National Battlefields |
Yorktown National Battlefield |
Lithograph courtesy of the Edward E. Ayer collection, the Newberry Library, Chicago |
French Trench The extreme left of the American and French lines, commanded by the Marquis de Saint-Simon, was held by a French artillary battery. On October 9, it became the first battery of siege guns to fire on the British, aiming at the nearby Royal Welch Fusiliers Redoubt. The French also effectively used this position to help contain the British within their defensive lines and to harass the British ships anchored between Yorktown and Gloucester Point. On October 10, using superheated cannon balls, called hot shot, this French battery set fire to three British ships. |
Following the British surrender, General Washington extended commendations to the
Marquis de Saint-Simon and his troops: "The military ardour and perfect
discipline for which they [Saint-Simon's troops] have been conspicuous... Have
secured you the esteem of this country..." "The ships were enwrapped in a torrent of fire, which spreading with vivad brightness among the combustible rigging, and running with amazing rapidity to the tops of the several masts, while all around was thunder and lightning from our numerous cannon and morters, and in the darkness of night, presented one of the most sublime and magnificent spectacles which can be imagined." Dr. James Thacher, Surgeon, Continental Army |
The Hornwork To you right the British extended their works outward along the York-Hampton Road a principal entrance into Yorktown which they blocked with this "Hornwork." It was garrisoned by Colonel Abercrombie's Light Infantry. |
Don't Tread on Me! The earthworks in front of you and across the open plain played an integral part in the battle that won America's independence. For many American, French, British, and German soldiers, only those fortifications stood between them and the enemy during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. "Persons whose duty does not call them to the Trenches and who Assemble there merely to indulge Curiosity are to walk on the Reverse of the Trenches that they may not interrupt the works." General George Washington General Orders, Headquarters before York, Tuesday, October 9, 1781 |
The Inner Line Here this tour road uses a gap through the old British defenses. The works you see today are an enlargement by Confederate troops who re-fortified Yorktown in 1862. Just ahead, shot and shell were heavy in the fateful days of October 9 - 17, 1781. |
French Battery Second Siege Line The reconstructed position to your right was a strong point in the allied second line. Cannon from the Grand French Battery behind were moved up to new positions here where closer range increased their effectiveness. |
A British Sortie Before daybreak on October 16, across the field to your right, some 350 British soldiers attacked the allied inner line near the point where the French and American sectors joined. The attack created alarm but as Washington relatives, it was "small and ineffectual." |
Second Allied Siege Line Sieges - 18th century style Eighteenth century military commanders conducted sieges according to formal step-by-step procedures perfected over centuries of European warfare. The siege of Yorktown followed the principle of digging successive trenches ever closer to the enemy fortifications. This tactic was still being used in World War I. To the troops seige warfare meant hard work. They dug hundreds of yards of trenches, built artillery positions, and made scores of fascines, gabions and other siege supplies. But it wasn't all just labor, enemy sorties had to be repelled and enemy positions taken in hand-to-hand assault. |
Grand French Battery This battery lay across the York-Hampton Road, being a series of connected positions, one of which has, in large part, been reconstructed as you see it here. The "Grand French" was the largest battery in the French sector of the first siege line. |
First Allied Siege Line The Grand French Battery The Grand French Battery formed part of the first Allied siege line around Yorktown. French and American soldiers worked through the night of October 6, 1781, to establish the line from a point about one hundred yards to your left (across the road) to the York River. Largest gun emplacement built during the siege, the Grand French Battery opened |
fire on October 10 and inflicted great damage on the British. A French officer noted
that "... the superiority of the fire of these different batteries over those
of the enemy, silenced the firing from the town." This superiority in artillery
contributed greatly to Allied victory. The National Park Service has reconstructed most of the Grand French Battery on its original site and equipped it with original and replica Revoluntionary War period artillary. |
Artillery of 1781 French and American artillerymen used three types of cannon in the siege Field Guns Effective range, 900 to 1340 yards. Fired mainly solid shot to batter down enemy earthworks, but could fire grapeshot against troops. Mortars Effective range 670 to 1670 yards. Fired explosive shells, called bombs, at a high angle so they would drop behind enemy earthworks. Howitzers Effective range 900 to 1120 yards. Fired bombs at low velocity, medium to high angle. An American artillary officer wrote that in this siege the howitzers "... are of the greatest importance, in firing ricochet, as the shell hops along the ground and drops just over the enemy's parapet, destroying them where they thought themselves most secure." |
Grand French Battery These three batteries and redoubt were a continuation of the Grand French Battery complex across the road. Occupying a section 1,000 feet from east to west, this battery complex contained approximately thirty pieces of artillery which bombarded the main British Defense a half-mile away. So effective was its work that the digging of the Second Parallel could take place one day after the Grand French Battery opened fire. |
