F76.5B

=The British are leaving, The British are leaving! =

Yorktown, Virginia October 25, 1781
Cornered from all sides, the British were forced to surrender on October 19. American's siege the British army from both land and sea. This was a fantastic victory for the patriots. Though the Americans were underdogs the fought hard and came out on top. General George Washington described the American Revolution as this; "...A contest for liberty ill provided with the means for the war, relying on our patriotism to supply the deficiency."

At the end of September more than 16,000 Americans and French troops surrounded Cornwallis' army of fewer than 8,000. Surrounded by General George Washington's army and trapped by a French force offshore, the British general Charles Cornwallis was forced to surrender his troops. As the defeated Red Coats marched out, the British Army band played the song "The World Turned Upside Down."The British then surrender their weapons. It was a great victory for America.

On the brisk fall day of October 19, 1781 the Patriots had a great victory.It was on this date that the British army surrender. The location was Yorktown. Yorktown lies on a peninsula. It is not far from Jamestown. Other locations are also involved in the British surrender. These places are Virginia, the British troop's original target, and the Chesapeake Bay, where a French fleet cut off a British supply ship. Without the supplies from the British ship the British army was unable to be properly supplied. The British were surrounded for three weeks. A mere two days before their true surrender, the British troops raised a white "Flag of Truce."

The British surrender was to be one of the greatest events in American history. It first started with the British troops marching onward to Virginia. The troops were then forced to retreat to Yorktown due to Patriot troops marching towards them from New Jesery. On the New York Peninsula, Coronial Cornwallis of the British troops hoped to refule on supplies. These supplies were to be delivered by a British supply ship from the Chesapeake Bay. However, this ship was defeated by a French fleet. With their cargo ships defeated, the British troops were left surrounded without supplies. The British troops remained under siege for three weeks. This time period was ended with a major battle between the British and Patriots. Surpisingly, the Patriots can out of the battle victoriously and the British surrendered.

There were many reasons why the British surrendered. One of the reasons was the British were losing live in battle. Also, they could not afford to fight anymore. America teamed up with France and Spain. Together they outnumber the British troops. Another reason why the British surrendered was that the French had cut off the British cargo ships. Therefore, they had no reasources to use in combat. After the surrender on October 19, 1781, America then detached themselves from Britan.