CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
By 1780, the Continental Army had been battling British forces for five years during the American Revolution. Although the Americans had secured some key victories in places as far-flung as New York and South Carolina, the British still held Charleston and New York, key ports in two regions, and the Americans had failed to oust the British from Savannah, Georgia. General Cornwallis, British leader of the southern forces, began to withdraw his troops to Virginia to recover after defeats at Kings Mountain and Cowpens, in South Carolina, and a victory in Guilford Courthouse in March 1781 that cost him twenty-five percent of his troops. Cornwallis established a base at Yorktown, Virginia, where he hoped to receive reinforcements and supplies.
In 1780, the Patriots received a much-needed boost from the addition of 5,500 French troops under the command of Comte de Rochambeau and a fleet directed by Admiral de Grasse. Although Washington wanted to attack British forces in New York, Rochambeau and de Grasse set their sights on Virginia. Washington determined to trick the British commander General Clinton into thinking he planned to lay siege to the city, going so far as to build bread ovens and bunkers. In fact, forces headed to Cornwallis's encampment in the tidewater area of Virginia.
In September 1781, more than 17,500 American and French troops arrived at Yorktown and began digging a series of trenches to combat the British defenses. Prior to this, French naval forces had defeated the British at the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay, thus denying Cornwallis reinforcements. The French fleet established a naval blockade while the allied troops, who outnumbered the British forces by almost 10,000 men, successfully laid siege to Yorktown. After more than a week of bombardment, General Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, and British troops evacuated the route flanked on either side by French and American forces. The siege of Yorktown signaled the last major event of the American Revolution; several months later, the British government voted to discontinue the war. Fighting continued until 1783, when the Treaty of Paris established the United States as a nation independent from Britain. The success of the American forces hinged on the support of the French government, and French military leadership helped to make Yorktown a site of decisive victory.
This map was published in the French edition of the Histoire de la Revolution d'Amerique in 1787. It illustrates the way in which French and American forces successfully encircled the British troops, effectively trapping them between enemy forces and the river. It shows the headquarters of the major military leaders, hospitals, and bunkers.
Citation: Plan du Siege d'York et de Gloucester par les Armées Alliées, en Septembre et Octobre 1781, David Ramsay, cartographer, Special Collections, Library of Virginia.
See the painting "Storming a Redoubt at Yorktown" in Shaping the Constitution.
For more information, see “History of the Siege” online at the National Park Service Yorktown Battlefield website.
In 1780, the Patriots received a much-needed boost from the addition of 5,500 French troops under the command of Comte de Rochambeau and a fleet directed by Admiral de Grasse. Although Washington wanted to attack British forces in New York, Rochambeau and de Grasse set their sights on Virginia. Washington determined to trick the British commander General Clinton into thinking he planned to lay siege to the city, going so far as to build bread ovens and bunkers. In fact, forces headed to Cornwallis's encampment in the tidewater area of Virginia.
In September 1781, more than 17,500 American and French troops arrived at Yorktown and began digging a series of trenches to combat the British defenses. Prior to this, French naval forces had defeated the British at the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay, thus denying Cornwallis reinforcements. The French fleet established a naval blockade while the allied troops, who outnumbered the British forces by almost 10,000 men, successfully laid siege to Yorktown. After more than a week of bombardment, General Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, and British troops evacuated the route flanked on either side by French and American forces. The siege of Yorktown signaled the last major event of the American Revolution; several months later, the British government voted to discontinue the war. Fighting continued until 1783, when the Treaty of Paris established the United States as a nation independent from Britain. The success of the American forces hinged on the support of the French government, and French military leadership helped to make Yorktown a site of decisive victory.
This map was published in the French edition of the Histoire de la Revolution d'Amerique in 1787. It illustrates the way in which French and American forces successfully encircled the British troops, effectively trapping them between enemy forces and the river. It shows the headquarters of the major military leaders, hospitals, and bunkers.
Citation: Plan du Siege d'York et de Gloucester par les Armées Alliées, en Septembre et Octobre 1781, David Ramsay, cartographer, Special Collections, Library of Virginia.
See the painting "Storming a Redoubt at Yorktown" in Shaping the Constitution.
For more information, see “History of the Siege” online at the National Park Service Yorktown Battlefield website.
Standards
VS.5, VUS.4, USI.6
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Scan It: Take a look at the map. What words stand out to you, and why? Who are the people named in the map?
Post-Activity
Social Media Spin: Using the map and your knowledge of the Battle of Yorktown, create a social media post about the battle and its importance.
Think About It: What are three ways in which Americans benefited from the presence of the French army and navy at the Battle of Yorktown?
Analyze: Who are the leaders named on the map, and what does this tell you about their responsibilities? Find a name that is not French or English and do some research on this general. Why was he there behind American lines? What did he contribute to the war? What does this map tell you about the importance of American allies during this time period?
Scan It: Take a look at the map. What words stand out to you, and why? Who are the people named in the map?
Post-Activity
Social Media Spin: Using the map and your knowledge of the Battle of Yorktown, create a social media post about the battle and its importance.
Think About It: What are three ways in which Americans benefited from the presence of the French army and navy at the Battle of Yorktown?
Analyze: Who are the leaders named on the map, and what does this tell you about their responsibilities? Find a name that is not French or English and do some research on this general. Why was he there behind American lines? What did he contribute to the war? What does this map tell you about the importance of American allies during this time period?