The Republican journal., 1921-07-28
Where the American
Revolution Was Won

Where the American
Revolution Was Won
The historic battlefield of Yorktown
Va, where the British general, Corn
wallis, surrendered, and where for all
practical purposes the American Revolu-
ton was brought to victorious conclu-
sion, may soon be made into shrine to
share popularity with Bunker Hill, Vale
Forge and Mt. Vernon.
The little village Its surroundings
form the subject of the following bulletin
issued from the Washington headquarters
of the National Geographic Society:
Though Y Yorktown wRs not thriving
community nor place noted for it's &C
feasibility during Revolutionary days, it
was relatively much more important and
much less remote from the daily life of
the country than it has been at any time
since. Most other American towns were
small in those days, ports were few, and
railroads were unthought of. AS cities
have sprung up where there were only
hamlets or patches of wilderness before,
and as railroads have brought even the
two oceans relatively closer together,
Yorktown, at point where little COM
merce has been developed, and without
rail connections, has become in effect
more and more remote, and Its character
as a sleepy village has become more and
more emphasized.
"The Yorktown of today IS commun-
ity of less than $50 inhabitants, with a
few old colonial homes and number of
less pretentious dwellings, The nearest
railroad lies eight miles to the south. In
the town is monument erected in 1881
on the Tooth anniversary of the surrender
of the British. AS reminder of the early
Importance of Yorktown there still ex-
lists the first customs house in the United
States. Near the village are remains of
the forts and redoubts whose capture
by the Revolutionary soldiers and their
French allies marked the real birth of the
United States The scene M Corvallis
surrender-Whico was by proxy through
his General O'Harra-is believed to be in
the open country just south of the village.
yorktown is on a narrow peninsula
lying between the wide estuaries of the
James and York rivers, and is where the
latter meets Chesapeake Bay. Corn
wallis, after scourging Virginia, burning
homes, killing and driving eff stock and
capturing large numbers of slaves, retir-
ed down the peninsula to Yorktown. Laf-
ayette, with handful of American SOL
diers, followed at distance. twas when
this situation was pointed cut to Wash
ington that he was persuaded to abandon
his plan to attack New York and instead
to take his own forces from West Point
and Rochambeau's division from Provi-
dence, R. l., to stake all on battle in
the South. The arrival of DECREASE with
French fleet ii the Chesapeake, block
ing the entrance to that bay and prevent
ing reinforcements reaching CORVALLIS,
made the defeat of the latter inevitable.
sit is not strange that CORVALLIS con-
sidered Yorktown a good location for
military headquarters in spite of the ease
with which the peninsula might be block
ed. 1t possesses a truly remarkable deep
water harbor, and CORVALLIS counted on
the maintenance of communication by
water with the he Wy British forces in
New York.
"Yorktown's harbor was Pat to good
use during the v orld war ard so for the
second time played an important part in
the country's martal history In the
mouth of the York river opposite the !
famous village the greater part of the
Atlantic fleet at times rode d. anchor.
There, behind the defenses at the entrance |
to the Chesapeake, and further protected |
by nets and patrols across the mouth of |
the York, dreadnaughts and lesser vessels
were safe from molestation by enemy
submarines. Thousands of men were in
tensively trained for naval duty at this
anchorage while the wherea bouts of the |
fleet was kept "a profound secret. The |
Yorktown anchorage was alluded to in
Official communications throughout the
war only as Base q"
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