History That Doesn't Suck - 13: The World Turns Upside Down at Yorktown

Episode Date: February 28, 2018

“The British officers in general behaved like boys who had been whipped at school.” This is the story of the beginning of the Revolution’s end. Lord Cornwallis swears the British need to take the fight to Virginia. He’s got Thomas Jefferson and Lafayette on the run. But at the same time, French General Rochambeau and Admiral de Grasse are ready to give George Washington some serious support ... enough support that the Americans just might turn the world upside down. ​ ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Taste the many flavors of our cultures. Eat with us. Taste the many flavors of our cultures. Dance with us. Join in. Feel the beat of the drum and celebrate. Come. Walk with us. Indigenous Tourism Alberta. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life as your storyteller. Each episode is the result of laborious research with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad-free episodes, bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for a seven-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com slash membership, or click the link in the episode notes. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story.

Jack Jewett's enjoying a night at the Cuckoo Tavern in Louisa, Virginia, when he learns that 180 British Dragoons are in town. They're taking a short break at a nearby plantation before continuing their urgent night ride further west. Given their trajectory, Jack knows where these horse-mounted soldiers are headed. Charlottesville. It's the only thing that makes sense. That's where Virginia's state legislature and governor are meeting tomorrow. Clearly, the British intend to capture the state's leaders. Well, being the patriot and militia man that he is, Jack isn't going to sit idly by and let this happen. Hell no. He chugs his beer. Okay, I can't prove that, but I really like to picture him dramatically draining an old school beer stein and a few gulps, slamming it on the table, wiping the frothy foam

from his mouth with his shirt sleeve, then running out of the tavern. I mean, come on, that's an awesome image, right? Okay, sticking strictly with the historical record, Jack books it out of the cuckoo tavern, mounts his horse, and takes off towards Charlottesville somewhere between 9 and 10 p.m. It's a hard ride. He's ahead of the soldiers, but he's traveling through the woods rather than on the roads just to make sure he doesn't get caught. According to tradition, Jack rides hard enough in this wooded terrain that when branches strike him, they leave deep cuts that scar his face for the rest of his life. It's now nearly dawn. Jack pulls hard on the reins, bringing his charging horse to an abrupt stop. Like his steed, he's exhausted, but there's no time to lose. He jumps off his horse. His 6'4", 220-pound frame thuds on the dirt path in front of Monticello.

Okay, pause. We'll head inside with Jack in one second, but first, in case you don't know, Monticello is just a few short miles southeast of Charlottesville, and it's the home of none other than Thomas Jefferson. But as you picture it in your mind, don't conjure up the image of the dome-topped building still standing today, found on the backside of both the nickel and the ever-so-rare but still in circulation $2 bill. Monticello doesn't look like that in 1781. This is before Tom's massive French-influenced 1790s renovation. So for now, you'll want to picture a two-story brick structure. It's neoclassical, so its appearance is very old

school Greco-Roman. It's got some serious columns going on. They not only support the roof, but a sweet second-story deck overlooking the front of the house. And why has Jack come here? Well to see Tom, of course. This radical Virginian with a long face, sandy red hair, and blue to hazel eyes, who did the lion's share of the work in writing the Declaration of Independence, is now the governor of Virginia. In fact, he's also hosting the legislators, so this is where the warning is needed. Okay, pause over. Now that you can picture the scene and know why we're here specifically, let's get back to Jack and his just-before-sunrise arrival. Jack tells Tom of the British dragoons.

Tom makes exactly the kind of decisive move you'd expect from a brilliant political leader in such a state of emergency. He orders breakfast for everyone. Look, this guy lives in a state of emergency. He's had way too many false warnings to get really worked up when he hears the British military is coming for him. After breakfast, though, they evacuate. A carriage whisks away Tom's wife, Patty, and the kids. The legislators head back to Charlottesville. Slaves hide the valuables while Tom grabs important documents. Tom's now set to take off, but before he does, he grabs his spyglass and ascends a nearby hill. He wants to get a peek at the alleged danger. Up above Charlottesville, he looks around. Nope. No British

troops. Just the lush green of Virginia. Another false call, it seems. He reaches down to pick up his sword cane. Oh, you heard me right. Tom definitely carries a sword cane. He's about to set off, but can't quite shake the need to look through his spyglass just one more time. He extends the miniature telescope, holds it against his face, and, oh crap, Jack was right. British dragoons. Filled with a new sense of urgency, Tom hightails it back to Monticello, jumps on his horse, named Caractacus after the first century AD Britain who fought against the Roman Empire, and rides hard to catch up with his family. Only 10 minutes after Tom departs, the British arrive at Monticello. I can't tell you who all is still at the mostly abandoned

plantation, but at a minimum, Martin Hemings is here. He's a slave, primarily working as a butler, and not to get ahead of ourselves, but to answer your question, yes, he is related to Sally Hemings. Martin is her half-brother. A British soldier approaches him, pistol drawn, and aims it right at his chest while telling Martin he can either give up Tom's hiding place or be shot. Despite being unarmed, grossly outnumbered, and a slave addressing a British soldier, Martin doesn't cower in the least. Fire away then, he defiantly replies. In hazarding his life for Tom's, Martin effectively calls the soldier's bluff. He doesn't shoot.

