This paper proposes exploring what is the most important battle of the American War of Independence. The Battle of Yorktown was the American rejection of British legitimacy to govern the 13 American colonies without representation that took place at Yorktown, Virginia from the period of September 28 to October 17, 1781. The two unlikely rivals between General George Washington commanding a joint force of roughly 17,000 French and Continental troops and the British General Lord Charles Cornwallis commanding about 8,300 well trained and well discipline troops.
Yorktown was a former tobacco trading post that stood on a 35 foot high bluff at the north eastern tip of the peninsula, overlooking the York River in rural Virginia. The town had a harbor capable of accepting the largest merchant ships. Two main roads led from it to Williamsburg and Hampton and a ferry crossed to Gloucester Point, a mile to the north east. Geography at the time gave Americans an advantage that had turned out to be a factor in the outcome of the war. The terrain was mostly rugged, rocky and cold in the winter in New England.…show more content… He walked into Cornwallis camp pretending to be an escape slave. Over time, he gained the confidence of Cornwallis and spoke openly about strategies and battle plans in front of Armistead, who relayed the information to Lafayette.
British Regulars were well trained. The British Army drilled to perfection the time it took to load and fire a musket. Instead of firing in ranks of three, with the first rank kneeling, they developed firing using only two ranks which made every soldier maneuverable by firing a musket standing. Unlike the British, the American forces are made up of mostly a loosely and poorly band of militias and citizen-soldiers. There were no protocols for exercising coordinated authority, for supplying and feeding the troops, and for