![]() ![]() By late September, Washington and Rochambeau arrived, and the army and naval forces completely surrounded Cornwallis.Īfter initial preparations, the Americans and French built their first parallel and began the bombardment. 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. 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. ![]() ![]() Saavedra promised the assistance of the Spanish Navy to protect the French merchant fleet, enabling de Grasse to sail north with all of his warships. De Grasse had planned to leave several of his warships in Santo Domingo. While in Santo Domingo, de Grasse met with Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis, an agent of King Charles III of Spain. He was transporting 500,000 silver pesos collected from the citizens of Havana, Cuba, to fund supplies for the siege and payroll for the Continental Army. 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. 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. The French and American armies united north of New York City during the summer of 1781. Cornwallis' movements in Virginia were shadowed by a Continental Army force led by the Marquis de Lafayette. Cornwallis, at first given confusing orders by his superior officer, Henry Clinton, was eventually ordered to build a defensible deep-water port, which he began to do in Yorktown. On the advice of Rochambeau, de Grasse informed them of his intent to sail to the Chesapeake Bay, where Cornwallis had taken command of the army. Following the arrival of dispatches from France that included the possibility of support from the French West Indies fleet of the Comte de Grasse, disagreements arose between Washington and Rochambeau on whether to ask de Grasse for assistance in besieging New York or in military operations against a British army in Virginia. In 1780, about 5,500 French soldiers landed in Rhode Island to help their American allies fight the British troops controlling New York City. The Continental Army's victory at the Siege of Yorktown prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the Siege of Yorktown proved the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American region, leading to the surrender by Cornwallis and the capture of both him and his army. It was a decisive victory by a combined force of the American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington with support from Marquis de Lafayette and French Army troops led by Comte de Rochambeau over the British Army commanded by British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle because of the presence of Germans in all three armies, began Septemand ended on October 19, 1781, in Yorktown, Virginia. Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.End of major land operations in North America. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |