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The siege of Yorktown is also known in some German historiographies as "die deutsche Schlacht" ("the German battle"), because Germans played significant roles in all three armies, accounting for roughly one third of all forces involved. According to one estimate more than 2,500 German soldiers served at Yorktown with each of the British and ...
Accordingly, the American and French armies set out in mid-August for Virginia. Some troops went overland the entire way; others were transported on the Chesapeake by ships of the French Navy. Washington arrived in Lafayette's camp before Yorktown on September 17. Commander, General George Washington, commanding; Headquarters
As the French fleet was preparing to depart Brest in March, several important decisions were made. The West Indies fleet, led by the Comte de Grasse , after operations in the Windward Islands , was directed to go to Cap-Français (present-day Cap-Haïtien ) to determine what resources would be required to assist Spanish operations.
Franco-American routes during the Yorktown campaign. French participation in North America was initially maritime in nature and marked by some indecision on the part of its military leaders. In 1778, American and French planners organized an attempt to capture Newport, Rhode Island, then under British occupation.
The French under de Grasse defeated a British fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781, thus ensuring that the Franco-American ground forces would win the ongoing Siege of Yorktown, the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War. The British surrendered to American and French forces at Yorktown in 1781.
The French were able to achieve control of the sea lanes against the British and provided the Franco-American army with siege artillery and French reinforcements. These proved decisive in the Siege of Yorktown , effectively securing independence for the Thirteen Colonies .
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1 July 1725 – 10 May 1807) was a French Royal Army officer who played a critical role in the Franco-American victory at the siege of Yorktown in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War.
Battle of Yorktown: September 28-October 19, 1781: Virginia: Franco-American victory: Cornwallis surrenders his entire force of over 7,000; escape blocked by the French navy. Last major land battle of the war. Battle of Fort Slongo: October 3, 1781: New York: American victory Battle of Raft Swamp: October 15, 1781: North Carolina: American ...