First Allied Siege Line

On the night of October 6, 1781, during the siege of Yorktown, Allied American and French forces began constructing their first siege line as 1,500 soldiers quietly entrenched along a line laid out by engineering officers and another 2,800 stood guard against a British assault. After General Washington struck a few ceremonial blows with a pickax to break ground, the work continued through a gentle rain. British troops on the left, or eastern, part of the British Inner Defense Line remained unaware of the Allied soldiers in front of them, allowing the Allies to labor all night without interference. By dawn, American and French troops stood safely behind their first siege line, and over the next two days they completed battery positions for heavy artillery. Major General Henry Knox later recalled that the first parallel, some redoubts, and all the batteries were finished by October 9 at 2 o’clock P.M., when the artillery opened and continued firing.

Virginia · United States