Siege of Yorktown Virginia to Sep 28 – Oct 19, 1781
The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution resulting in the final defeat of the British Empire over the Americas at the end of the Revolutionary War. The British final surrender forecast the end of British rule and King George in the colonies and the birth of a new nation—the United States of America. The Siege Of Yorktown coin marks this heralded event in US history and a big reason why it needed to be designed.
How the Siege of Yorktown ended
American victory. Outnumbered and outfought during a three-week siege in which they sustained great losses, British redcoats surrendered to the General George Washington commanded Continental Army and their French allies. This was the last major land battle of the American Revolution that led to negotiations for peace with the British and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
The overall Context of Battle
After six years of hard fought war, both the British and Continental armies were spent and exhausted. The British, in hostile territory, held only a few coastal areas in America. On the other side of the Atlantic, Britain was also waging a global war with France and Spain. Britain was tapped fighting a 3 front war.
The American conflict was unpopular and divisive, and there was no end in sight. For the colonies, the long struggle for independence was leading to enormous debt, food shortages, and a lack of morale among the soldiers. The costs of a long and hard fought war was expensive for both parties but the colonists held the advantage of the fight being on their shores. The British cost was expense and fought over too far a distance. Both sides were desperately seeking a definitive victory.
General George Washington and his Continental Army had a decision to make in the spring of 1781. They could strike a decisive blow to the British in New York City or aim for the south, in Yorktown, Virginia, where Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis’s troops were garrisoned. The decision was made. Washington and his French ally, Lt. Gen. Comte de Rochambeau, bet on the south, where they were assured critical naval support from a French fleet commanded by Adm. Comte de Grasse.
Fighting from both sea and land was too much for the British to handle. The Allied armies marched hundreds of miles from their headquarters north of New York City to Yorktown, making theirs the largest troop movement of the American Revolution. They surprised the British in a siege that turned the tide toward an American victory in the War for Independence. The rest became history.
Battles of the American Revolution Coins
As one of the most popular American historical battles in the Battles of the American Revolutionary War coin series this stands apart. Commanding the Continental Army with General George Washington on one side and the engagement and battle of Yorktown displayed on the reverse side this US historical coin is produced with artisan coin craftsmanship and superb quality.
