On this date in 1781, General Charles, Lord Cornwallis realizes his fate, and that of the British Southern Strategy - is sealed. His flight from the Carolinas into Virginia would cost him his army, and with it, the British effectively lost America and Independence was secured (though it woudwoulcone officially until 1783).
The French fleet had soundly defeated the British relief forces the month before and bottled up the Chesapeake, cutting off any hope for relief or evacuation by sea.
To the West - the combined American and French Armies under Washington and Rochambeau had hemmed him in by hand, isolating him on the Yorktown peninsula. Since October 6th, they had been making steady progress on the entrenchments tightening around the beleaguered British, moving artillery closer and closer closer.
On October 14th, the Americans seized Redoubt No. 10, the French, Redoubt 9.
American and French artillery now attacked from 3 sides, at terribly close range.
Cornwallis had had enough. On October 17th, a drummer appeared from the British camp and beat a parlay to discuss terms.
The British requested to surrender with the honors of war and were rebuffed, in retribution for their denying the same terms to the American army in Charleston. The British Army marched out, defeated - under a white flag and playing "The World Turned Upside Down."
The Americans responded by playing Yankee Doodle - originally a song of British derision, and now hung about their necks as the yoke of defeat.
In all, over 8,000 soldiers, 214 artillery peices, thousands upon thousands of muskets, 24 ships, and a multitude of wagons and horses were captured.
Not too shabby for a bunch of druken libertarian tax-evaders, smugglers, and law breakerig upstarts against the most powerful military in the world.
The French fleet had soundly defeated the British relief forces the month before and bottled up the Chesapeake, cutting off any hope for relief or evacuation by sea.
To the West - the combined American and French Armies under Washington and Rochambeau had hemmed him in by hand, isolating him on the Yorktown peninsula. Since October 6th, they had been making steady progress on the entrenchments tightening around the beleaguered British, moving artillery closer and closer closer.
On October 14th, the Americans seized Redoubt No. 10, the French, Redoubt 9.
American and French artillery now attacked from 3 sides, at terribly close range.
Cornwallis had had enough. On October 17th, a drummer appeared from the British camp and beat a parlay to discuss terms.
The British requested to surrender with the honors of war and were rebuffed, in retribution for their denying the same terms to the American army in Charleston. The British Army marched out, defeated - under a white flag and playing "The World Turned Upside Down."
The Americans responded by playing Yankee Doodle - originally a song of British derision, and now hung about their necks as the yoke of defeat.
In all, over 8,000 soldiers, 214 artillery peices, thousands upon thousands of muskets, 24 ships, and a multitude of wagons and horses were captured.
Not too shabby for a bunch of druken libertarian tax-evaders, smugglers, and law breakerig upstarts against the most powerful military in the world.