Communicating Trench To your left is a rebuilt trench dug to protect advancing troops from shell fire --- heavy in this open area. The trench followed a zig-zag pattern so as to keep a bank of earth between the men in the trenches and British cannonading. |
Redoubts 9 and 10 "The... batteries were principally directed against... the enemys advanced redoubts on their extreme... left to prepare them for the intended assault..." General George Washington's Diary, October 14, 1781 The completion of the Allied Second Siege Line was blocked by a portion of the British outer works -- two detached earthen forts called Redoubts 9 and 10, located 400 yards in advance of the British Inner Defense Line. Though General Washington considered allied frontal attacks against the British Inner Defense Line impractical and costly; Redoubts 9 and 10 were a different matter. General Washington called upon the infantry to capture these positions. On October 14, Allied artillery bombarded Redoubts 9 and 10 most of the day, preparing for American and French assaults. At approximately eight o'clock in the evening, the artillery briefly fell silent. Then serveral cannons fired in unison, the signal for the attack columns to move on their objectives. |
Follow the walkway to the redoubts and discover more of the story of the American
and French attacks. "Last evening the enemy carried my two advanced redoubts on the left by storm, and during the night have included them in their second parallel... My situation now becomes very critical..." General Charles Lord Cornwallis to General Sir Henry Clinton, October 15, 1781. |
Time, Tide and Erosion On your left is British Redoubt No. 10 partly reconstructed where a fragment of its moat was found in 1956. The remainder of it, as well as parts of adjacent works, was washed to sea during the 175 years of crumbling river banks. |
Redoubt 10 "The column marched in silence, with guns unloaded, and in good order: Many, no doubt, thinking that less than one quarter of a mile would finish the journey of life..." Captain Stephen Olney, 1st Rhode Island Regiment. |
The Marquis de Lafayette selected the light infantry companies from his Continental
Army division to carry out the American attack on Redoubt 10. Lieutenant-Colonel
Alexander Hamilton led the assaulting force of 400 Americans against the 70
British defenders. Concerned an accidental |
musket firing would give away their advance, the light infantry approached the redoubt
with unloaded weapons. The British discovered the attack column as it neared
the redoubt and vigorously defended their position. Americans surged through
the abatis obstructions surrounding the redoubt, then through holes in the palisaded
log walls within the trench, breached the top of the redoubt, and within
10 minutes of mostly hand-to-hand combat, secured their objective. Alexander Hamilton, in his report to Lafayette on the action, noted that the British were "intitled to the acknowlegement of honorable defence." Signatures on the Articles of Capitulation After General Cornwallis signed the "Articles of Capitulation," from his Yorktown headquarters, the surrender terms were sent to General Washington at Redoubt 10, where Washington signed them. 1st Rhode Island Light Infantry Soldier The light infantry company of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, a predominantly African-American unit, participated in the assault on Redoubt 10. |
On this line at the Siege of Yorktown on October 14, 1781 at night the battalions
of Cimat Hamilton and Laurens of the light infantry division of Major General
Marquis de Lafayette under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel |
Alexander Hamilton with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets, scaled the parapets
and gallantly captured redoubt No 10 which formed the extreme left outlying defense
of the British and so hastened the surrender of Yorktown in the last fighting
of the troops of Gen. George Washington. |
The Second Siege Line The low earthworks on either side are part of the French and American advance line. Construction was started when allied artillary fire had sufficiently weakened the British defenses. The line was completed after the capture of Redoubts No. 9 and No. 10. |
"The works which we have carried are of vast importance to us. From them we shall
enfilade the enemy's whole line..." General George Washington to the President
of Congress, October 16, 1781. The capture of British Redoubts 9 and 10 enabled the Americans to quickly finish the Allied Second Siege Line, constructing this Grand American Battery within point blank artillary range of the British Inner Defense Line. On October 17, Continental artillery crews began bombarding the British from their new battery. According to Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Dearborn of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment, the allied barrage that day "made the Enemies situation |
Second Continental Artillery Regiment Formed in 1777, this regiment, commanded by Colonel John Lamb, comprised 75% of the American artillary troops at Yorktown. Courtesy of the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library. |
so very disagreable. --that about the middle of the day his Lordship was induced
to send out a flag, with some proposels for a Capitulation." The following day officers from both sides met at the home of Augustine Moore to negotiate the British surrender terms. |
