Onto Yorktown and Victory: a Nation is Born

On to Yorktown and Victory: a Nation is Born

The final day in the Historic Triangle bought us back to Revolutionary City in Williamsburg where we caught the last three reenactments as its citizens pay the price for the continuing revolution. Many tests and trials befall the people of America in their fight for freedom and the creation of a new self-governing society.  We witnessed on the south side of the capital the town's British occupation by Benedict Arnold and his redcoats.  Troops raise the British flag over Williamsburg and announce the rules and terms of the occupation to hisses, boos, and shouts of, "traitor!" to the duplicitous Arnold.

 We followed the crowd in the heat to a religious gathering behind the coffeehouse.  Here we are mesmerized by Gowan Pamphlet, African American Baptist preacher, talk about his hope for the future in the impending and monarch-free society.  He preached of his aspirations where all citizens are equal and there is no state church connected to the government as with the Church of England; where instead each man can choose his faith and practice based on his own conscience and morality.  Will the new country adopt a constitution like Virginia's that allows for any religion, public assembly, and representative government?

We were drawn into the crowd in front of the Raleigh Tavern as the allied American army arrives. General Washingtion addresses the citizens of Williamsburg and ensures the people.  He is preparing his army to meet Cornwallis at Yorktown for a sure victory, as the British are greatly outnumbered and backed up against the York River.

The Siege of Yorktown- The afternoon took us to the last stop in the Historic Triangle, the Yorktown battlefield.  The British army had lost hope of conquering the northern states and the war was wearing on the Continental army.  With the help of French generals Lafayette and Rochambeau, the siege lasts eight days and culminates in the surrender of General Cornwallis, the crown, and 244 pieces of artillery.  Yorktown effectively ended the Revolutionary War, but it was not until 1783, two years after the battle of Yorktown, that the Treaty of Paris was signed.  As the last battle of the American Revolution, the victory at Yorktown, secured the independence of the United States and forever changed the course of history.

Our site visit to Yorktown ended with a gathering and viewing of a local youth heritage organization of fifers and drummers.  They presented facts about their instruments and attire in a regimented manner, as well as including strong explanations for numerous influential songs.  The fifers and drummers play an important role in wartime, offering communication and morale for the soldiers.

The Historic Triangle has offered, all three of us, unique and valuable information to take back to our classrooms.  We can hardly contain our excitement in anticipation of re-opening the boxes and boxes of information, artifacts and books, from our Historic Triangle visit,  in order to re-create our trunks of evidence for our students.  With a final siesta at the King's Arms Tavern, in historic colonial Williamsburg,  we will celebrate the closing of our journey through the Revolutionary time period.
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!