On this special day at Yorktown, we celebrated the French American alliance victory began with the town’s parade and ceremony, followed by a unique annual guided tour of the British march to surrender.
EARTHWORK FORTIFICATIONS
In between we lunched near the earthwork fortifications, which we toured on the American portion of the battlefield last year.
Running out of time, we wanted to one day return, so lunch near some of the fortifications was terrific, especially as we viewed the fascinating gabion.
Using this ancient technique, the sappers and miners of the Continental Army quickly built them overnight in preparation for the siege of Yorktown.
After weaving these baskets from twigs, they were filled with earth and lined up, to be filled with dirt.
Then bundles of sticks called fascines were laid on top.
More earth and sod spread over all that formed all the hills around the park, which include those seen behind this gabion in the photo.
WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE BRITISH MARCH
Later, about 160 of us met at the Lafayette cannon for the special once a year tour!
Only one of these unique tours are given annually, every October 19 at 2:15pm…the date and time of the British surrender.
As we left the visitor center, our steps retraced the path the British took to the surrender field, 1.5 miles away.
Listening to the park ranger share the story of the bitter British soldiers, we felt the history, the emotions, the bitterness, and the defeat.
HAIL BRITANNIA
About 20 miles apart, the Jamestown/Yorktown connection revealed the raw emotions recorded in journals of the bitter day.
It was at Jamestown that the British empire began in America in 1607, eventually growing to thirteen colonies by the early 18th century.
As victors in the French in the French and Indian War in the mid-eighteenth century, the British expected an easy victory during the American Revolution.
After all, the British were the superpower of the world with the most land holdings around the world, and had the best tactical military leaders in their professionally trained army and strong navy.
BATTLE LOSSES OF BRITISH
During the entire American Revolution, the only significant battle they had lost apart from Yorktown was Saratoga.
Nevertheless, that defeat dramatically brought France into an alliance with America.
In 1781, Lafayette cornered Cornwallis in Yorktown.
Seeking reinforcements from New York, Cornwallis learned that was blocked by the French Admiral de Grasse who defeated the British at the one entry point to the Chesapeake leading to the York River, and Yorktown.
Meanwhile, the French and American armies, led by Generals Washington and Rochambeau, arrived en masse from the north, outnumbering the Cornwallis two to one.
Beleaguered by a siege, Cornwallis finally raised the white flag of surrender.
BRITISH SURRENDER
Surrender negotiations did not fare well for the British, who were denied the honors of war because the British mandated the same when they defeated the Americans at Charleston in 1780.
Utterly humiliated, the British soldiers marched 1.5 miles to the designated field, where they surrendered their weapons and shot.
The bitter taste of defeat swelled from within, as each bitter step trudged down the road.
Fighting back angry tears of humiliation, the British army marched between two lines of soldiers, the Americans (Britain’s former colony) and the French (Britain’s ancient rival).
AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE WON
The shot heard round the world began the war on April 19, 1775, in Lexington, Massachusetts.
To this day no one knows who fired the first shot.
However, all knew that that one shot changed everything.
The angered colonies put quill to parchment, penning the immortal lines of the Declaration of Independence, giving purpose to their legitimate separation from Britain.
As the world read the bold declaration that humankind had the right to be free and independent, they waited with the hushed breath of expectation.
Many had written of such an idea, but no one had ever breathed life into it…until now.
Six and a half years later, on October 19, 1781, the British surrender revealed to the world that for all practical purposes the game was up.
WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
While marching between the one-mile-long line of American and French soldiers, the black draped drums of the British were beat by drumsticks tied with black ribbons.
Tradition tells us that the British beat out the tune: The World Turned Upside Down.
Whether fact or legend, the world definitely turned upside down that day.
Soon after, other nations around the world began their own bids for freedom.
Yorktown made the Declaration of Independence live.
FRENCH AMERICAN ALLIANCE CONTINUES
The French American Alliance has not stopped at Yorktown.
In WWI, American troops arrived in France, announcing, “Lafayette, we are Here!”
America returned to France in WWII.
May we remember our history and maintain our freedoms with wisdom from above.