The only damage the British do at Monticello, if we are to believe the apocryphal tales, is to drink some of Tom's wine in a toast to King George III. It's his birthday, after all, June 4th, 1781. His Majesty is 43 today. But down in Charlottesville, the British have been more forceful. Sent by British Commander Lord Cornwallis, Bannister Tarleton and his men destroy a cache of a thousand guns, 400 barrels of black powder, clothes destined for Continental troops, and a whole lot of tobacco. They also catch seven

members of the Virginia legislature. In fact, just before they arrived at Charlottesville, they also caught a member of the Continental Congress. They didn't catch Tom, but they've made him look bad. His reputation as governor just took a nosedive. Well, as you can see, the fighting has heated up in the old dominion, but we're just getting started. Today, we get to the definitive battle of the revolution. It's happening in the Chesapeake Bay at Yorktown, Virginia. Now, there are a lot of people and decisions that lead to Yorktown. So just to make sure we don't get lost on the way there, which is basically the year 1781, let's walk this path twice. First with the British, then with the blended Franco-American forces.

As I do so, I'll explain who the various important people are on both sides and how their decisions are taking us to Yorktown. Once that's done, we'll carry out the siege. Sound good? All right then, let's kick this off with the British. Oh, Lord Cornwallis, we left this aggressive general and number two British commander in North America at the end of the last episode in North Carolina, where he had just claimed a victory at Guilford Courthouse. Though victory is a strong word here, this was one of the most costly victories a British army has had since the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. At the same time, there's no need to draw this to his lordship's attention. After Guilford's courthouse, he and his dwindling army of roughly 1,500 men make the 200-mile eastward trek to the Tar Heel State's coastal town of Wilmington. They arrive in early April, 1781, and make camp while Lord Cornwallis writes a long overdue letter to his estranged commander up in New York, Sir Henry Clinton. In it, his lordship claims that the British southern strategy isn't working.

He blames, at least in part, the loyalists, whom he's found to be fewer in number and less helpful than British leadership had expected. He's also become convinced that, despite Britain's success in Georgia and the Carolinas, the Lower South can't be fully subjugated without bringing Virginia to heel first. So, to that end, his lordship wants to take his men, and the fight, to the old Dominion State. Now, you need to know that the British already have a presence in Virginia. Back in December, our commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, Sir Henry, sent the treasonous, expatriate-turned-British general, Benedict Arnold, here with a force of 1,500. But Sir Henry didn't send Benedict with an intention to create a major

theater of war in the Old Dominion, as Lord Cornwallis now wants to do. Nope. The British commander only wanted to provide support to Virginian loyalists and to siphon off the supplies and reinforcements Virginian patriots might otherwise send to the more southern states, where Lord Cornwallis was carrying on the real British offensive. To that end, Benedict and his men sack the Virginian capital of Richmond on January 5, 1781, but they don't stick around. They put a few buildings to flame and fall back to their base at Portsmouth, Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay. They get 2,500 reinforcements in March, at which point Major General William Phillips also arrives and takes

over, bumping Benedict down to number two in Virginia. These reinforcements sound great to the ever-aggressive Lord Cornwallis. It means that, when he gets to Virginia, he'll have thousands of troops to add to his own. After marching up through North Carolina, Lord Cornwallis and his men rendezvous with William Phillips' forces at Petersburg, Virginia on May 20th. It has to be a disappointing moment for Lord Cornwallis. Instead of finding his friend William in command, they've known each other and been BFFs since the Seven Years' War, he just finds Benedict Arnold. Turns out William died just a few days earlier of a fever. Man, that's rough. But, keeping his mind on the task at hand, his lordship starts making use of his enlarged force,

which, between those he brought, those in Virginia, and further reinforcements, is now 7,200 strong. His lordship can only hope Sir Henry will support his plan to make Virginia the new locale for the main British offensive. As he awaits Sir Henry's word, Lord Cornwallis fills the time by harassing Lafayette's American forces. Speaking of Sir Henry, where's he been while his subordinate, Lord Cornwallis, apparently makes major decisions about Virginia like he's the boss? Well, Sir Henry's still in New York, but from January through April, he's really in the dark as to what Lord Cornwallis is doing. I mean, he figures Cornwallis is fighting a good fight in the lower south, but he doesn't have word. You have to remember that the two men are not on good terms,

and although Sir Henry is the boss, he finds it a bit awkward giving orders to his aggressive number two. So even when Lord Cornwallis finally writes in April, saying he wants to take the party to Virginia, Sir Henry, who's indecisive anyway, doesn't put his foot down and say no. Between May and early July, the two bicker through letters. Lord Cornwallis insists they should throw down hard in Virginia. Sir Henry's not so sure. Maybe they should take on Philadelphia or just be ready to play defense. Rumor has it George Washington's working up some big offensive with the French. Well, not being forced by Sir Henry to do otherwise, Lord Cornwallis keeps all of his forces in Virginia. As we saw in the opening of this episode, he even sends troops to Charlottesville in June in an attempt to capture Thomas Jefferson and the legislature. Finally, in early July,

Sir Henry definitively orders Lord Cornwallis to send 3,000 troops to him in New York in order to fend off the Franco-American threat. Lord Cornwallis is also to set up a fortification on Virginia's coast and hold it. He does so on August 2nd at a place in the Chesapeake Bay, Yorktown, Virginia. Okay, so that's the British side of things and how Lord Cornwallis ends up at Yorktown. But what's up with the Americans and their French allies? Obviously, we also lack some details. Let's go back to January 1781 and fill in the picture. Ready?

