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The siege of Yorktown was the culminating act of the Yorktown campaign, a series of military operations occupying much of 1781 during the American Revolutionary War.
The siege of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in North America, and led to the surrender of General Cornwallis and the capture of both him and his army. The Continental Army 's victory at Yorktown prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The siege of Yorktown began on September 28, 1781. In a step that probably shortened the siege, Cornwallis decided to abandon parts of his outer defenses, and the besiegers successfully stormed two of his redoubts. When it became clear that his position was untenable, Cornwallis opened negotiations on October 17 and surrendered two days later.
The culminating engagement, the siege of Yorktown, ended with the surrender of British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis on October 19, 1781. It was essentially the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. [3] [4] Shortly afterward, negotiations between the United States and Great Britain began, resulting in the Treaty of Paris of 1783.
Meanwhile, sometime between 3:15 and 4:00 a.m., General Jameson, the General of the Trenches for the day, was informed that there were explosions in Yorktown and picket firing. He woke General Porter, the Director of the Siege, with the information. Porter looked through at Yorktown and dismissed the rumour that the rebels were retreating.
De Choissey was at the siege of Yorktown in command of Lauzun's Legion and General George Weedon's Virginia militia, and at Gloucester, Virginia, under the command of Rochambeau, opposite Banastre Tarleton. Awarded the Libertas Americana medal for his service, he returned to France in 1783 and retired from active duty in 1793.
Major General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette commanded the light infantry division [1] at the Siege of Yorktown, and it comprised two brigades. These brigades were formed on Washington's orders of 24 September 1781. [2] This division was on the American right flank [3] with the infantry division under Major General Benjamin Lincoln. [4]
Lafayette at Yorktown by Jean-Baptiste Le Paon, c. 1783. His enslaver William Armistead was an ardent Patriot, and served as commissary for Virginia's troops in the Revolutionary War. After his father died in 1779, he inherited stores and land, as well as James (who never used "Armistead" as his surname during his lifetime).