AND THE TREATY OF PARIS The Battle of Yorktown

George Washington and His Men… The Americans have been battling the British for 8 years now. George Washington had been idled for almost 2 whole years outside of New York City. He was out of money, and his men were running out of patience: they had not been paid.

Marquis de Lafayette  Lafayette married into French royalty.  He became devoted to helping the Americans achieve independence from Great Britain.  He also persuaded several French officers to come with him.  When he met General Washington and they became great friends.

The Mouth of the Chesapeake Bay  British General Lord Charles Cornwallis set up base in Yorktown, VA.  At the same time, French Commander Francois Count de Grasse also set up base in the same location.

Luckily Washington Had the French on His Side  Washington ordered Marquis de Lafayette and an American army of 5,000 troops to block Cornwallis' escape from Yorktown by land while the French naval fleet blocked the British escape by sea.  On September 28, in 1781, General George Washington was commanding a force of 17,000 French and Continental troops encircling Cornwallis and Yorktown.

Finally, Surrender. After three weeks of non-stop bombardment, both day and night, from cannon and artillery, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field at Yorktown on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War for Independence.

The Surrender Ceremony Pleading illness, Cornwallis did not attend the formal surrender ceremony, held on October 19. Instead, his second in command, General Charles O'Hara, carried Cornwallis' sword to the American and French commanders.

The End of the Battles in the Colonies Although the war persisted on the high seas and in other theaters, the Patriot victory at Yorktown ended fighting in the American colonies

The Treaty of Paris  The Treaty of Paris of 1783, negotiated between the United States and Great Britain, officially ended The Revolutionary War and recognized American independence.  The preliminary articles of peace were signed by Adams, Franklin, Jay, and Henry Laurens for the United States and Richard Oswald for Great Britain on November 30,  The final treaty was signed on September 3, 1783, and ratified by the Continental Congress early in 1784.

And that was the beginning of the U.S.A.

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