AMERICA AT WAR
When the Water Closed: How Cornwallis Was Trapped at Yorktown
Cornwallis chose a Virginia river port for its access to the Royal Navy. French sea power turned that access into a dead end.
At Yorktown in 1781, Cornwallis counted on a connection to the Royal Navy. French control of the Chesapeake turned that water route into a dead end.
Cornwallis chose Yorktown in part for its connection to the sea. The Virginia port stood on the York River, with Gloucester Point directly across the water. From there, a British army expected support from the Royal Navy.
That calculation depended on British access to the Chesapeake Bay. By October 1781, French warships had denied it. As American and French forces built siege lines around Yorktown, the water route Cornwallis needed became another barrier around his army.
A Base That Depended on the Navy
Cornwallis arrived at Yorktown on August 1–2, 1781, under instructions from Sir Henry Clinton, the British commander in chief at New York. He began fortifying Yorktown and Gloucester Point as a naval anchorage in Virginia.[1]
The position had a serious vulnerability: its usefulness depended on a British fleet being able to enter the Chesapeake. Without that access, Cornwallis could not count on relief or removal by sea.
The British also had major forces in two separate places—Clinton in New York and Cornwallis in Virginia. The American and French allies did not need to defeat every British post in North America. They needed a chance to concentrate against Cornwallis before naval help could reach him.
Washington Turns South
George Washington had favored an attack on British-held New York City, while the comte de Rochambeau, commander of the French army in North America, supported an operation in Virginia if French naval power could sustain it. The prospect changed when Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse prepared to sail north from the Caribbean for the Chesapeake.[2]
Washington learned on August 14 that de Grasse was bound for Virginia rather than New York. The allies now had an opening: a French fleet might deny British access to the bay while a combined army moved south against Cornwallis.
On August 19, Continental and French troops began their march from the New York area. They left signs of activity around New York long enough to encourage Clinton to think the city remained the target, then headed south on a journey of more than 400 miles.[3]
The campaign required close coordination. Washington led the Continental Army, Rochambeau the French army, and de Grasse the fleet. Their forces had to align routes, supplies, timing, and the arrival of siege equipment in Virginia.
The Fight for the Chesapeake
The crucial naval encounter took place off the Virginia coast. De Grasse arrived in the Chesapeake in late August with 28 ships of the line and more than 3,000 troops from the West Indies.[4]
On September 5, Admiral Thomas Graves’s British fleet fought the French near the Virginia Capes. The British squadron did not break into the Chesapeake; Graves withdrew toward New York. Cornwallis was left without dependable naval relief.[2][4]
French control of the bay gave the allies time to bring troops and equipment into place. It also enabled a French squadron under the comte de Barras to deliver vital siege guns.[4]
Yorktown was a joint operation. French sea power cut off the British position, while American and French soldiers and artillery made that advantage count on land.
The Siege Closes In
The allied armies arrived outside Yorktown on September 28. They brought roughly 16,000 to 19,000 American and French troops against a British and German garrison estimated at 7,000 to 8,000. Cornwallis withdrew from outer works into more compact inner defenses, giving the attackers room to begin formal siege operations.[1][3]
Allied engineers dug parallel trenches—protected lines running roughly alongside the British defenses—and pushed them closer to Yorktown. Each new position improved the attackers’ artillery range.
On October 9, allied batteries opened sustained fire on British positions. The bombardment hit defenses, buildings, and ships in the river.[1]
Two British redoubts blocked completion of the second parallel. On the night of October 14, French troops of the Deux-Ponts regiment stormed Redoubt No. 9, while American light infantry led by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton attacked Redoubt No. 10. Both positions fell, allowing the allies to extend their siege works and bring more artillery against the British line.[1][3]
Cornwallis then tried to move troops across the York River to Gloucester Point during the night of October 16. A sudden squall scattered the transport boats and ended the attempt. By morning, his army was still in Yorktown.[1]
Surrender at the Moore House
On October 17, a British drummer beat a parley and an officer emerged to propose negotiations. Commissioners met the next day at the Moore House outside Yorktown. The Articles of Capitulation were ratified on October 19.[5][6]
More than 7,000 British and German troops became prisoners of war. Cornwallis did not attend the surrender ceremony, citing illness. Brigadier General Charles O’Hara appeared in his place. After O’Hara approached Rochambeau, Washington directed him to Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who received the sword on Washington’s behalf.[5]
The surrender did not immediately end the Revolutionary War; British forces still held New York and other positions. But it effectively ended major combat operations in North America and changed the political calculations in London.[5]
Yorktown turned on timing and cooperation. De Grasse closed the Chesapeake to British relief. Washington and Rochambeau brought the allied army south. Engineers and artillery steadily narrowed Cornwallis’s choices until surrender was his remaining option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the British army band play “The World Turned Upside Down” at the surrender?
The story is widely repeated, but the supplied evidence does not establish that tune as a documented fact. Cornwallis was absent; O’Hara represented him, and British and German troops laid down their arms under the capitulation terms.[5]
Why did Cornwallis choose Yorktown as his base?
Cornwallis acted under Clinton’s orders to establish a fortified naval anchorage in Virginia. Yorktown and Gloucester Point were expected to support Royal Navy operations, but the plan depended on British access to the Chesapeake. French naval success in September removed that advantage.[1][4]
TIMELINE
Key moments
Sources
- History of the Siege - Yorktown Battlefield — National Park Service
- Battle of the Chesapeake — George Washington's Mount Vernon
- Yorktown Battlefield Overview — American Battlefield Trust
- Battle of the Capes — National Park Service
- Today in History - October 19: Surrender at Yorktown — Library of Congress
- The Moore House and Articles of Capitulation — National Park Service
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