Artillery and the Siege Cannon, howitzers and mortars in concentrations, such as you see here, counted heavily in the allied success at Yorktown. The allies confronted Cornwallis with superior "firepower" and numbers. For this the British had no answer but surrender. |
In commemoration of the French Soldiers and Sailors who gave their lives for American
Freedom. This memorial is erected near the site of redoubt 9 second parallel of the trenches of Yorktown captured 14th October 1781. American Legion Department of Virginia |
Moore House The battlefield was quiet October 18, 1781 under temporary truce. That day two Allied commissioners met with two British and drafted the terms of surrender. They met in this house, now restored and refurnished. It was then the home of Augustine Moore, merchant of Yorktown. |
The Cemetery on the Moore House Grounds |
Anna B. Wife of W.H. Sheild Born 1809 Died Feb. 30, 1847 |
In Memory of John Turner who departed this life October the 13th in the year of our Lord 1781 Aged 30 years Ah cruel ball so sudden to disarm and tare my tender husband from my arms How can I grieve too much what time shall end By Mourning for so good so kind a friend. |
Underneath this marble lies the body of Mildred Jameson wife of David Jameson and daughter of Edmund and Agnes Smith of York County she departed this life the 10th day of December 1778 in the Forty-Sixth year of her age Mounted by The Colonel Dames of America Chapter No. VII |
Susan A. Wife of W. H. Sheild Born June 13, 1824 Died Oct. 12, 1898 |
Surrender Road The course of the road here is about as it was in colonial times. On October 19, 1781, in the afternoon, the soldiers of Cornwallis' Army marched this way and filed off into the field on your left. This was the place designated for the formal capitulation of the British Garrison. |
French Hospital Across the field to your right, Hudson Allan's plantation building dominated the 1781 scene. Barns and sheds as well as mansions were useful to the French for field hospital purposes. |
Steuben's Division The 2,000 men of Major General Baron Von Steuben's American Division bivouacked in the woods and fields to the right of the road. They were chiefly Pennsylvania. Virginia and Maryland units, and some others, as the sixty "Delaware Recruits" of Captain Wm. McKennan. |
Baron Von Steuben This general was experienced in siege warfare such as characterized the Yorktown battle and so he was invaluable to Washington. Von Steuben maintained headquarters here with his division of American troops. |
Headquarters Site of the Quartermaster General Supplying the American Army was always critical. At Yorktown Colonel Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts, seconded by a man of his own choice, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dearborn of New Hampshire, held the responsibility for Washington's Quartermaster Department. |
American Artillery Park At a good vantage point beyond the road to your left, "Chief of Artillery" Henry Knox laid out the station where American ordinance was assembled, serviced and, as required, repaired. The French maintained a similar area in their own encampment. |
Headquarters Site of Henry Knox Knox's able direction of the assembly and deployment of artillery in the Siege was a key element in the success of the Allied armies. He saw the resulting victory, as he related in a note to his wife, as "A great moment for America." |
Beaver Dam Creek This sluggish and marshy headwater of the Warwick River generally divided the French and American encampments. Although both forces were under Washington, separate unit organization was respected and preserved through the siege. |
"Quartier de Rochambeau" The 18th century country home of General Thomas Nelson, Jr., stood in this glade and was called "The Whim." The Comte de Rochambeau, commanding French land forces at Yorktown, selected this plantation site as his headquarters. |
Washington's Headquarters General George Washington established his headquarters in this area at the junction of the American encampments to the east and the French encampments to the north. Here he set up two tents: a large one for meeting with his staff and for dining, and a smaller one as his private office and sleeping quarters. The house nearby may have |
served as additional shelter, while the spring over the brow of the hill to the right
offered fresh water. Washington is represented with other members of his staff,
planning the attack on British Redoubts Nos. 9 and 10. |
Essex Lodge Cemetery Dedicated to the memory of those who rest here. The forebears and descendants of Thomas Wynne. Host of General George Washington October 1781. Placed by the John Wynne society 20 June 1999 |
The Adjutant General This important position on Washington's staff was filled by Brigadier General Edward Hand of Pennsylvania. His headquarters here were easily accessible to his commanding officer. Quick and effective dispatch of orders and communications was essential. |
French Cemetery This simple cross is thought to mark the burial place of about 50 unidentified French soldiers killed during the Siege of Yorktown. |
Ici reposent une cinquantaine de soldats inconnus francais morts a yorktown pour
L'independance Americaine 1781 |
French Artillery Park Cannon were repaired and stored here. The time-worn earthworks visible on each side of the road were for protection, probably built by the French soldiers who operated the "Park." |
French Artillery Park This was an open field when the French wing established its ordnance depot. Here incoming cannon, howitzers, mortars, and their accouterments were made ready to move up to the siege line. Damaged pieces were brought back to the park for repairs. |
D'Aboville's Headquarters Colonel D'Aboville set up headquarters here near his artillery park. Plantation buildings then existed belonging to Secretary Nelson's "Quarter." As ranking artillery officer in Rochambeau's command, D'Aboville played a major role in the Siege in which superior cannon fire counted heavily. |
