Yorktown
Revolutionary War's finale
Yorktown is a town in Virginia where British forces surrendered to American and French troops in 1781, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.
The name evokes decisive military victory: a Yorktown moment.
A later siege there during the Civil War also proved strategically important.
The USS Yorktown was an aircraft carrier sunk at Midway in 1942.
Colonial separation from Britain
- independenceFreedom from external control
- patriotsDevoted homeland supporters
- libertyAbsence of unjust constraint
- Continental CongressColonial era legislature
George Washington · Lafayette · colonies · Founding Fathers · freedom · self-determination · rebellion · Declaration of Independence
Encirclement forcing surrender
- CornwallisBritish commander, Revolutionary War
- redoubtsTemporary enclosed fortifications
- bombardmentSustained projectile assault
- trenchesElongated ground excavations
fortifications · artillery · Continental Army · British Army · naval blockade · sappers · parallels · cannonade
British commander, Revolutionary War
- capitulationComplete yielding to demands
- white flagSignal of capitulation
- ceasefireAgreed halt to fighting
- armisticeAgreement to cease hostilities
terms · negotiation · O'Hara · formal surrender · truce · cessation · concession · war's end
Colonial-era Virginia city
- JamestownFirst permanent English settlement
- VirginiaMid-Atlantic American state
- landmarkNotable point of reference
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
colonial · restoration · reenactment · preservation · tourism · eighteenth century · archaeology · historical marker
Mid-Atlantic American state
- Chesapeake BayMid-Atlantic tidal estuary
- peninsulaLand almost encircled by water
- waterfrontLand beside navigable waters
- villageSmall rural community
municipality · settlement · port · coastal · tidewater · wharf · riverfront · county seat
American Revolution
Colonial separation from Britain
- independenceFreedom from external control
- patriotsDevoted homeland supporters
- libertyAbsence of unjust constraint
George Washington · Lafayette · Continental Congress · colonies · Founding Fathers · freedom · self-determination · rebellion · Declaration of Independence · Continental Army
siege
Encirclement forcing surrender
- CornwallisBritish commander, Revolutionary War
- redoubtsTemporary enclosed fortifications
- bombardmentSustained projectile assault
trenches · fortifications · artillery · Continental Army · British Army · naval blockade · sappers · parallels · cannonade · entrenchment
Cornwallis
British commander, Revolutionary War
- capitulationComplete yielding to demands
- white flagSignal of capitulation
- ceasefireAgreed halt to fighting
armistice · terms · negotiation · O'Hara · formal surrender · truce · cessation · concession · war's end · relinquishment
Williamsburg
Colonial-era Virginia city
- JamestownFirst permanent English settlement
- VirginiaMid-Atlantic American state
- landmarkNotable point of reference
heritage · colonial · restoration · reenactment · preservation · tourism · eighteenth century · archaeology · historical marker · colonial architecture
Virginia
Mid-Atlantic American state
- Chesapeake BayMid-Atlantic tidal estuary
- peninsulaLand almost encircled by water
- waterfrontLand beside navigable waters
village · municipality · settlement · port · coastal · tidewater · wharf · riverfront · county seat
- Virginia PlacesRichmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Arlington, Alexandria
- American HistoryAmerican Revolution, Revolutionary War, colonial era, founding fathers, Declaration of Independence
- American RevolutionDeclaration of Independence, Boston Tea Party, Continental Congress, founding fathers, Stamp Act
- Revolutionary WarGeorge Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross flag
- American BattlesGettysburg, Antietam, Bunker Hill, Lexington, Concord
- Battle SitesGettysburg, Normandy, Waterloo, Antietam, Stalingrad
YorktownLong Island
NYC's suburban peninsula
Charleston · Camden · Valley Forge · Lexington · Concord
- Battle of YorktownFinal major Revolutionary engagement