Yorktown Battlefield - Winning America’s Independence
Discover what it took for the United States to be independent as you explore the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Here at Yorktown, in the fall of 1781, General George Washington, with allied American and French forces, besieged General Charles Lord Cornwallis’s British army. On October 19, Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the war and ensuring independence.
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Yorktowntown Battlefield
Site of a combined American and French siege, this victory secured independence for the United States
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Yorktown
Founded as an important port for exporting tobacco and importing slaves, Yorktown was site of the siege and today is a national resource.
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Yorktown National Cemetery
The Yorktown National Cemetery was officially established in 1866, however interment of Civil War soldiers began during Federal occupation in 1862.
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Did You Know?
Thomas Nelson, Jr., is one of Yorktown's most famous residents. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, served as Governor of Virginia in 1781, and commanded the Virginia militia during the 1781 siege of his hometown. His home still bears damage from the bombardment during the siege.