A Changed Scene Most of the high ground around Yorkown was under cultivation in 1781. In the 1770's the land in front of you was known as "General Nelson's Quarter." Here and elsewhere houses that stood have crumbled away and, in many instances, woods have reclaimed once productive fields. |
Baron de Viomenil This able French officer, who headquartered here, had heavy responsibilities. He directed the French army's march to Virginia. He planned the assault on Redoubt 9. A decade after serving the cause of Revolution here, he met death opposing it in France. |
Bourbonnois Brigade Encampment French infantry troops at Yorktown were organized into three brigades. This brigade, some 1,800 soldiers and officers, was composed of the Bourbonnois and Deux Ponts regiments brought from New York by Rochambeau. |
Soldier of the Deux Ponts Regiment |
Regiment Royal Deux-Ponts (Zweibrucken) "With troops so good, so brave, and so disciplined as those that I have the honor to lead against the enemy, one can undertake anything, and be sure of succeeding..." Colonel en Second Guillaume des Deux-Ponts. The Zweibrucken Regiment was raised in the German Duchy of Zweibrucken and served in the French army under the designation "Regiment de Royal Deux Ponts, un Regiment d'Infanterie Allemande." The regiment earned distinction at the Siege of Yorktown when its grenadier and chasseur companies, along with the same companies from the Gatinais Regiment, successfully assailed a British outer work, Redoubt 9, on October 14. With German auxiliary troops making up part of the defending forces at Redoubt 9, the Regiment Royal Deux-Ponts was put in the position of attacking fellow Germans. The victorious assault enabled General Washington to to complete his Second Siege Line and ensured the defeat of the British. Recognizing of the important role the Regiment Royal Deux-Ponts played in the siege, General Washington awarded them one of the artillery pieces captured at Redoubt 9 "as a testimony of their gallantry in storming the enemy's redoubt." |
Agenois Encampment The tents of the Regiment Agenois stretched to your right in 1781 with two other French regiments Gatinois and Touraine, beyond. These men, coming from the West Indies, wore linen uniforms, light for the "cold nights" of October in Virginia. |
St. Simon's Headquarters The Marquis de St. Simon commanded three regiments of French infantry (Agenois, Gatinois and Touraine) brought to Virginia from the West Indies by De Grasse. After the Siege they returned to the "Islands" leaving their sick and wounded in Rochambeau's care. |
Soissonois Regiment These 900 men were quartered here during the Siege. Professional soldiers, many fought again for France on other fields as did the regimental commander Marquis de Saint Maime. He became a Lieutenant-General in 1792 and fought under Napoleon. |
Saintonge Regiment During the siege the Marquis De Custine was encamped here with his troops. After Yorktown the Marquis served in the French Assembly and commanded armies in France. He was guillotined during the terrible days of the French Revolution. |
Outer Works (Reconstructed) This redoubt is one of several positions which the British built on the only "hard ground" approach to Yorktown. These positions formed a part of the outer line of their defenses. |
American and French troops poured through here at the undefended Neck to establish
siege lines against Yorktown to force the British surrender. |
The "NECK" Gateway to Yorktown The British redoubt is the sole original earthwork remaining from the siege of Yorktown -- but it never came under fire. Cornwallis pulled back to Yorktown from this key defensive position on the night of September 30, 1781, and opened Yorktown's only land approach to the besieging Allied armies. |
Yorktown - The Frowning Fortress of York - 1862 Peninsula Campaign The trench line to your right is all that remains of a formidable line of Confederate earthworks that once blocked this historic road and the Union army's advance westward past Yorktown in 1862. The Confederate defensive works surrounding Yorktown, which could be seen from this spot in 1862, still exist in a relatively untouched state. On April 5, 1862, the Army of the Potomac's 3rd Corps advanced against Yorktown along the |
York-Hampton Road, hoping for a victory to end the Civil War as Gen. George Washington's
victory here 81 years earlier had ended the American Revolution. They traveled
the same road British forces in 1781 had walked out of Yorktown on to surrender
to Washington's army. With projections of over 100,000 troops holding the Confederate's massive earthworks, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, USA, decided to besiege Yorktown. While minor skirmishing and engagements between field batteries occurred almost daily, most of the Union army's efforts were on building siege works. By May 3 more heavy artillery was aimed on Yorktown than had ever been massed in a single spot to that time in world history. That night, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, CSA, who in mid-April has assumed command of Confederate forces, decided his troops could not withstand the Union bombardment and withdrew his forces. On the morning of May 4 the Army of the Potomac took possession of Yorktown, retaining control of the area for the remainder of the war. "It did not seem possible that both armies could gather inspiration from the historic memories that cluster around this memorable field. The traditions of the revolution lingered here awakening in all loyal breasts sincerest hopes for the future." - Eugene Nash, 44th New York Volunteers |