At the Hook on October 3rd, 1781, in the largest cavalry action of the American War of Independence, the Duc du Lauzun's Legion and Lieutenant Colonel John Mercer's Select Battalion of Militia defeated Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton's British Legion and a detachment of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. The action, involving as many as 1,300 troops, half of them mounted, ended Crown foraging operations around Gloucester that had been underway since early August and destroyed Lord Cornwallis' hopes of escaping through Gloucester. British forces retreated inside their works at Gloucester Town, today's Gloucester Point. Their surrender on October 19th, the last surrender of Crown forces in North America, took place one hour after Cornwallis' forces had laid down their arms across the river in Yorktown.

Photo: Devry Becker Jones (CC0)

Gloucester Point, Virginia · USA