Rewind. I know it's almost cliche at this point, but George Washington is, once again, having a tough time. What can I say? The whole revolution is a rough go for him. Well, now it's January 1781, and at this point, his greatest enemy might not be the Redcoats. Perhaps it's resources. He needs money. And that lack of funds is why George has to deal with mutiny once again. Now, we've long talked about the weak continental dollar and the Congress's struggles to feed, clothe, or pay continental soldiers. Well, these conditions, plus not getting paid for over a year have some Pennsylvania troops

wintering at Morristown, New Jersey quite upset. So when they learn that Congress is paying a cash bonus to new recruits, well that just throws them over the edge. And hey, you can see the injustice here, right? It's like when you call your internet provider because you saw it's offering some new amazing rate. And all you hear is, sorry, that rate is for new customers. And you're like, so I'm being penalized for being a loyal customer? What the hell? Yeah, you know how these troops feel. Well, kind of. You're probably not frozen, lacking shoes, hungry,

waiting on 12 months back pay. But you get my point. So they end up killing an officer, wounding another who later dies, then heading toward Philly to confront Congress. But none of these mutinous troops are getting executed. No, Congress is giving them money and they can choose to be discharged or enjoy a furlough through April. But of course, since Congress caves to the Pennsylvanians, now some of the New Jersey soldiers are thinking mutiny is the way to go. They just learned mutiny doesn't get punished, it gets rewarded. So now George knows he has to put his foot down. He sends Robert Howe with loyal soldiers to take care of business with the order to, quote, execute a few of the most active and most incendiary leaders, close quote. Robert executes two of them. It sucks, but George nailed it. Mutiny is tamped down. For now, at least. But something's

got to change. George's army is threadbare and running on fumes. It can't keep going like this. Congress has to pay the bills. Amid this chronic financial desperation and mutiny, the states finally ratify the Articles of Confederation. They go into effect on March 1st, 1781. But if you think this is going to fix anything, think again. I won't go into many details on the Articles here because I want to keep our focus on getting to the Battle of Yorktown and because we'll deal with them plenty when we get to the Battle of Yorktown, and because we'll deal with them plenty when we get to the Constitutional Convention in a later episode. But for now, let's note that the Articles are basically dead on arrival. They protect state sovereignty to such an extreme that Congress remains mostly powerless.

For instance, it still cannot tax, and that means George's ragged Continental Army remains underfunded and on the brink of mutiny. Perhaps you now better understand why George hasn't been more aggressive in the past two and a half years since the Battle of Monmouth in the summer of 78. He lacks the finances to build the strength. The best he's been able to do, while the main fight has been going on in the South, is to keep an eye on the ever-too-cautious Sir Henry sitting in New York. It's been, apart from some small attacks by the British, a stalemate. If George is ever to have the resources to do more, his only real hope is the French. So let's talk about them for a bit.

You might recall that I briefly mentioned a new French commander in the last episode. Rochambeau. Thanks largely to Lafayette's pleas, France sent Rochambeau last summer with an army of roughly 5,500 and a small navy. They've been holding up in Rhode Island ever since. Rochambeau and George have had a few chats about taking on New York, but the very smart, experienced, and capable French general hasn't ever agreed. That's not because he's apathetic. He's simply opposed to taking what he sees as rash action. So on paper, he answers to George, but in reality, both men know that's just a charade. For instance, when a storm in February damages enough British ships to give the French temporary naval superiority,

George urges Rochambeau to carry out a quick attack on Benedict Arnold's vulnerable position at Portsmouth, Virginia. In his mind, Rochambeau can attack by sea, while Lafayette attacks by land with 1,200 American light infantry. And if they're really lucky, they might even capture the traitor Benedict and put him to death. But Rochambeau takes his time. By the time his forces get moving in March, their naval advantage is lost. After a small battle at sea, the French return to Newport, Rhode Island, and continue to wait. See what I mean? When it comes to Rochambeau's men, George does not actually call the shots.

