American and French doubled their efforts to bombard the British into submission. Cornwallis attempted a retreat across the river on the morning of the 16th but ultimately failed due to severe squalls. Allied forces increased their cannon fire, which was bolstered by new pieces of artillery that had arrived.

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And the French Navy was in the harbor, effectively cutting off any alley of escape or chance of reinforcements. The British army was defeated. With no hope of escape, Cornwallis surrendered to Gen. Washington. Thomas Jefferson called it "The turn of the tide of success. "

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Cornwallis, on the other hand, had all his artillery grouped in the center of his line with his extremely aggressive and experienced cavalry in reserve. When the British attacked, they struck with their right flank against the Colonial left. The militiamen on that side, seeing a well-disciplined, aggressive force coming toward them, threw down their arms and retreated without firing a shot. Seeing this, the panic spread to the Virginian militia and then to the North Carolina militia.

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This was one of many battles that the American Army would win. One of the biggest battles of The American Revolutionary War was the Battle of Yorktown. “You are not aware that Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington, Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington on the nineteenth of October, in Virginia, at the port of Yorktown” (Bristow 382). The British were trapped at Yorktown, Virginia and British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered 8,000 British troops (Citation). This was a tremendous victory for The American Army!

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Soon after the Seven Years’ War, the British and the colonists learned that victory came with a rather expensive price (Kennedy, Cohen, & Bailey, 2010). Great Britain tightened its grip on the colonies in North America, expecting colonists to pay for their financial struggles. In order to make colonists pay for the war, Great Britain reminded the North American colonies who had authority by controlling the colonists to submit to various ordinances ratified by British Parliament. This action only showed that arrogance leads to rebellion socially, economically, and politically. Socially, a lack of communication between Great Britain and the North American colonies was to blame for the Revolutionary War.

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War Famous people come during war as fighting goes on. The most famous of course are the generals. The three generals during the Siege of Yorktown was George Washington, the leader of the Continental Army, General Lord Charles Cornwallis, the leader of the British, and General de Rochambeau, the leader of the French. The French helped win the battle when the French Navy came in and gave backup support.

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General Cornwallis had been sent to Chesapeake Bay to retrieve supplies for General Clinton, who believed that the Continental Army would attack then in New York soon. General Washington had made it seem that the attack was happening in New York, but most of his army was in Yorktown waiting for Cornwallis and most of the British Army. The battle lasted about three weeks before the British army was too weak and out of supplies, which led to the surrender to America and the beginnings of the Treaty of Paris 1783. The Treaty of Paris 1783, also known as the “Peace of Paris,” was the compromise that led to the true independence of America.

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Washington then decided that he could bombard the British into submission. Also, the British knew that the American and French troops were getting closer, and by September 29th the British opened fire on the American and French and they exchanged fire back at the British. Logan also states that Cornwallis eventually moved the British troops to unrestrained defenses to come up with a more secure plan. Then, on September 30th they were back at it again, fighting a two hour battle. Joseph Logan claims that the French went through many mishaps, one being in order to have food they eventually had to kill their horses.

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A fleet of Royal Navy ships was also sailing toward the Chesapeake Bay. The British and French naval forces came to battle on September 5, in the Battle off the Chesapeake Capes. The French forces under de Grasse damaged the British severely, though not winning a complete victory. De Grasse's fleet of 24 ships occupied the 19-ship fleet of British Admiral Thomas Graves while the forces of Admiral de Barras from Newport slipped into the Chesapeake Bay.

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It’s been over 200 years since the original thirteen colonies of America fought their revolutionary war against Great Britain, in hopes of achieving their independence. We shall be going through a few areas of the Revolution, such as the military, social hierarchy, the role of men and women during the war, the colonists’ values of equality and their social contract response to the British government’s abuses, and we’ll compare these areas to the present day. The American Revolution started around April of 1775, when British redcoats and American militiamen exchanged gunshots in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. However, that was only the beginning of the fighting; the reasons for the war date from years prior, when resistance from the

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