In 1781, a large military operation began that would bring an end to the American Revolution. It began not with cannon fire, but with quiet coordination and deception. General George Washington, for a long time wanted to retake New York City, but realized that the British position there was too strong. Washington found out that British General Charles Cornwallis had moved his army, which had been maneuvering throughout the Carolinas and Virginia, to Yorktown, a small Virginia port on the York River. Washington saw a rare opportunity. If he could trap Cornwallis, he could end the war.
Washington and the French commander, the Comte de Rochambeau, devised a bold plan. They would pretend to prepare for an assault on New York, keeping British commander Henry Clinton distracted, while secretly marching their combined armies south. In late August, American and French troops slipped away from the Hudson Highlands, crossing New Jersey and heading toward the Chesapeake. This was part of a grand strategy between the two nations—the United States and France.
At the same time, Admiral de Grasse sailed from the Caribbean with a powerful French fleet, aiming to seal off Cornwallis’s escape by sea. The coordination was extraordinary: land forces moving from the north, naval forces arriving from the south, all converging on a single British army.
Cornwallis, meanwhile, found himself in an increasingly precarious position. Yorktown’s location made it easy to defend, but difficult to supply. His army depended on British ships for food, ammunition, and reinforcements. When de Grasse’s fleet defeated the British navy at the Battle of the Chesapeake, Cornwallis’s lifeline was severed. He was trapped between Washington’s approaching army and a French fleet blocking the river.
By late September, Washington and Rochambeau had assembled nearly 17,000 troops around Yorktown. They began a formal siege, digging trenches, positioning artillery, and tightening the noose around Cornwallis’s fortifications. The French and American guns opened fire on Oct. 9, unleashing a bombardment that shook the town day and night. British defenses crumbled under the relentless cannon fire. The American forces moved closer to the town. Two key positions defending the town, British redoubts — No. 9 and No. 10 — were stormed on Oct. 14, one by French troops and the other by American soldiers led by Alexander Hamilton. Their capture allowed Washington’s forces to move their artillery even closer.
Cornwallis attempted a breakout across the York River, hoping to escape to Gloucester Point, but a sudden storm scattered his boats. With his defenses collapsing, his supplies dwindling, and no hope of relief from Clinton, Cornwallis requested a ceasefire on Oct. 17. Two days later, he formally surrendered more than 7,000 troops. The British band reportedly played “The World Turned Upside Down” as the redcoats marched out—an acknowledgment that the balance of power had shifted.
The outcome was immediate and profound. The victory at Yorktown convinced the British government that the war was unwinnable. Peace negotiations soon began, culminating in the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which recognized American independence. Washington’s daring march, the French fleet’s timely arrival, and Cornwallis’ isolation combined to end the Revolution not with a single battle, but with a masterfully coordinated siege that reshaped world history.
Our local connections were probably many, with a number of people from Sussex County and environs participating. It is said that the Ogden boys, sons of Robert Ogden II — for which Ogdensburg is named — were in this battle. There are historical notes that Matthias Ogden fought at Yorktown during the September-October time, and that Aaron Ogden was wounded in the attack on Redoubt number 10. Matthias was granted leave from the service in April 1783 to travel to Europe. While there he received honors from Louis XVI and returned to the United States on a sail ship with news of the Treaty of Paris.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com He is the author of “Honest Ogden.”