And in fact, this also means that Benedict is off the hook. Shortly after this small naval engagement, British ships arrive at Portsmouth to reinforce the turncoat general. As you may recall from when we talked through the British side of things just a minute ago, this is about when General William Phillips arrives too. This all means that Lafayette, whose men have already traveled as far south as Maryland, is unsure of what to do. Should he continue south all the way to the Carolinas and help General Nathaniel Green? Or should he return to George Washington? The Marquis and the Commander in Chief send some letters back and forth discussing this. Lafayette favors returning north because he thinks that's where the definitive fighting is going to happen and he wants to be

there. George isn't so sure that's the best use for Lafayette. And by the way, forgive a quick anecdote. This isn't crucial to the story, but one of these letters contains an embarrassing report from Lafayette that George's estate manager, Lund Washington, saved Mount Vernon from invading Redcoats by giving them aid. Quote, You cannot conceive how unhappy I have been to hear that Mr. Lund Washington went on board the enemy's vessels and consented to give them provisions. George is not happy. He writes to Lund, It would have been a less painful circumstance to me to have heard that in consequence of your non-compliance with their

request, they had burnt my house and laid the plantation in ruins. Gotta give it to George. He's always ready to lay it all on the line for the cause of America. Anyhow, back to the real point of these letters. In the end, and to the Marquis' disappointment, George orders Lafayette to correspond with Nathaniel Green and to go south if Nathaniel wants that. But the youthful Frenchman won't quite join Nathaniel. Instead, Lafayette ends up becoming the hero of Virginia. In a mad dash southward, the Marquis gets his army to Richmond on April 29th. They arrive literally one day before the Redcoats. Lafayette has saved the capital from yet another raid, and though outnumbered, he's looking forward to fighting Britain's new leader in Virginia, William Phillips.

See, William served as the commander of the artillery unit that killed Lafayette's father during the Seven Years' War. The Marquis wasn't even two years old at the time, but he's dreamed of revenge his whole life. Personally, I like to picture him reciting a cool line to say before killing William, like, Bonjour, my name is Gilbert Marquis de Lafayette. You killed my father. Prepare to die. This episode is brought to you by Dyson OnTrack. Dyson OnTrack headphones offer best-in-class noise cancellation

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European bent on avenging his father's death, my mind goes to the cult classic film The Princess Bride. But alas, as you know, Lafayette won't get to exact vengeance. It's a tidewater fever, perhaps malaria or typhoid, that ends William's life on May 15th, 1781, only five days before his army's rendezvous with Lord Cornwallis. Ah, Lord Cornwallis, you already know that this aggressive British general thinks crushing Virginia is the answer to cowering the southern states into submission. Now that he's absorbed the deceased William's army, he has the troops to do it too. This means that Lafayette's small,

ill-supplied force doesn't stand a chance, and his lordship knows it. The boy cannot escape me, he boasts, speaking of the youthful Lafayette in a letter intercepted by patriots. Frankly, the Marquis knows it too. He writes to George on May 24th, quote, Was I to fight a battle? I'll be cut to pieces, the militia dispersed, and the arms lost. I am not strong enough even to get beaten. Close quote.

But Lafayette will do the best he can under these circumstances. To quote him again, I am therefore determined to skirmish, but not to engage too far, he explains to George. In other words, Lafayette will run as Lord Cornwallis pursues. Okay, now that we understand how Lafayette and Lord Cornwallis end up playing cat and mouse in Virginia, we need to shift locations and go back north, because George and Rochambeau are talking potential battle plans at Wethersfield, Connecticut,

between May 21st and 22nd. George still wants to hit New York. Not only is it Sir Henry's base, but for our Virginian general, it's personal. Remember how the British chased him out of New York in 1776? He'd like to return the favor. They also consider Virginia, which is Rochambeau's preference, as well as what to do if the Caribbean-based French fleet under the command of Admiral de Glace comes up and provides support. This remains hypothetical, though. In the end, the two generals sign an agreement

saying they intend to go with George's preference and attack New York. But in truth, Rochambeau has other plans. See, our French commander held something back from George. He knows for a fact that de Glasse's fleet, consisting of just under 30 ships of the line and more than 3,000 troops, is coming to help. But he's keeping this knowledge from George. What can I say? Rochambeau doesn't entirely trust the colonial commander. Not only is he more experienced and better trained than George, but a little while back, our Virginian leader wrote a letter complaining about Rochambeau that got intercepted by the British and subsequently published in a loyalist newspaper. So perhaps

you can understand where Rochambeau has some reluctance to share such an important piece of military intelligence. George and his men appear unable to keep secrets. Thus, while Rochambeau agrees to attack New York on paper, he's thinking of how to best use this game-changing naval power. He secretly writes to de Grasse, heavily suggesting that the admiral might prefer to take his fleet to the Chesapeake Bay rather than New York. But, you know, it's just a suggestion. Not surprisingly, that's exactly what Degas will do. Let me make two clarifying points about Rochambeau's little head fake. One, he and George do get along quite well. Just because he doesn't trust George completely

doesn't mean they hate each other. Two, while Rochambeau is smart and capable, don't mistake him for having the foresight to plan a trap for Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. Keep the dates straight. Lord Cornwallis took command of British troops in Virginia on May 20th. Georgia and Rochambeau doesn't know what his lordship is up to. He wants to hit Virginia because the fortification first established by Benedict Arnold months ago in the Chesapeake Bay and the British ships supporting it look like lower-hanging fruit than New York. Nobody, including Lord Cornwallis himself, knows yet that he'll eventually get trapped in his own fortification at Yorktown. But you know what's funny? George helps create Lord Cornwallis' future trap with a letter he writes to Lafayette on May 31st. In it, the commander-in-chief mentions his agreement with Rochambeau to attack New York.

