10 Interesting Facts about Battle of Yorktown

These following facts about Battle of Yorktown will definitely give you much knowledge about what the battle was all about. Some of you might have learned this battle in one of your school’s subjects. However, do you really know what the Battle of Yorktown is? This article is brought to you to let you know more about this battle. The Battle of Yorktown was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army and French Army troops over a British Army. It took place on October 19, 1781. To get to know more about it, below are some facts about Battle of Yorktown you may be interested in.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 1: British Peace Treaty

The Battle of Yorktown was the last great battle of the American Revolutionary War. It is where the British Army surrendered and the British government began to consider a peace treaty.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 2: Building Up to the Battle

General Nathanael Greene had taken over command of the American Continental Army in the South. Prior to General Greene’s command, the war in the South had not been going very well, but Greene put in some new tactics that enabled American victories and caused the British Army to retreat to the East Coast.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 3: March down from the north Yorktown

At the same time that the British Army under General Charles Cornwallis was retreating to Yorktown, General George Washington was marching his army down from the north. The French Navy, having defeated the British Navy, started to move to the coast near Yorktown as well.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 4: Eleven Days of Bombardment

The British Army was now surrounded at Yorktown. They were greatly outnumbered by the French and American troops. For eleven days the American forces bombarded the British. Finally Cornwallis sent out the white flag for surrender. He originally made a lot of demands to George Washington for his surrender, but Washington didn’t agree. When the American troops started to prepare for another attack, Cornwallis agreed to Washington’s terms and the battle was over.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 5: British Done Fighting

Around 8,000 British troops surrendered in Yorktown. Although this wasn’t all of the army, it was a big enough force to cause the British to start thinking they were going to lose the war. Losing this battle made them start to think about peace and that it wasn’t worth the cost of the war to keep the colonies. This opened the door for the Treaty of Paris.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 6: German Soldiers

In this battle between the French, Americans, and the British, nearly one third of the soldiers were Germans. There were thousands on each side. This battle is also related to American Revolutionary War. Check out for more Revolutionary War facts.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 7: Losing the Battle

The British leader, General Cornwallis, was expecting to get reinforcements from the British Navy. When the French defeated the British Navy and prevented them from sending help, Cornwallis knew he was going to lose the battle.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 8: Casualties

The French casualties were 60 killed and 194 wounded and the American casualties were 28 killed and 107 wounded: a grand total of 88 killed and 301 wounded. The British official casualty return for the siege listed 156 killed, 326 wounded and 70 missing. Cornwallis surrendered 7,087 officers and enlisted men in Yorktown when he capitulated and a further 840 sailors from the British fleet in the York River.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 9: Tenth Article of the Articles of Capitulation

George Washington refused to accept the Tenth Article of the Articles of Capitulation, which granted immunity to American Loyalists, and Cornwallis failed to make any effort to press the matter. “The outcry against the Tenth Article was vociferous and immediate, as Americans on both sides of the Atlantic proclaimed their sense of betrayal.

Facts about Battle of Yorktown 10: Aftermath

Five days later, on October 24, the British fleet sent by Clinton to rescue the British army arrived. The fleet picked up several Loyalists who had escaped on October 18, and they informed Admiral Thomas Graves that they believed Cornwallis had surrendered.

Those following facts about the Battle of Yorktown might have expanded you knowledge about this batter. It was proved that this battle, on one side, brought a positive, but on the other side, it led the whole history to the negative one.  Hope you would find this Battle of Yorktown facts interesting and useful.