Battle of Yorktown facts

Answer 1

The Battle of Yorktown (1781) was the last major battle in the American Revolution. British general Cornwallis was against French general Marquis de Lafayette and General George Washington. French admiral De Grasse was commander of the French naval fleet and defeated the British navy, thus prohibiting them from entering Chesapeake Bay and giving aid and resources to Cornwallis. Cornwallis was surrounded--Washington's troops came from the North and Lafayette's from the South. This was called the 'pincer' strategy. Cornwallis couldn't go anywhere--by land (blockage by Washington and Lafayette) or by sea (blockage by De Grasse). Cornwallis surrendered on October 17, his troops vastly outnumbered. By winning this battle, America won the war.

Answer 2

A museum of the American Revolution, the Yorktown Victory Center chronicles America's struggle for independence from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of the new nation. Thematic exhibits and living-history programs relate the experiences of ordinary men and women who lived during the Revolutionary era. These aren't all but oh well...

Answer 3

You did not specify which one. There were two US Navy ships named the USS Yorktown before the first Yorktown which was an aircraft carrier (CV 5). After CV 5 was sunk a new ship was named the USS Yorktown, also an aircraft carrier (CV 10).

The first carrier USS Yorktown was one of the few aircraft carriers the US had when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the US got into WWII. It was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, in Newport News, Virginia. Its keel was laid May 21, 1934; it was launched April 4, 1936 sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt. When launched there is still a lot of work to do to finish a ship, before it can be commissioned and go into active service. The USS Yorktown (CV 5) was commissioned September 30, 1937. She was the lead ship of her class. Her sister ship, an identical twin, was the USS Enterprise (CV 6). The USS Yorktown took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, and was lost in the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was the only US carrier sunk at Midway. The US carriers had got in the first blow and sank three of the four Japanese carriers at Midway, all in a few moments. One remained though, and it launched a strike. Three dive bombers scored hits on the Yorktown. Another Japanese strike two hours later by torpedo planes inflicted two torpedo hits on the Yorktown, and these were mortal wounds. The crew abandoned ship. But the next day, the Yorktown was still afloat, though listing badly and apparently in danger of capsizing at any moment. Volunteers went back aboard, put out a fire, and she was placed under tow. The going was painfully slow. A lurking Japanese submarine put four more torpedoes into her. The salvage crew abandoned ship again. The next day though, she was STILL afloat. But, gradual flooding finally caused her to turn over and sink.

The next Yorktown was CV 10. She was to be named the Bon Homme Richard, after the ship of John Paul Jones in the American Revolution. She was already being built when CV 5 went down at Midway, and the name was changed. Sailors are superstitious, and this is usually regarded as bad luck. CV 10 was commissioned in 1943. She served through the rest of the war, and on through Vietnam. She was the recovery ship for the Apollo 8 space mission. She was used in the movie "Tora Tora Tora". She is preserved today as a museum ship and memorial at Patriots' Point in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, SC.

Answer 4

George Washington went to capture Cornwallis with the help of the french.