I quote, Upon a full consideration of our affairs in every point of view, an attempt upon New York was deemed preferable to a southern operation. Close quote. But this letter doesn't make it to Lafayette. It's intercepted by the British and in the hands of Sir Henry up in New York about a week later in early June. Oh crap! This letter describes the cautious and calculating Sir Henry's greatest fear, a combined Franco-American attack on New York. I mean, the Americans don't really concern him, but if the well-funded and fed

French attack him at the same time, well, this could prove devastating. This is when Sir Henry writes Lord Cornwallis with clear orders to set up a fortification in the Chesapeake Bay and to send reinforcements to New York ASAP. The aggressive Lord Cornwallis lands one last solid victory in a skirmish with Lafayette near Virginia's coast at Greenspring on July 6th, but after that, well, we're back to where we left Lord Cornwallis earlier in the episode. He goes to build a fortification in the Chesapeake Bay, as ordered by Sir Henry, and he chooses Yorktown. Huh, you know, given the influence of George's letter on Sir Henry's bad decision, maybe Rochambeau was right to mislead our fearless commander.

Nonetheless, George does soon learn that de Grasse is coming. His old aide-de-camp, John Lawrence, informs him. We last talked about John when the British took over Charleston in May 1780. Since then, he's been liberated through an exchange of prisoners and sent by Congress to use his fluent French as a diplomat in Paris. John writes to George, saying that France is donating six million livres, pounds, to the war effort and that de Glasse is, in fact, leaving the Caribbean to come fight in America. This leads our continental commander to think about attack options that would include de Glasse's fleet, including an attack in Chesapeake Bay. But these are just possibilities, not definite.

What can I say? Poor George has been burned by enough broken promises that, at this point, he won't believe the fleet is coming until he sees it. Still awaiting the fleet, George and Rochambeau's armies unite on July 6, 1781. They do so at Dobbs Ferry, roughly 20 miles north of British-held New York. The sight of the well-funded and fed French soldiers next to the impoverished Continentals is jarring. One French officer observed, quote, It is incredible that soldiers composed of men of every age, even of children of fifteen, of whites and blacks, almost naked, unpaid, and rather poorly fed, can march so well and stand fire so steadfastly.

Close quote. He has one explanation for this miracle. George Washington, whom, to quote him again, everyone regards as his father and friend. Come August 14th, George learns that French Admiral de Glace is definitely sailing for the Chesapeake Bay, not New York. Also, de Glace has to leave by mid-October. Okay then. At this point, George accepts that any desire he still has to attack New York will have to go unrealized. This campaign will happen in his home state of Virginia. As they make the 450-mile march southward, George cleverly tricks Sir Henry into believing the combined Franco-American army means

to attack New York. He makes sure that supposedly secret documents mentioning an attack on Staten Island are handled poorly so British spies can see them and report the false plans. George has ovens built in New Jersey to give the impression of a long-term camp under construction. And all of this makes sense of their southward march, because if the Franco-American army were to launch their attack on New York via Staten Island, then a camp in Jersey makes sense. It's a brilliant sleight of hand. By the time the British realize George and Rochambeau are going to Virginia, American troops are already passing through Philadelphia. This means Lord Cornwallis' ability to escape by land is disappearing. And in truth, his hopes of

escaping by sea are starting to look grim too. Because, as Rochambeau learns from an excited George Washington frantically waving his hat and handkerchief to get his attention on September 5th, de Grasse has already arrived. But now's not the time for a joyful meetup between George, Rochambeau, and de Grasse. The French admiral is caught up in a naval throwdown that's perhaps as important as the siege of Yorktown itself. Realizing that the Franco-American siege will target Lord Cornwallis in the Chesapeake, not Sir Henry in New York, British Admiral Thomas Graves sails south with his Sandy Hook-based fleet to provide support to his lordship. They arrive on September 5th to find de Grasse at the opening of the Chesapeake Bay, and it's on. De Grasse has 24 ships of the line for this fight.

The others are blockading Lord Cornwallis so he can't try to escape his fort at Yorktown. The British have 19 ships of the line. More important than the numbers, though, is de Grasse's brilliant and fierce leadership. Standing at 6'2", his men claim he grows to 6'6 during battle. Can you imagine this towering man at the helm of his triple-decker, 120-gun flagship, Ville de Paris? De Grasse is a god of the sea, a French Poseidon. The battle starts on September 5th. After the two fleets spend the morning staring each other down, de Grasse has his ships form a battle line around noon. The British form theirs as well.

