The last colonial battle of the Revolution War ended at Yorktown and it is an eerie historic site.
Travel just a bit from Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg and you will find yourself at the quiet, almost surreal Yorktown Battlefield.
Taking the drive from Jamestown to Yorktown will weave its way along the James River where historical markers tell you about the area’s history. Trees and thick woods dot the landscape and you can imagine the Powhatan Indians crisscrossing the swamplands and hills.
From the first settlement at Jamestown to Colonial Williamsburg, southern Virginia is home to one of the most important historical events in American history. The battle of Yorktown.
Located on the York River, the battlegrounds still stand as a reminder of the cost of our freedom. Long trenches are still carved into the ground with earthen barrier walls standing between George Washington’s 6,000 troops and General Cornwallis’ 9,000 located in the small town of York.
Here you can walk among the ruins of the battle. Follow the marked trail as it winds through the historical remnants from the final battery taken by Alexander Hamilton to the Cornwallis surrendering location in an open field to George Washington. A spot that Cornwallis couldn’t’ bother to attend.
Following the paved pathways, you can visit the known camp location of Washington, the French encampments, and the mass grave site of some fallen Frenchman. Visit the visitor’s center and walk to the victory monument.
When you are done, make your way north of York and visit the American Revolution at Yorktown museum where you can see a living memorial of what it was like to live during that period. See the smoking pits where cooks fed the troops and visit a real farm as well as housing and livestock buildings.
Inside the museum, be sure to watch the short but informative and submersive movie about the battle of Yorktown. When you are done tracing the history of the English’s hold on the colonists and see how the inevitable growth of the colonies would spread westward into Indian lands.
Yorktown completes the trio of our nations first areas from Jamestown, Va., to Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Together they tell our history that you can’t simply read on Wikipedia or in a history book. Each independent of the other but cuffed by the paths that would inevitably cross to the formation of a nation.