Cornwallis and Yorktown Trivia Quiz

Answer: To establish a deep water port and naval base

Cornwallis was in the Carolinas when he received confusing orders from his superior, General Clinton. He was finally ordered to create a fortified naval base that could be used by the Royal Navy. The port would be used to get much needed supplies from Britain. Cornwallis chose Yorktown because of its deep-water harbor on the York River.

Answer: He thought Washington was fighting in New York

In 1781, George Washington used deceptive tactics to make the British think that his primary goal was to attack Gen. Clinton in New York. His army built fake camps, faked naval movements, and sent unencrypted false letters so that the British and their spies firmly believed he was aiming for New York.

In actuality, he and the Franco-American army were marching south to Virginia where Cornwallis was entrenched in Yorktown.

Answer: False

Upon arrival to Yorktown, Cornwallis had his troops begin fortifying the area. The primary defense consisted of a line of fortifications around the perimeter which included a series of small, enclosed forts called redoubts, artillery positions, and connecting trenches.

There were ten redoubts that were completed. He also fortified a position at Gloucester Point, across the York River, with earthworks and batteries to control the river and provide an escape route if necessary.

Answer: French

France was a crucial ally with the American colonists during the Revolution. On September 5, 1781, Admiral de Grasse's French fleet engaged and defeated a British squadron in the Battle of the Chesapeake, securing French control of the area. His ships then blocked the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.

This tactic prevented British ships from bringing supplies or reinforcements to Cornwallis's forces. Critically, this also blocked a possible escape route for Cornwallis and his troops.

Answer: Withdraw to inner fortifications

Months earlier, in the spring of 1781, Washington and the French commander, Comte de Rochambeau, had agreed to join forces against Cornwallis. The combined armies marched south in the summer and arrived in Yorktown on September 28, 1781. They had a total now of around 18,000 men against Cornwallis and his troops numbering roughly 9,000.

Cornwallis, upon witnessing the strength of the American and French army, ordered his troops to abandon their outer line of fortifications, except for Redoubts 9 and 10, and withdraw into the city. He did this in the belief that soon his superior, General Clinton, would be sending reinforcements. What he did not know was that Clinton had hesitated sending men for a variety of reasons including past history, overcautiousness, and naval losses.

Answer: Artillery

A trench was built by the American and French forces that was 2,000 yards long, running from the head of Yorktown to the York River. Half of the trench was to be commanded by the French, the other half by the Americans. It was dug by hand with axes and shovels, with the removed dirt piled up as shields. By October 9, the artillery had moved their guns into the trenches. Among the American guns there were three 24-lb., three 18-lb., two 8-inch howitzers and six mortars, totaling 14 guns.

Washington fired the first gun; legend has it that this shot smashed into a table where British officers, including Cornwallis, were eating. The bombardment continued almost non-stop. All of the British guns on the left were soon silenced and those British soldiers remaining outside the perimeter deserted into town. On October 10, the Americans spotted a large house in Yorktown. Believing that Cornwallis might be stationed there, they aimed at it and quickly destroyed it. Cornwallis then sank more than a dozen of his ships in the harbor.

Answer: Alexander Hamilton

Washington planned surprise attacks against the remaining British redoubts. Since both were heavily fortified and guarded, a diversionary attack would distract the British soldiers. Then Redoubt 9 would be assaulted by 400 French regular soldiers under the command of the German Lieutenant Colonel Wilhelm von Zweibrücken and Redoubt 10 would be assaulted by 400 light infantry troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton.

The Americans forced their way to the redoubt. They hacked through the abatis, crossed a ditch and climbed the parapet into the redoubt. The British threw hand grenades at the Americans with little effect. By later that evening, both redoubts had been successfully captured, adding another frustration to Cornwallis.

Answer: A sudden storm

On October 15, 1781, Cornwallis attempted several counterattacks against American forces but none were successful. He realized his army was trapped at Yorktown by American and French forces on land and a French fleet controlling the Chesapeake Bay. On the night of October 16, Cornwallis decided to move his troops across the York River to Gloucester Point. This was one of the last chances to escape before the siege lines tightened further.

However, a sudden and severe storm arose around midnight, scattering the boats and making any organized escape impossible. The attempt was a failure. The next morning, the fire on Yorktown from the allies was heavier than ever as new artillery pieces joined the line. Cornwallis talked with his officers that day and they agreed that their situation was hopeless.

Answer: True

At 2:00 PM on October 19, the allied army entered the British positions, with the French on the left and the Americans on the right. Washington had firmly refused to grant the British the traditional honors of war that they had denied the defeated American army the year before at the Siege of Charleston. Consequently, the British and Hessian troops marched with flags furled and muskets shouldered.

Cornwallis refused to attend the surrender ceremony, citing illness. Instead, Brigadier General Charles O'Hara led the British army onto the field. While the illness was his stated reason, many historians believe it was largely a matter of embarrassment and an attempt to show disrespect by refusing to surrender to the American commander. However, Washington thwarted even this attempt by directing his own second-in-command to accept the sword, nullifying Cornwallis's snub.

Answer: India

The surrender of Cornwallis did not mark the end of the war, though it ended major fighting in the American theatre. He was paroled and sent back to England. There, he was hailed as a homecoming hero. Because he was released on parole, Cornwallis refused to serve again until the war came to an end in 1783.

He was appointed Governor-General of India from 1786 to 1793. During his time there in Calcutta, he implemented the Cornwallis Code, a set of administrative and judicial reforms that helped reduce corruption and solidify British rule. After also serving as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Cornwallis returned to India where he died on 5 October of a fever. He was buried there, overlooking the Ganges River.