The ships at the front of the two opposing lines slowly move towards each other throughout the afternoon. British formed theirs as well. The ships at the front of the two opposing lines slowly moved towards each other throughout the afternoon. Finally, at 4 p.m., the British began to fire. A journal kept by an unnamed officer in de Glasse's fleet reports that, initially, the British balls did not come near enough to receive a warm reply. It sounds to me like a few British cannonballs managed to do little more than splash into the did not come near enough to receive a warm reply. Close quote. It sounds to me like a few British cannonballs managed to do little more than splash into the cold Atlantic's waters.

Soon, though, the winds heat things up. The distance between the ships at the front of the two lines closes so much that they are, quote, almost within pistol shot, close quote. That should tell you this is very close range. The crews can undoubtedly see each other well enough to make out facial features. And at this point, to quote the journal again, the fire was long well sustained. Interior Chinatown is an all-new series based on the best-selling novel by Charles Yu about a struggling Asian actor who gets a bigger part than he expected

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Both look out at each other throughout the night, and it's obvious. The British are hurting far more than the French. The two fleets intermittently repair and attack each other over the next few days. Then, on September 10th, more French warships arrive. Admiral de Barra, who's long been anchored at Newport with Rochambeau, has brought his small fleet down to the Chesapeake, both to provide more support to de Grasse and to transport the army's artillery. This means de Grasse now has about 36 ships of the line. British Admiral Graves knows he is

done for. He destroys one of his excessively damaged warships, the HMS Terrible, and on September 13th, he and his injured fleet sail back to New York. In doing so, they leave Lord Cornwallis to fend for himself as the Franco-American forces arrive between September 14th and 24th at Williamsburg, Virginia. They are now merely 15 miles away from Lord Cornwallis' fortification at Yorktown. Okay, we're ready for the siege. But since we've met a lot of people, let me recap who's here. I'll start with the Americans. We have a lot of old friends who we've come to know throughout the war. First, we have our commander in chief, George Washington. He arrives on the 15th. Colonel St. George Tucker writes to his

wife that when Lafayette sees him, quote, the Marquis clasped the general in his arms and embraced him with an ardor not easily described, close described. I can only imagine the scene. The young Frenchman and older Virginian have long had a father and son relationship. They've been through hell together. So now, to be reunited after Lafayette's dangerous summer in Virginia, and with victory at hand, this has to be a tender moment. I confess, it stirred my soul just reading about it. We also have our scrappy Bostonian and king of artillery, Henry Knox, the German drillmaster von Steuben, the brilliant Caribbean-born Alexander Hamilton, and New England's Ben Lincoln, freed from British captivity through a prisoner exchange.

Even John Lawrence, recently returned from his diplomatic mission to France, is going to make it to Yorktown. There's only one American commander who we've bonded with that's still active and not here, Nathaniel Green. But he's absent because he's busy reconquering a now Lord Cornwallis-free South Carolina. As for the French, we have General Rochambeau and his army. We have de Barra, who we haven't talked much about, and frankly, we won't. But he commands the small fleet that showed up at Newport, Rhode Island with Rochambeau last year. Then there's de Grasse, whose fleet just

crushed the British. Upon finally meeting George Washington after this naval battle, he jokingly calls the tall Virginian commander, mon cher petit general, or my dear little general. And for the sake of clarity, I'll name Lafayette again, but remember, this Frenchman is serving in the Continental Army. On the British side, we have, of course, Lord Cornwallis. Among his officers is Tarleton, whom the Americans loathe for his role as commander at the massacre at Waxhaws. In this episode, we also saw him almost capture Thomas Jefferson. The one other notable leader we've already discussed and that's still pertinent at this point is Sir Henry Clinton, up north in New York. Now, are you ready for a headcount of the armies?

George has brought about 2,000 Americans with him from New York. Lafayette has around 7,000. Although he originally came from Virginia with only 1,200, his numbers increased after connecting with Generals von Steuben and Anthony Wayne, as well as receiving other reinforcements to boot. A few hundred more reinforcements also come out of the woodwork at this point. You know, the types who like to show up when victory looks easy. Like how the Red Sox suddenly had a lot more fans after the World Series in 2004. Altogether, this puts us around 9,500 American troops, two-thirds of whom are continentals,

the rest militia. Now for the French. Between Rochambeau's 5,500 and De Grasse's more than 3,000, we have roughly 8,800 French troops. The combined Franco-American army is about 18,000 strong. It's just barely more American than French, unless we include the French Navy. The Grasse's fleet is manned by 15,000 sailors. Including them, there are far more French than Americans at Yorktown. And the British? Oh, Lord Cornwallis is defending with around 7,000 men. Yeah, he's screwed.

Okay, now let's look at the geography of this battle so you can appreciate how this trap works. As I hope I've made clear enough throughout this episode, the Chesapeake Bay includes the coast of Virginia, where the state's most eastern edge runs into the Atlantic Ocean. If we sailed into the bay, we'd have to bear north almost immediately if we didn't want to dock. If we did that, we'd soon see a massive peninsula to the east. To the west, we'd find a series of large rivers emptying into the bay. We're going to skip the most southern of these large rivers, the James, and sail up to the second most southern river. That's the York River, and on the southern side of its mouth, we have the small village of Yorktown. The town itself is on a plateau at the water's edge, and this is where Lord Cornwallis has barricaded himself

and most of his army. His defenses consist of redoubts, ditches, abatis, and palisades, largely built by thousands of slaves who came to Lord Cornwallis hoping for freedom. And just opposite Yorktown, on the northern side of the river, we'll find a piece of land that juts out. This is Gloucester Point. Here, his lordship has another, albeit much smaller, fortification under the command of Tarleton. Franco-American forces will now surround both whilem. and marches the 15 or so miles east to Yorktown. They set up camp just to the south of it. The Americans to its southeast, the French to the southwest. Together they form a semicircle around Yorktown. Lord Cornwallis' defenses are strong, but they are no match for Rochambeau and his engineers.

