American and French Troops Crushed British Rule at This Virginia Town in 1781

Yorktown Battlefield, Virginia

In 1781, a small coastal town in Virginia became the stage for the final act of the American Revolution.

British General Cornwallis thought he’d found the perfect spot to wait for backup. He was wrong.

The siege that followed changed everything, and today you can still walk where history turned.

Here’s what happened at this tiny place that ended a war.

Cornwallis Sets Up at Yorktown

General Charles Lord Cornwallis brought his army to Yorktown in August 1781 after raiding Virginia that summer.

His superior, General Henry Clinton, told him to build a port where British ships could dock safely.

Cornwallis picked Yorktown for its deep harbor on the York River. He expected the British navy to bring supplies and more troops.

His men built seven small forts called redoubts around the town, connecting them with trenches and dirt walls. They also built defenses at Gloucester Point across the river.

Washington Teams Up with the French

French General Rochambeau had landed in Rhode Island in 1780 with 5,500 soldiers. His army joined Washington’s troops north of New York City in summer 1781.

The French brought big help: 37 warships and 3,000 sailors under Admiral de Grasse.

When Washington learned de Grasse was sailing to Chesapeake Bay, he changed his plans.

Instead of attacking New York, Washington and Rochambeau marched their armies 400 miles south to Virginia.

French Ships Trap the British

On September 5, 1781, Admiral de Grasse’s French ships fought the British fleet off Virginia.

In this two-hour battle, de Grasse’s 24 ships beat Admiral Thomas Graves’s 19 British warships and forced them back to New York.

This meant no help could reach Cornwallis by sea. The French ships then blocked Chesapeake Bay and the York River.

This victory let Washington’s troops travel by water to Williamsburg, then march to Yorktown.

The Americans Surround Yorktown

The siege started September 28, 1781, when Washington’s forces surrounded Yorktown.

His army had 7,800 French soldiers, 8,000 American Continental troops, and 3,100 Virginia militia.

Americans took positions on the right side while French troops took the left. French engineers planned the attack using European siege methods.

Seeing so many enemy troops, Cornwallis pulled his men back from the outer defenses into the main forts around town.

Digging Trenches Toward the Enemy

The allies started digging their first trench on October 6.

This 2,000-yard-long trench ran 600 to 900 yards from the British forts, protecting soldiers while they brought up cannons.

By October 9, the artillery was ready. French guns started firing at 3:00 PM, Americans at 5:00 PM. Washington fired the first American cannon himself.

The Americans had fourteen guns: three 24-pounders, three 18-pounders, two 8-inch howitzers, and six mortars.

Night Attack on Two British Forts

On October 14, Washington ordered attacks on two British forts called Redoubts 9 and 10.

These forts blocked the allies from digging a second trench closer to town.

The attack started at 6:30 PM with a fake attack elsewhere to fool the British. To stay quiet on the dark night, soldiers couldn’t load their guns.

Alexander Hamilton led 400 Americans against Redoubt 10 while French troops attacked Redoubt 9. The password “Rochambeau” became “Rush on boys!” Both forts fell in under an hour.

Cannons Move Even Closer

After taking the two forts, engineers built a second trench just 300 yards from the British lines. Now cannons could hit Yorktown from three sides with deadly fire.

Desperate, Cornwallis sent 350 troops under Colonel Robert Abercromby to attack on October 15.

Abercromby yelled, “Push on my brave boys, and skin the bastards!” as they charged. The British broke six cannons but Americans and French fixed them by morning and kept firing.

Cornwallis Tries to Run

By October 16, Cornwallis knew he was beaten. With no ships coming to help, he tried one last escape plan across the York River to Gloucester Point, then north to New York.

One group of boats made it across, but a sudden storm hit during the night and stopped the rest. Most troops stayed trapped in Yorktown. Malaria had also made half his men too sick to fight.

The British Ask to Surrender

On October 17 morning, a British drummer boy appeared beating the signal to talk. A British officer waved a white flag with him.

British officers Thomas Dundas and Alexander Ross met with American John Laurens and Frenchman Viscount de Noailles at the Moore House, one mile from Yorktown.

They talked until late October 18. Washington refused to give the British honorable surrender terms because they had denied the same to Americans at Charleston.

The British Give Up

The surrender ceremony started at 2:00 PM on October 19, 1781. Cornwallis claimed he was sick and didn’t come, sending General Charles O’Hara instead.

British troops marched out with their flags rolled up, their band playing “The World Turned Upside Down.”

They gave up over 7,000 soldiers, 900 sailors, 144 cannons, and 15 ships. When the news reached London, Prime Minister Lord North said, “Oh God, it is all over!”

Peace talks began within months.

Visiting Yorktown Battlefield

Yorktown Battlefield is now preserved by the National Park Service as part of Colonial National Historical Park.

Visitors can explore the battlefield using two driving tour routes—red and yellow—each covering approximately 7 miles. These routes pass key sites including earthworks, cannon placements, and historic buildings.

Notable historic structures include the Moore House where surrender terms were negotiated, the Nelson House (home of Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence), and Surrender Field where British troops laid down their arms.

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