Battle+of+Yorktown

The Battle of Yorktown was a very important event in American History. The event took place in 1781 from September 28 to October 18. Yorktown was actually a small village in Virginia located on a peninsula, connected by the York and James Rivers. General Cornwallis, leader of the British Forces, led his troops towards Yorktown because of its good harbors and for supplies for his troops. At the same time, French troops were moving in the same direction. General George Washington heard about these advances, and he began to plot on how he could bring down Cornwallis. He sent 2/3 of his army to meet up with the French Forces and the other third at his base in New York.Washington's forces joined up with the French Forces and backed Cornwallis into a corner. Cornwallis' defeat was the beginning of the end of the Revolutionary War. Five days after Cornwallis' defeat the British forces surrendered to the colonists. They had finally won the war! Two years later the Treaty of Paris was signed by King George III. The reason it took two years to sign this peace treaty because the British and the colonists still had small battles between them despite the surrender. The Battle of Yorktown was an important event in history because it was the last major battle between the colonists and British. In fact, after the Battle of Yorktown, the Revolutionary War ended. Just think, if the colonists had lost that battle, then we would still be under British rule. Thanks to the victory of George Washington, we are now an independent, free country.

General Cornwallis was the leader of the British Forces. He led his troops, which consisted of about 200-500 men, towards Yorktown because it was known for its trade routes, making it good for supplies, and he had allies there such as Benedict Arnold. Cornwallis was one of the top commanders in the British army and if it weren't for general George Washington learning of his advance, then he would be in the perfect position for an attack on the colonists.

By: Christianna Gardner, Jordan Dermody, and Sam Godin

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"Cornwallis, Charles." John Fielding. March 1786. Library of Congress. Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Engraving. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=AHI1190&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 13, 2012).

"Battle of Yorktown." U.S. Army Center of Military History. //American History Online//. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=AHI10158&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 13, 2012).

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