He informs George that unless serious British reinforcements arrive, they've already won. Just as we saw in episode 11, when Sir Henry Clinton laid siege to Charleston, South Carolina, the Franco-American army will dig a long trench running parallel to the fort, reinforce their position, then dig shorter trenches toward the enemy. From there, they'll dig a second parallel. Doing so, there is no other outcome than a Franco-American victory. Most days pass with French engineers telling George where and how the Americans should dig that day, then George going and ordering his miners and sappers to dig and build accordingly.

To George, who never had the education or training Rochambeau received, this all seems incredible. Especially because scrappy George can't imagine how Lord Cornwallis can just sit there knowing he's done for. George never would. But then again, these European leaders have never known the desperation or stakes George has. If they lose the war, they suffer embarrassment. For George, losing means exile or execution. But that said, don't think his lordship won't go down swinging. He hasn't given up hope yet. At the start of the siege, Captain James Duncan from Pennsylvania

tells us that British artillery fires like crazy. On October 2nd, he laments that, quote, last night four men of our regiment were unfortunately killed by one cannonball, close quote. In this same journal entry, he also recounts the very odd death of an American on October 3rd. A militia man climbs on top of the recently built American parapets and, quote, brandishing his spade at every ball that is fired, yells, damn my soul if I dodge for the buggers. Several cannonballs miss the exposed soldier at first, but finally, James reports that, quote, unfortunately, a ball came and put an end to his capers. Close quote. Now, why on earth would a man expose himself to cannon fire while damning his own soul if he dodges? It seems crazy, but personally, I think we just witnessed a case of PTSD.

Over the next few days, the sappers and miners finish cutting their first parallel trench out of the Virginian earth. It's about 600 yards out from Yorktown. To celebrate, tradition dictates a military unit enter the trench with great fanfare, including drums and flags. The honor, or horror, since this also amounts to a test of how solid these trenches are, fell to Colonel Alexander Hamilton's unit. And as they entered the trench on October 6th, sure enough, British artillery opened fire. Now, I'll remind you that Alex pined for war as a child,

because he saw it as a way to show his bravery and move up in the world. We talked about that in episode 8, as you may recall, but he spent most of the war as George's aide-de-camp and hasn't seen much battle, at least not as much as he wants. So how does Alex respond to Britannia's cannon? He orders his men to get up out of the trenches, face the enemy, and then, as our new friend Captain James Duncan tells us, to, quote, go through all the ceremony of soldiery, close quote. Can you picture this? They parade, ground arms and such, right in the line of cannon fire. Amazingly, the British do nothing. James has only one guess as to why not. I suppose their astonishment at our conduct must have prevented them. Yeah, just pure shock. Good grief. You know, this is the sort of thing

that can cut either way. Had the British fired, I bet a field court-martial would have come Alex's way. But since it went just fine, he probably got the equivalent of an 18th century high-five from his buddies for his machismo display. Come the 9th, the Franco-American forces have trenched and fortified enough to do their own bombarding. George Washington ceremoniously fires the first Franco-American cannon at Yorktown. The Allies now make it rain on Lord Cornwallis. According to Colonel Butler, By this point, the dismembered dead pile up in Yorktown. His lordship's ranks are further thinning from the effects of

disease and fever. Lord Cornwallis continues to pray for reinforcements. By the 11th, Yorktown's defenses are sufficiently damaged to start the second parallel. This one is only 300 yards from Yorktown. Sappers and miners carve away at the ground with their pickaxes. George being George, he ventures into these trenches at night, risking his life to talk with his men. The sappers and miners make short work of it. Within days, the second trench is complete, and the way is open for an attack on two major fortifications, Redoubts 9 and 10. They are on the eastern side of Lord Cornwallis' defenses, with Redoubt 10 sitting right at the York River's edge. Now, each of these redoubts have a similar construction. On the outside are trenches

and abati. If abati is a new word for you, think sharpened objects meant to either impale invaders or hold them up while the soldiers in the redoubt can shoot them. These redoubts are using sharpened logs and tree branches. If the invaders make it past these abati, they will now have to surmount the breastwork, which usually consists of an inclined wall just a few feet high. It's often made of dirt, likely using the same ground excavated to make the trench. Can you picture this? The trench, the sharp abati, the earthen wall or breastwork, behind all of which are Lord Cornwallis' men. Got it? Good. The French will attack Redoubt

9. The Americans, under the command of an over-eager Alexander Hamilton will attack Redoubt 10. Let's follow Alex. It's October 14th and night has fallen. The Franco-American army fires shells to light the way for Alex's unit. Bayonets fixed, they traverse the uneven quarter mile between their trenches and Redoubt 10 at a full-on sprint. The British and Hessian troops in the Redoubt scramble to mount a defense, firing in the dark, but Alex and his men come screaming towards them undaunted. They make short work of destroying the Abati, after which, and I swear I am not making this up, already at the front of the charge, Alexander Hamilton plants one foot on a kneeling soldier and launches himself into the air like some sort of parkour master and lands on top of the redoubt's breastwork.

