Surrender+at+Yorktown

=Surrender at Yorktown =



The Yorktown battles started on September 28, 1781 and ended on October 19, 1781. The Americans were commanded by General George Washington. The French saw that the Americans might win the war over ﻿England. They were also upset over their loss in the French and Indian War. So they joined the side of the Americans led by Comte de Rochambeau. America also had the help of a French navy led by Comte de Grasse and the Spanish navy led by Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis. The British Army was under the control of Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis.

The British Armies and the American Armies fought each other on land and sea. On August 19, 1781 the American and French armies started their march to Yorktown where Cornwallis’ troops were staying. They finally arrived on September 28, 1781 and quickly surrounded Yorktown. The British defenses had seven forts and batteries linked to earthworks which covered the narrows of the York River. On September 29, the two armies exchanged gunfire, but there were few casualties. The British moved back to their stronger forts and the American armies moved forward to their abandoned forts where they started setting up more defenses. On September 30, the French army attacked the British forts but suffered many casualties. On October 1, the American armies started to prepare for their first parallel. On October 6, they dug the parallel. While Americans worked on it, the French armies distracted the British armies. On October 11, they dug their second parallel. Finally, they were ready on October 14. The American armies managed to break through the British redoubt #10 while the French armies captured the British redoubt #9.

On the night of October 15, Cornwallis hoped to catch the allied forces by surprise by leading an attack at night, but failed and had to retreat to Yorktown. On October 16, the American and French armies continued firing at the British until the British surrendered on October 17. They began negotiating on October 18 and ended it when they signed the Articles of Capitulation on October 19, 1781.

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