The Yorktown Campaign and the Surrender of Cornwallis, 1781
[Fort Washington, PA?]: Eastern Acorn Press, 1990. Reprint Edition. Trade paperback. 206, [2] pages. Wraps. Illustrations. Maps. Footnotes. Appendix. Index. Top corner of front cover bent, small stains on fore-edge. Cover has some wear and soiling. Reprint of the 1881 edition originally published by Harper & Brothers in New York. The chapters are: Significance of the Event, Operations Leading to Yorktown--Cornwallis in the Carolinas, Cornwallis and Lafayette in Virginia, Washington in the Campaign--Plans and Movements on the Hudson.--Cooperation with the French, The March upon Cornwallis--Movements of the French and English Fleets, The Siege of Yorktown, The Surrender, Appendix, and Index. Henry P. Johnston (1842-1923) was a professor of history in the College of the City of New York. he was a prolific author on the history of American Revolution, especially its military aspects. He was also the Editor of The Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay. This work was originally published to mark the hundred-year anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown. Johnston here discusses the events leading up to the battle and the American strategy. Johnston' produced a thorough history of the most decisive conflict of the American Revolutionary War. The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle, ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia, was a decisive victory by a combined force of the American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, and French Army troops led by Comte de Rochambeau over a British army commanded by British peer and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American region, as the surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. The French and American armies united north of New York City during the summer of 1781. When word of de Grasse's decision arrived, both armies began moving south toward Virginia, engaging in tactics of deception to lead the British to believe a siege of New York was planned. De Grasse sailed from the West Indies and arrived at the Chesapeake Bay at the end of August, bringing additional troops and creating a naval blockade of Yorktown. In the beginning of September, he defeated a British fleet led by Sir Thomas Graves that came to relieve Cornwallis at the Battle of the Chesapeake. As a result of this victory, de Grasse blocked any reinforcement or escape by sea for Cornwallis and also disembarked the heavy siege guns required by the allied land forces. By late September, Washington and Rochambeau arrived, and the army and naval forces completely surrounded Cornwallis. After initial preparations, the Americans and French built their first parallel and began the bombardment. With the British defense weakened, on October 14, 1781, Washington sent two columns to attack the last major remaining British outer defenses. A French column under Wilhelm of the Palatinate-Zweibrücken took Redoubt No. 9 and an American column under Alexander Hamilton took Redoubt No. 10. With these defenses taken, the allies were able to finish their second parallel. With the Franco-American artillery closer and its bombardment more intense than ever, the British position began to deteriorate rapidly. Cornwallis asked for capitulation terms on October 17. After two days of negotiation, the surrender ceremony occurred on October 19; Cornwallis was absent from the ceremony. With the capture of more than 7,000 British soldiers, negotiations between the United States and Great Britain began, resulting in the Treaty of Paris of 1783. Condition: Good.
Keywords: American Revolution, Yorktown, Lord Cornwallis, Sir Henry Clinton, General Lafayette, George Washington, Col. Tarleton, Lt.-Col. Tilghman, Nathaniel Greene, Lafayette, De Grasse, Alexander Hamilton
ISBN: 0915992191
[Book #17622]
Price: $25.00