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Terms in this set (40) A major battle of the Revolutionary war where the Continental Army surrounded the British and the French Navy prevented the British Navy from re-supplying their army, eventually causing British General Charles Cornwallis to surrender to the Patriots.
What was a weakness of the British Army?
One major disadvantage or weakness of the British army was that it was fighting in a distant land. Great Britain had to ship soldiers and supplies across the Atlantic, which was very costly, in order to fight the Revolutionary War.
How were the British defeated at the battle of Yorktown *?
On October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the Revolutionary War. Hours after the surrender, the general’s defeated troops marched out of Yorktown to the tune “The World Turned Upside Down.”
What prevented Cornwallis’s escape by land?
The British immediately began fortifying the town and the adjacent promontory of Gloucester Point across the York River. General George Washington instructed the Marquis de Lafayette, who was in Virginia with an American army of around 5,000 men, to block Cornwallis’ escape from Yorktown by land.
Which country was blocking the British from escaping through the Chesapeake Bay?
French
The French were able to achieve control of the sea lanes against the British and provided the Franco-American army with siege artillery and French reinforcements.
Who won the battle of Yorktown and how?
The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, won a decisive victory against the British Army, led by General Lord Charles Cornwallis. Cornwallis was forced to surrender after being surrounded by Washington’s army. The Americans were assisted by the French, led by the Comte de Rochambeau.