Disaster Of Cornwallis At Yorktown In 1781 example essay topic

Parliament's passage of the intolerable acts in 1774 intensified the conflict between the colonies and Great Britian. Over the next two years, many Americans reached the unthinkable conclusion that the only solution to their quarrel with the British government was to sever all ties with their mother country. Up until 1781, the American Revolution was largely fought using what we refer to today as guerilla warfare. It was a series of engage and retreat tactics that left the allies just barely hanging on.

That all changed in Yorktown during a siege that ultimately changed the world. For the first time the Americans and its allies were poised to fight a battle on traditional military terms and turn the war in their favor. I agree with the statement above because the outcome of this battle contributed to the unlikely victory of the American colonists. General Washington felt it necessary to attack New York.

It took some negotiating by French General Rochambeau to make Washington realize that a Yorktown attack would prove more fruitful. This was the beginning of the end for the British General Cornwallis, as he failed to see this siege coming. Had Washington decided to press on to New York then the battle of Yorktown would probably never have been waged. Once an attack on Yorktown was agreed upon, plans immediately began. On the other side, General Cornwallis greatly underestimated the threat he faced.

He moved into Virginia in large part to avoid the nuisance American General Green had become in the Carolinas. Had Cornwallis simply followed his orders to protect the southern ports of Charleston and Savannah, he would have likely never got himself into the poor defensive position he did. He also underestimated the effectiveness of General Green. In fact, Green's troops were just as demoralized as Cornwallis', believing that a British re-supply was almost guaranteed, which proved deadly wrong. This overzealous mentality that plagued the British proved to be their own Achilles heal as their downfall became even more shocking. During the Revolutionary War, sea power became almost as important as air power is today.

General Cornwallis had fought with a mentality that one cannot win without it and counting on being re-supplied by sea. Cornwallis looked at the colonist therefore as having no chance for victory because of an apparent immobility without a naval base. This is one of the main reasons why he gathered all his forces at Yorktown. Setting up a base in Yorktown, Cornwallis put all his faith in the British fleet. He was counting on control of the Chesapeake to remain with the British allowing him an escape route as well as the fore mentioned supplies. Instead, French Admiral de Grasse sailed quickly from the West Indies and secured an empty Chesapeake before the British arrived.

The British Admiral Graves did try to fight his way in, but the French were too well positioned for him to be effective. The bay remained in allied hands for the remainder of the war. The disaster of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781 was due to the failure of British sea power. This may be the single most important turning point in the Yorktown Battle.

The success of Admiral de Grasse effectively cornered Cornwallis and left him very few options. Before formal siege operations began, the American and allied troops already held the advantage. Having secured the sea, Washington could focus all his efforts on the upcoming assault. Using great skill and deception Washington was able to feign an attack on New York before his troops left for Virginia. This gave Washington a few extra days head start before the British realized what he was up to. In late September of 1781, Washington's men had moved within a mile of the British.

To their surprise they found that the British had abandoned three outposts on the southwest approach to Yorktown. This helped out the allies as it allowed for a ready made front in which to launch an attack. In early October the French allies had moved into Gloucester directly across the York River from Yorktown. The French were able to quickly secure the area and cut off yet another escape option for Cornwallis.

This assured the Americans the upper hand, at least in the beginning stages of attack. On October 6th 1781 the formal siege of Yorktown began just after dark. Cornwallis did not even know that the main siege had begun until after daylight on October 7th. The bombardment of Yorktown began on the 9th with the allies having 46 guns in place. Cornwallis's troops by comparison could only muster a measly 6 rounds an hour. The allies continued their peppering of British defenses and by the 14th they were ready for an assault to knock out the British.

The allies began to assault with relative ease and after securing a few new positions they immediately regrouped in case of a counter attack. Cornwallis never ordered such an attack and instead massed his artillery against the new allied positions. By this time, however, there were more than 100 allied guns and stopping the assault proved impossible. On the 16th, a desperate Cornwallis tried to make his way across the York River into Gloucester in an attempt to fight his way out.

However, bad weather forced him to turn back. The allied force of roughly 20,000 men had minimal casualties, while they were able to inflict a large number of casualties on the smaller British force. On the morning of the 18th the terms of surrender were negotiated. By the next day, the defeated British marched out of Yorktown as unlikely victory had occurred. Indeed, the world seemed upside down to the British at this point. The victory cemented General Washington as one of America's great leaders and turned the tide in the revolution.

By the time reinforcements arrived for Cornwallis, it's doubtful that they would have been able to fight through the French Fleet. The Americans were successful for many reasons during the battle of Yorktown, but no one factor would have worked without prior planning. General Cornwallis himself failed to plan ahead. Had he stayed in the Carolinas, it would have been extremely difficult for the allies to bring concentrated firepower on all his troops at the same time. By gathering all his men and equipment at one location with few retreat options, he gave the allies the best target of the whole war.

By refusing to plan for the eventuality of an assault, he ensured his own defeat. By gaining control of the sea and rendering Cornwallis's only chance at surviving Yorktown hopeless, the allies secured a major victory against the British that not only changed the world as they knew it, but as we know it today.