The war had many twists and turns and eventually Cornwallis found himself trapped at Yorktown. A French naval fleet off the coast of Virginia and Washington's men, along with Rochambeau's as well, facing him to the west. The battle lasted ten days and Cornwallis finally waved the proverbial white flag. This was not the last battle of the war, as many assume, but it was the last major victory for the Patriots and signaled the eventual defeat of the British. Remember, the British surrendered in October of 1781 and the Treaty of Paris was not finalized until 1783.
For this week's blog, read this article and watch these videos about the British surrender at Yorktown. (FYI: At the end of Part One on YouTube you'll be prompted to "click here for the next part". Make sure you do that so you can see the entire episode.) Included in the comments section your general thoughts on Yorktown. Should Cornwallis have surrendered? Was it a brilliant tactical move by the Patriots or another blunder by the British?
I enjoyed watching this video and I think that some parts were very sad, like the slaves who were forced to work for the army! They were falling over because of the heat and the soldiers didn’t even help them! But, I am glad that Cornwallis surrendered because now we have freedom! The Patriots won this battle, which is us by the way. This video gave me a new perspective on how the soldiers fought wars and how brilliant it was to build those forts!! If it were me, I would hide behind those the whole time! I thought it was a well thought out plan and I think that the Patriots did a good job winning this one! (119)
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DeleteThis was the last major victory in the Revolutionary War. After reading the article, I decided that Cornwallis would have to surrender no matter what he tried. Since the brilliantly planned attack to the British fleet had left Cornwallis with no naval support or a "getaway car" so to speak, Cornwallis would either surrender, or fight to the bitter end and lose thousands of lives. This battle was decided by the brilliant French and Patriot tactic of suprising the British fleet and forcing them to retreat. If that had no happened, Cornwallis might have won or at the very least escape. After watching the video, I think that God must have helped the patriots and the French win this battle. The hurricane that might have been trouble had basicaly led the French fleet to Virginia instead of leading the fleet a diferent direction like it should have. The movie also portrayed the hardships of the African-American soldiers in the British army. It portrayed the British army's thought of the African-Americans and how they thought they were almost worthless. I thought it was cool that the foreign captain helped some of the African-Americans escape so they would not have to be slaves.(202)
ReplyDeletePS: I liked that video. Is there a chance we could do another one of those? They are fun to watch and give us a deeper meaning to the words in the article.
Unlike last week’s blog, this was a very strategic move by the Continental Army and the French Navy. The French cut off the British Navy and occupied the British Army while the Continental Army traveled to Yorktown and made General Cornwallis surrender. I don’t think General Cornwallis appeared at the surrender ceremony, not because he was sick, but because of his self-esteem. From this table there looks as if the number of troops between the French and American almost doubled the numbers of the British and the casualties of the British was almost THREE times as much as the casualties of the Americans and French.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the episode General Washington knew that the end of the war wasn’t over, but it was near. Also the one general of the British helped the black soldiers hide until the battle was over, he showed that even though they were a different skin color and they were being treated unfairly, they were still equal people and deserved to be treated like any other soldier.
