The British Safety Valve

On the night of October 16, 1781, after almost three weeks of the American-French siege, the British defenses at Yorktown were crumbling, and General Cornwallis tried to save his army by sending most of it across the York River to escape 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 abandoned the attempt. On October 17, his men rowed back in full view of Washington’s forces, and with escape no longer possible, Cornwallis asked for a cease fire to discuss surrender terms. 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 held their own ceremony, surrendering to the Americans and French led by the Duc de Choisy.

Gloucester Point, Virginia · United States