Based on sourcing, students will determine which of the two pieces of historical evidence depicting the same event, the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis and the British forces at Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1781, is the most...

The British called the Americans rebels! But in the end, had to surrender to them. Read the exciting account, complete with artwork and facts, of this famous battle that led to the independence of the American states.

In July 1780 France's Louis XVI had sent to America an expeditionary force of 6,000 men under the Comte Jean de Rochambeau. In addition, the French fleet harassed British shipping and prevented reinforcement and resupply of British...

See a copy of George Washington's diary, written in his own hand, which describes the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. From a collection in the Library of Congress.

Read about the siege of Yorktown and the inability of Cornwallis to be resupplied, resulting in his surrender of 8,000 British troops to General George Washington. The end of the Revolutionary War was finalized with the Treaty of Paris...

A map of the southern theater of the American Revolutionary War from the Chesapeake Bay south to Savannah, showing major cities and towns, forts, and important battle sites of the period. An inset map details Yorktown, site of the final...

This site is dedicated to the art of the American Revolution. Art in the gallery (main page) will lead you to further information.

This site lists museums that have John Trumbull (1756-1843 CE) paintings. Many of the museums have images and descriptions of the paintings online.

A brief overview of the battles and their individual and collective importance in the Revolutionary War. Find out about the battle that turned the tide and brought about needed French assistance.

"The story of the siege of Yorktown is a brief one. On Sept. 28, 1781, the allies encamped around Yorktown, and completely hemmed in Cornwallis and 7,000 men. His fleet had been so severely handled by the French that it had sailed away...

A map of the Colonial Virginia area where the Siege of Yorktown took place in 1781. The map shows the British held city of Yorktown on the York River, the city of Gloucester, the British works, redoubts, and fortifications, roads to...

A battle plan of the Siege of Yorktown of 1781 at the close of the American Revolutionary War. The plan shows the British fortifications around Yorktown, the ships Guadeloupe and Charon in the York River, the British redoubts occupied by...