Yorktown is just a tiny village, but it is important in American history because in 1781, the decisive battle of the American Revolution was won there by George Washington.
Today, Yorktown is joined to Williamsburg and Jamestown by the scenic Colonial Parkway. The little town on the York River retains many of the colonial dwellings which stood there during the siege of 1781, including the home of Thomas Nelson, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Today, Yorktown consists of the Battlefield, beautifully maintained by the National Park Service; the town’s historic Main Street, lined with historic homes, art galleries and specialty shops; and the restored waterfront, designed in the spirit of colonial architecture. The waterfront features a performance area, a beautiful beach, and two floating piers. It is also home to the schooner Alliance, Yorktown’s tall ship, which sails three times a day from spring through fall. A mile-long pedestrian riverwalk offers scenic views of the York River and adjoins the Battlefield and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Yorktown Victory Center museum.
The Victory Center chronicles America’s struggle for independence, from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of a new nation. Gallery exhibits and an evocative film tell the story of the Revolutionary era from the perspectives of ordinary men and women. Outdoors, costumed historical interpreters depict daily life of the time in re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and an 18th-century farm.
The Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center features a 15-minute, live-action film about the victory at Yorktown, as well as a gallery of exhibits, including the very tents used by General Washington during the siege. The Visitor Center is also the starting point for the driving tour of the battlefield, with maps and audio tours available in the museum store. The Yorktown Victory Center and the National Park Service Yorktown Battlefield and Visitor Center are open year-round.
Yorktown became a tobacco port in the 17th century, after the golden weed became Virginia’s most profitable export to England. In those days, its high bank was crowned with handsome brick houses, owned by shippers who sent Virginia’s exports through Yorktown to agents in England and Scotland.
Yorktown’s peace ended abruptly in the summer of 1781, when General Cornwallis led his British army of 8,300 troops to the village in hopes of being met there by British supply ships, which he thought would be sent by General Sir Henry Clinton in New York.
Alas, General Clinton was slow to respond. Meanwhile, Generals Washington and Rochambeau in New York began a hasty march down the Atlantic Coast and surrounded Cornwallis in the tiny town. After the siege had exhausted the British army’s supplies of food and ammunition, Cornwallis sued for peace.
Today, Yorktown preserves the trenches and parapets of the 18th-century military forces. Park Service signs indicate the whereabouts of British, French and American forces throughout the siege. Also preserved is Surrender Field, where the British forces laid down their arms for their American and French victors.
Standing amid the battle sites is Yorktown’s historic Victory Monument, which was erected by the United States government after the cornerstone was laid in October 1881, on the centennial of the Yorktown victory. Inscribed on the monument are the names of Americans known to have lost their lives in the Yorktown campaign. Near the site, where America’s French allies were encamped under the leadership of General Rochambeau, there is a monument bearing the names of French soldiers who died at Yorktown. |
