The War is Won Chapter 6, Section 4

Victory at Yorktown In 1780 the Revolutionary War was at a critical point. Both the Patriots and the British needed a major military victory to win the war. In July 1780, French warships arrived off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island. The ships carried more than 5,000 French soldiers under the command of French general Comte de Rochambeau.

Victory at Yorktown George Washington followed reports of the fighting in the South during 1780 and 1781. He knew that the British commanded by Cornwallis were camped in Yorktown, Virginia. Washington decided to secretly head South, and along with the help of Marquis de Lafayette and the French navy, he would try to bring the war to an end by defeating Cornwallis.

Victory at Yorktown

Victory at Yorktown Washington’s plan to attack Yorktown worked perfectly. By the end of September 1781, 14,000 American and French troops had trapped Cornwallis and 7,500 British and German troops at Yorktown. On October 9th 1781, American and French forces began a tremendous bombardment.

Victory at Yorktown One German soldier described the scene at Yorktown in his diary: “One saw men lying nearly everywhere who were mortally wounded and whose heads, arms and legs had been shot off.” British supplies began running low and many British soldiers were wounded or sick. Cornwallis realized the situation was hopeless. On October 19th he surrendered. The Patriots had won the Battle of Yorktown.

Independence With the help of the French, the Patriot victory at Yorktown became the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. On September 3, 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed and ended the Revolutionary War.

Independence The Treaty of Paris of 1783: Ended the war gave Americans independence. Extended American territory from as far north as Canada and as far South as Florida. West to the Mississippi and East to the Atlantic Ocean. The British promised to withdraw troops from American territory. Property taken from Loyalists would be returned to them.

George Washington On December 4th 1783 Washington said farewell to his soldiers. Two weeks later, Washington resigned as General of the Continental Army. He returned to his home, Mount Vernon, in time for Christmas. There he planned to live quietly with his family.

Mount Vernon

LAND SPIRIT American Victory FOREIGN AID SKILLED LEADERSHIP Colonists knew the land and used guerilla tactics FOREIGN AID Money, weapons, and soldiers from FRANCE and Spain SKILLED LEADERSHIP Great generals: Washington, Von Steuben, Paul Jones, Marion, Green Mountain Boys SPIRIT The Patriots fought for a cause and had determination and spirit.

RESULTS OF THE WAR The idea of self-government and the re-emergence of representative democracy. A precedent to all other revolutions throughout the world Influences French Revolution of 1789 and future Latin American Revolutions