Damn, son! Now that's how you scale a parapet. Now the Americans holler the password. Rochambeau! That means rush in. In less than 10 minutes, Alexander Hamilton captures Redoubt 10 and achieves his boyhood dream of becoming a war hero. The French find stiffer resistance at Redoubt 9, but eventually they win the night.

The next morning, nearly 100 Franco-American pieces of artillery are in place to bombard Yorktown. The Allies can now hit just about everything of importance. A Connecticut sapper named James Sullivan Martin feels a real sense of accomplishment as he looks at what all his trenching has done. To quote him, I confess, I felt a secret pride swell in my heart

when I saw the star-spangled banner waving majestically in the very faces of our implacable adversaries. Close quote. The hundred-some-odd guns of the French and Henry Knox now opened fire almost simultaneously as the French cheer their allies. Huzzah for the Americans! Hiding in his cave-like bunker, at least according to legend, Lord Cornwallis makes a last attempt to save his military by sending some across the York River under the cover of night on the 16th to Tarleton's fortifications at Gloucester Point, but between their damaged boats,

hard winds, and heavy rain, the effort fails. Thus expired the last hope of the British army, writes Tarleton. The next day, on October 17th, his lordship writes to George, quote, I propose a cessation of hostilities to settle terms for surrender of the posts of York and Gloucester. The terms aren't bad. His lordship gets to keep a ship, the Bonetta, which sends word to Sir Henry Clinton of the surrender. Lord Cornwallis and his officers are free to depart on parole. Over 7,000 soldiers, roughly 4,000 British, 2,000 Hessian, 800 sailors, and hundreds of loyalists become prisoners of war. But George isn't without a sense of justice. Since the British denied Ben Lincoln the honor of flying

his flags when surrendering at Charleston last year, George will not allow Lord Cornwallis to do so either. What can I say? Karma is a b****. The official ceremony takes place on October 19th at 2 p.m. In his shame, Lord Cornwallis claims to be sick and doesn't attend. He sends General Charles O'Hara. Charles leads the procession of British troops in their surrender, like Ben Lincoln, without the honors of war. Their muskets are shouldered. Their flags are cased. On the right side of the road stand the Americans, many of whom lack uniforms or even shoes. On the left side are the French in their splendid regal dress. British drums beat a tune.

Which one exactly has long been disputed, but some say it's a piece entitled, The World Turned Upside Down. When Charles arrives at the end of the procession, he removes his hat, apologizes to George for his lordship's illness, and offers up his sword. George doesn't take it. Instead, he has Ben Lincoln do so. If Lord Cornwallis is going to send a subordinate to surrender, George will have one of his subordinates accept. And of course, the irony and justice of making the British surrender to the once-conquered Ben is not lost on anyone. Ben then leads the British officers to a field

outside the town where they ground their arms. A New Jersey officer says the British, quote, behaved like boys who had been whipped at school. Some bit their lips, some pouted, others cried. Close quote. And with that, the ceremony ends. The next day, Lord Cornwallis writes to Sir Henry, I have the mortification to inform your excellency that I have been forced to give up the posts of York and Gloucester, and to surrender the troops under my command by capitulation on the 19th as prisoners of war to the combined forces of America and France. Close quote. As word spreads, Congress celebrates, and British Prime Minister Lord North exclaims,

Oh God, it is all over. Well, it is and it isn't. Yorktown's definitely the last major engagement, but the fighting will drag on for quite a while yet. And what will come of the peace talks? There are territorial boundaries to establish, debts to discuss, even fishing rights. And in these discussions, how well can John Adams work with Ben Franklin, whom he doesn't really trust? And what about all the back pay due to the Continental Army? The soldiers are growing angry. How will the young confederation's republican values survive a threat from its own military? The fighting isn't over. It's simply moving from the battlefield

to the negotiation table. History That Doesn't Suck is created, hosted, researched, and written by me, Greg Jackson. Production and sound design by Josh Beaty. Musical score composed and performed by Greg Jackson and Diana Averill. For bibliography of all primary and secondary sources consulted in writing this episode, visit historythatdoesntsuck.com. Join me in two weeks, where I'd like to tell you a story. our members whose monthly gift puts them at producer status. George Sherwood, Gurwith Griffin, Henry Brunges, Jake Gilbreth, James G. Bledsoe, Janie McCreary, Jeff Marks, Jennifer Moods, Jennifer Magnolia, Jeremy Wells, Jessica Poppock,

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