We went to Yorktown today. I LOVED IT! The National Park tickets we bought for Jamestown were good for the Yorktown Battlefield too. Yay. We went to the visitors center. We arrived just before a 16 minute film started, so we watched that, which I think helped the kids get the gist of what happened at Yorktown, so that was great, then we explored the little museum, which was very cool. They had a replica of part of a British Ship that was in the Battle of the Capes. Upstairs we learned about the seige of Yorktown. The first American shot was fired 9 October by George Washington - an 18 pound cannon. The kids got to practice making an earthwork and then Peter and Daniel readied themselves to fire a cannon. Name these parts of an earthwork: banquette, parapet, berm, scarp, ditch, glacis
Some structure and defence vocabulary words for the kids: gabions, fascines, sacs a terre, abatis, fraises and palisades. There is so much to learn!
A fortunate storm helped the Patriots win: Cornwallis decides to evacuate his troops across the York River to Gloucester Point, so they can escape up the Middle Peninsula. On Oct 16 at 10PM, 16 boats start the first of three intended crossings. A violent storm scatters eh boats, sinking two, blowing others downstream where they are captured by American troops. At daybreak, the remaining boats carry British troops back to Yorktown. "Thus expired the last hope of the British army." - Banastre Tarleton
Outside, we downloaded the Yorktown Battlefield app that took us on a tour around Yorkton in our car. First stop - the French first line. I thought I had a photo of the kids in front of it, but I guess not. Here's Lily standing by an informational board
My favorite part was seeing Redoubts #9 and #10, cause I remembered reading about these! I especially remembered something about Alexander Hamilton and redoubt 10 - and then there was a plaque that talked about it! "On this line at the siege of Yorktown, on October 14, 1781, at night the battalions of Gimat. Hamilton and Laurens of the light infantry division of Major-Genearl Marquis de Lafayette under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Alesander Hamilton with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonettes scaled the parapete and gallantly captured redoubt No10 which formed the extreme left outlying defense of the British and so hastened the surrender of Yorktown in the last fighting of the troops of Gen. George Washington." I took a photo of our feet to commemorate being here.
Kids were getting tired - Lily was in the car, Corey didn't stand with us. Katharine was wiggling so you can't see her barefeet. She was done too.
Actually she just wanted my sticker.
Hang in there kids! Just a few more places to visit on our tour - we saw a lot of cute turtles sunbathing in Wormly Pond as we drove through the ravine to the Moore House, where surrender negotiations took place.
Corey and the kids in his car stayed in their car. My car with Wes, Natalie, Daniel and Peter came out for another picture.
So I kinda thought this was hilarious - the negotiations were slowed because Laurens insisted, "with Washington's support, that the British submit to similar terms granted by the British to the defeated American army at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1780, where the American soldiers were deprived of surrendering with the army's personal honor intact. The British argued for better terms, but the Allies prevailed and around midnight, a draft of the "Articles of Capitulation" was completed with 14 provisions, including two that denied the British the "full honors of war." These two articles required that at the surrender ceremony, the British army would case their regimental flags, and that their military band would play British music instead of professionally saluting the victor with American and French songs."
An important date to remember: 19 October 1781.
Not "It is my pleasure to inform you" but "I have the mortification to inform your Excellency (lol) that I have been forced to give up the ports of York and Gloucester, and to surrender the troops under my command, by capitulation on the 19th instant, as prisoners of war to the combined forces of America and France." - Lieutenant General Charles Lord Cornwallis to General Sir Henry Clinton
General George Washington "I have the honor to inform Congress, that a reduction of the British Army under the Command of Lord Cornwallis, is most happily effected.
And some words of the British troops:
"The garrison marched out betwixt the two lines of American and French troops reluctantly enough, and laid down their arms. A corporal next to me shed tears, and embracing his firelock, threw it down, saying, May you never get so good a master"
- Captain Samuel Graham, 76th Regiment of Foot; October 19, 1781
"We marched in procession through the enemy and the drummers beat a march. We observed all these troops with amazement and were staggered by the multitude of them who had besieged us... They could have eaten us up with their power."
- Stephan Popp, Anspach-Beyreuth Regiment, October 19, 1781
"As soon as we laid down our muskets and weapons, we returned again with our knapsacks and equipment back to our lines and quartered in our tents."
- Lieutenant Jacob Kling, Hesse-Casset Feimient, November 14, 1781
American Army:
"The British army marched out and grounded their arms in front of our line. Our whole army drew up for them to march through. The British prisoners all appeared to be much in liquor."
- Lieutenant William Feltman, Pennsylvania Battalion, October 19, 1781
"Some of the [British] platoon officers appeared to be exceedingly chagrined when giving the word ground arms," and I am a witness that they performed this duty in a very unofficer like manner; and that many of the soldiers manifested a sullen temper, throwing their arms on the pile with violence, as if determined to render them useless"
- Surgeon James Thacher, M.D.Continental Army, October 19, 1781
"In passing between the two armies, (the British] showed the greatest scorn for the Americans, for most of these unfortunate persons were clad in small jackets of white cloth dirty and ragged and a number of them were almost barefoot."
- Captain Baron Laudwag Closen, Aide de Camp Rachamber, October 19, 1781
Also, a note on food - we had a lot of groceries leftover from the other hotel, and this Springfield Suites doesn't have a kitchen area or anything, so no plates or silverware or things like that in the room (at breakfast in the morning I should be able to grab stuff for back up). But, I'm not one to let food go to waste, hence I cooked our box of frozen pizza in the microwave, on the cardboard from the box that it came in. It was a mess and kinda pathetic, but thankfully I was just keeping the little kids happy, and it worked just fine.
