The figure of “Liberty” atop the Yorktown Victory Monument. Sculptured by Oskar J. W. Hansen.
The Nelson House where Cornwallis may have had his headquarters in the last days of the siege.
A. Site of Secretary Nelson’s House. Here Cornwallis had his headquarters when the siege opened. He remained until allied artillery forced him out. Secretary Thomas Nelson was, for many years, Secretary of the Colony of Virginia. The site has been marked by the Yorktown Branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.
B. Victory Monument. Authorized by Congress in 1781, the shaft was not begun until 1881 (completed 3 years later) as a part of the Yorktown Centennial Celebration. The original figure of “Liberty” was damaged by lightning in 1942 and replaced by a new figure in 1956.
C. Cornwallis Cave. This natural cave in a marl cliff was undoubtedly used by the British in 1781. Staff conferences could have been held here late in the siege.
D. Nelson House. This residence is believed to have been Cornwallis’ headquarters in the last days of the siege. It was built prior to 1745 by “Scotch Tom” Nelson and was later the home of his grandson, Gen. Thomas Nelson, Jr. The house has cannonballs imbedded in its east wall that are thought to have been fired during the siege of 1781.
OLD HOUSES AND OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST
IN THE
“TOWN OF YORK”