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DeleteBoth of the videos and the article were really interesting. They really helped me understand the Battle of Yorktown more. I realized that for this battle to work out and for us to have this victory that everything had to go almost perfectly. If just one thing went wrong, or if something went differently than it did we would not have had this victory. I think General Cornwallis did need to surrender. I liked the chart on the article that showed all about the troops, ships, and casualties. It laid out a lot of information very clearly. I think it was a very smart move by the Patriots. This was the last main battle in the war, and it was a very important one. (124)
ReplyDeleteI think the Battle of Yorktown was the best plan that the Patriots had. With the French on their side, it helped even more. On the chart in the article, you can see that the British are already outnumbered (Patriots have almost twice as many than the British), which is different because in most of the other battles the Patriots were outnumbered. Cornwallis really had no where else to go if he had tried to escape, so he had to surrender. He kinda put him and his troops in a bad spot. In the video it shows that he is completely surrounded, by boats and troops, and the map in the article also shows that. Without France's help this battle may have had a different result. Like we have learned, allies were the major reason we won and without them we probably wouldn't have succeeded. (145)
ReplyDeleteOkay first of all, DUH!! Cornwallis would have had to surrender eventually. He was completely surrounded and I bet if they would have stayed much longer than most of the British troops would begin to starve. They had supplies to fight but they were surrounded. It seems it would be extremely hard to fight something that is all around you (and that is coming from someone who has never fought in a war before). Also there was no way out. They couldn’t retreat to anywhere. And the buildings were falling down on top of them. It looks like they had a choice, surrender or die. If they waited too long to surrender then the Patriots would move in on them and they could get killed. It seemed like the wisest choice to surrender. So then, on October 19, 1781, the white flag came and they surrendered to the Continental Army. Second, I really liked the video. It gave a good visual (only in cartoon form) of what the battle could have really been like. It was much easier to imagine happened on that day watching it rather than reading about it and trying to picture it myself so thank you. This battle really proves how much of a help the French allies were. If it weren’t for them then I highly doubt the Patriots could have succeeded in the war. So thank you French!! (234)
ReplyDeleteYorktown was an important battle in the war. It is probably the second most important behind Saratoga. The video displayed was a teenager who was a reporter saw but not what it was like to go through it as a solder. It did show how mean most of the British commanders were mean to the slaves that were in the army. I think there could have been more information but it kept my attention to learn. It was a good move by Cornwallis to surrender but it was bad for the British army. I didn't understand the part in the article where it was talking about the surrender. I thought the idea to block the British navy by sea was a great idea by the French. It was a good plan by the Patriots. What the British were doing wasn’t a bad idea but nothing was working out for them.(150)
ReplyDeleteThe battle in Yorktown was a very important battle. To me it was really sad that the British used the slaves dig the trenches instead of the whites because they were dying too fast. In my opinion I think Cornwallis should have surrendered. If he didn't he would run out of supplies and eventually die. The attack that the patriots did was, in my opinion, like the three-pronged attack that the British attempted earlier in the war. It was very well planned and it actually worked. I think that the attack the patriots led against the British in Yorktown was brilliant.(101)
ReplyDeleteThis was a major battle in the war. In my opinion this was a smart tactic used by the patriots. They surrounded them fast and moved quickly. They set up barriers and prepared for battle. The British had no where to go. General Cornwallis had to either surrender or die from starvation or getting killed. This was an amazing attack led by Washington and the French. The British would have run out of ammo and food if they would have stayed and not surrendered. If General Cornwallis would not have surrendered they would have lost. The French was a huge help.(101)
ReplyDeleteThese videos were very interesting and sad. It was very awful the way they made slaves dig the bug trenches for them. They were falling over from heat and dying but no one would help them. They made them help them but treated them like crap. I think Cornwallis made the right decision by surrendering. For one, it led to the Patriots winning, and for two, he would have eventually died because he was out numbered 14,000 to 8,000. Surrender was his only option. The patriots had out-smarted Cornwallis and he would have eventually starved or been killed if he tried to attack.(104)
ReplyDeleteThe patriots did a lot of planning for the war in Yorktown, and all of their plans went right. It was almost like the patriots version of a three pronged attack. It was really cruel of the British to make the African Americans do all of the digging, and left them to fend for themselves. It looked like the French were skeptical about winning the small war between them and the other British navy, and they were for a good reason because the British had the strongest navy in the world. General George Washington was a huge contributor to winning the Revolutionary War, because of his wisdom, perseverance, and skill.(110)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Liam. I think the video gave me a deeper understanding about what happened at Yorktown. The Battle of Yorktown was the best plan that the Patriots had so far. You could tell that in order for the Patriots to win this battle, everything had to be perfect or they probably would not have won. It took Washington and Rochambeau to come up with a good plan to win the Battle of Yorktown. General Cornwallis had to surrender eventually. The Patriots were everywhere. There was no way of escaping. In the video, it showed that the British were surrendered by boats and by the troops. It was really sad that the British made the slaves dig the trenches instead of the whites. France was a huge help to the Americans. Without France as an ally, the Patriots would probably not have won. (145)
