On the night of October 16, 1781, after almost three weeks of the American-French siege, the crumbling British defenses at Yorktown led General Cornwallis to attempt a desperate escape by rowing most of his army across the York River and northward through the 2,900 American and French soldiers besieging the Point. After midnight, British troops began crossing in sixteen boats, and under cover of darkness the first 1,000 soldiers reached Gloucester Point safely. A sudden storm with high winds and violent squalls then scattered the boats, and Cornwallis called off the escape. On the morning of October 17, his men rowed back in full view of Washington’s forces. With hope of escape gone, Cornwallis requested a cease fire to discuss surrender terms, and on October 19 his troops formally surrendered. The victory at Yorktown secured independence for the United States of America. Most British troops laid down their weapons in a field south of Yorktown, while at Gloucester Point the British forces under Colonel Banastre Tarleton surrendered to the Americans and French led by the Duc de Choisy.
