Yorktown

CLIMAX of the
REVOLUTION

National Park Service

Source Book Series

Number One

The National Park System, of which this Colonial National Historical Park is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and inspiration of its people.

THIS BOOK printed at the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. Copies may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.

PRICE 20 CENTS

Yorktown
CLIMAX OF THE
REVOLUTION

EDITED by Charles E. Hatch, Jr.
and Thomas M. Pitkin

WASHINGTON, D. C., 1941 (REPRINT 1956)

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE
INTERIOR
Fred A. Seaton, Secretary

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Conrad L. Wirth, Director

CONTENTS

Page
1.Cornwallis Goes to Yorktown[1]
2.The French Fleet Blockades the Chesapeake[1]
3.The Allies Assemble at Williamsburg[3]
4.The British Position[5]
5.The Siege Begins[8]
6.The First Parallel[9]
7.The Bombardment[10]
8.Storming the Redoubts[11]
9.The British Counterattack[14]
10.Cornwallis Tries To Escape[15]
11.Cornwallis Decides To Surrender[17]
12.The Parley[18]
13.The Surrender[18]
14.“The Play Is Over”[22]
15.Washington Congratulates the Army[22]
16.The Meaning of Yorktown[24]
Bibliography[25]

ILLUSTRATIONS

The Surrender of Cornwallis’s Army[Frontispiece]
Plan of the Siege of York Town in Virginia[6]
The Storming of Redoubt Number Ten[12]
The Last Day of the Siege[16]
The Moore House[19]
Cornwallis’s Parole[21]

THIS BOOKLET relates to the Yorktown portion of Colonial National Historical Park, Jamestown-Yorktown, Virginia, which commemorates significant phases of American history from the first settlement at Jamestown until the winning of American independence at Yorktown. Other areas under National Park Service administration commemorating the Revolutionary period of American history are:

George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Washington’s Birthplace, Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Washington Monument National Memorial, Washington, D. C.
Statue of Liberty National Monument, Liberty Island, New York, N. Y.
Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
Federal Hall National Memorial, New York, N. Y.[1]
Saratoga National Historical Park, Stillwater, N. Y.
Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown, N. J.
Kings Mountain National Military Park, York, S. C.
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro, N. C.
Moores Creek National Military Park, Cowie, N. C.
Cowpens National Battlefield Site, Gaffney, S. C.