ReplyDeleteThe battle of Yorktown was a brilliant tactical effort. The strategies used by Washington were awesome. Without Washington we would have never come up with the strategy to corner the British. The part in the video about the spies was interesting. It reminded me of the report someone did about Washington being a spy master. Cornwallis was smart to surrender. Because if he did not the British would have slowly starved to death. Although is a brilliant tactical move to surrounded the British hit was also a British blunder. The British over confidence got the better of then again (100)
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the video. I think it was a wise move on Earl Cornwallis’s part to surrender because the American and French got him good, and he couldn’t afford to lose more men. I believe it was a very wise and clever by the Patriots because this was a big battle in the Revolutionary War and it was well earned victory for the Patriots. This video helped me comprehend the whole thingy better. They did a good part at teaching the facts and showing all the treatment to the African Americans. Where they really sent back to their masters and were they called the “N” word back then?? I thought it was a civil war time word. (118)
ReplyDeleteUnlike Saratoga, I see the outcome of Yorktown as the colonist's fault. the article was a little confusing for me but the video really helped me understand it a lot more. (By the way, please have more of those videos in the future) The video defiinently showed how the americans planned their attack. From spies to strategic placement of troops, it showed that a lot went into the planning of this attack. Which all explains why I believe this was more of a colonist victory than another british blunder. I found it interesting how there is a lot more going on in the battle that a lot of times doesn't show up in the textbooks. I also liked the videos because of the backstory it has with a lot of the characters. (132)
ReplyDeleteThe topic this week was really interesting. I guess I had never thought of Yorktown as much more than the surrender of the British. One thing I did not like was the treatment of the slaves. I will never understand what drives people to cruelty like that. The Patriots definitely thought this battle out very well. I’m glad Cornwallis surrendered because without this surrender we wouldn’t have America today. The British had made many mistakes, but overall I think the Patriots won this war fair and square. The Revolutionary War was one of the most important things to shape our country.
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After looking into the Battle of Yorktown a little more it gave me a better understanding on how things really played out.The Patriot and French leaders made a very stragical plan that was a little risky, and wouldn't have worked if they didn't work together.I think the Battle of Yorktown showed all the diffrent forces coming together and working together as a whole.With that they surrounded the British who were caught off gaurd by the whole plan. It showed this as how little troops they had at Yorktown compared to the Americans. I do think that Cornwallis was smart enough to surrender, because if he didn't most of his troops would die of starvation and other things. Overall I thought the Patriots won this battle by coming together and giving their all.(136)
ReplyDeleteThe Battle of Yorktown was a very big battle in the Revolutionary War. It was a huge accomplishment on the Patriots part. Everything had to be perfect or else it all would have fallen apart. I think Cornwallis HAD to surrender. He didn’t have another choice. The British were already outnumbered by the Patriots before the fighting even started. There was a 6,000 soldier difference between the two. Plus, the redcoats were surrounded. There was no escape by land or sea. There was no other choice but surrender. I think it was a brilliant move by the Patriots. Even though they didn’t have years of training, the most advanced weapons, or matching uniforms they pulled themselves together and proved themselves stronger than anyone would have imagined. This strategy would have been more expected to come from the British, not the Patriots. Although they had significant help from the French, it’s still amazing how they held up to one of the strongest countries of the time. The people didn’t even have a successful government yet! The victory of the Americans in the Revolutionary War just shows that if you are determined to do something and give it everything you have, you will be successful! {203}
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The Battle of Yorktown was a giant victory for America. The British and the colonists had two completely different ideas of what would happen at Yorktown, but luckily it ended up in America’s favor. Quite honestly, I don’t think America fully planned at what they were going to do. It seems as if they waited for the Brits to make the first move, then they pounced. When Cornwallis first saw the huge number of new Patriots, he was shocked. It makes sense that he would be though, because it was the first time he actually viewed America as a threat. He thought that would NEVER happen. Well, him and the rest of world. Cornwallis surrendering was even bigger news. Though it probably made him feel kind of awful at first, it was smart. He knew if he risked it and tried to fight back, they would lose more lives than necessary. It was either have the troops surrender, or have the troops die. The American colonists were more than proud to have the big, strong British lined up to hand over their gear. It was a very memorable moment in history and the last major turning point of the war. (200)
ReplyDeleteThe surrender at Yorktown was much different than i had expected. I didnt realize the French had so many more ships than the British becuase like we have said before, the Britsh had a great population and the best Navy/Army. The Americans and the French had an overwhelming amount more people than the British. I think this played one of the most important roles in the surrender of the British. Cornwallis really had no other choice but to surrender. He knew the outcome it would bring if he didn't. The Patriots made a brilliant move I would have to say.(101)
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