YORKTOWN BATTLEFIELD

It was in Yorktown, in the fall of 1781, that American and French forces led by General George Washington besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis' British army. The surrender of the latter on 19 October, after 21 days of fighting, put an end to the war and ensured independence for the United States of America. The battlefield site consists of several circuits that, starting from the Visitor Center in Yorktown, cover the locations of the various American and French camps.

The Battle of Yorktown was the decisive battle of the American War of Independence. It took place from 28 September to 19 October 1781 and opposed the American revolutionaries (9,000 men) and their French allies (10,800 men) to the British army (7,500 men). It was preceded on September 5, 1781 by the Battle of Chesapeake Bay (or Battle of the Capes of Virginia), between the French (24 ships) and English (19 ships) fleets, the object of which was the French blockade imposed by the sea on the supply and military relief of English troops stationed at Yorktown. It should be noted that a first naval battle between the two fleets, known as the First Battle of Chesapeake, Chesapeake Battle or the Battle of Cape Henry, had taken place on 16 March in the same area and had given victory to the British (commanded by Admiral Marriott Arbuthnot). The main protagonists in the battle of Chesapeake Bay were, for the French part, Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse, and for the English part, Admiral Thomas Graves. The French victory at the end of the Battle of Chesapeake Bay gave a decisive advantage to the city's besiegers, who deployed their artillery from September 28, and then gradually deployed the rest of their troops.

The main protagonists in the Battle of Yorktown were, for the American side, General George Washington, for the French side the Earl of Rochambeau, and for the British side Lord Charles Cornwallis. Let us add that among the French forces were mixed with those of Rochambeau the volunteers of La Fayette, led by Colonel Armand Tuffin of La Rouërie. La Fayette also played a key role in Yorktown's victory. He arrived on 14 March 1781 at the head of a light infantry detachment of 1,200 men. The living conditions of the troops were then disastrous and he had to commit his personal funds to give his men shoes and clothing. Meanwhile, Washington and Rochambeau were on their way to New York to face Sir Clinton's troops. But when George Washington learned that Cornwallis' troops were being damaged by malaria, forcing them to abandon their position in Yorktown, he decided to change strategy and join La Fayette with Rochambeau's troops to join forces. After 21 days of siege, Lord Cornwallis presented his surrender by sending an emissary to hand over his sword to the victors. The negotiations between the belligerents that followed the defeat of Yorktown led to the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty between the 13 American colonies and England on September 3, 1783. This is the official birth certificate of the United States (note that Canada is then maintained as a British possession). In parallel to this treaty, the Treaties of Versailles, two treaties signed between Great Britain and, respectively, France and Spain, will be signed, each redistributing part of the English possessions between the main allied powers of the Americans during the War of Independence.