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Gloucester Point in Gloucester County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

A Vital British Outpost at Gloucester Point

 
 
A Vital British Outpost at Gloucester Point Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 2, 2009
1. A Vital British Outpost at Gloucester Point Marker
Inscription. “They have one or two little works to preserve a communication with the Country.” American General Anthony Wayne describes the British defenses at Gloucester Point, 1781

In 1781, large armies and important events came to Gloucester Point and to Yorktown across the river. An 8,300 man British army, commanded by General Charles Lord Cornwallis, marched to the Virginia coast to establish a naval base. A French battle fleet, allies of the Americans, beat British ships sailing to ensure British control of the Chesapeake Bay. After the September 5th “Battle of the Capes,” in which the French navy inflicted heavy damage on the British fleet, Cornwallis’s army was all but trapped at Yorktown.

In late September, General George Washington, commanding a 17,600 man American and French army, arrived at Yorktown. Gloucester Point became the only “communication with the country” for the besieged British. They needed the Point as a base to forage for local supplies and as an escape route from Yorktown.

British forces built a strong defensive line across the Point nearby to your right. Four redoubts, earthen forts reinforced with artillery, were joined by a stockade that stretched from shore to shore. About 900 soldiers guarded these isolated defenses.
 
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Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and CastlesWar, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1781.
 
Location. 37° 15.034′ N, 76° 30.094′ W. Marker is in Gloucester Point, Virginia, in Gloucester County. Marker can be reached from Vernon Street near Riverview Street. The marker is on the Tyndall’s Point Park Walkway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1376 Vernon Street, Gloucester Point VA 23062, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The British Safety Valve (here, next to this marker); Parts of a Parrott Rifle (here, next to this marker); Natives, Explorers, Tobacco and Buccaneers (a few steps from this marker); On to Richmond! (a few steps from this marker); After the Surrender at Yorktown (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to Gloucester Point (a few steps from this marker); Gloucester Point (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Gloucester Point (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gloucester Point.
 
Map of Chesapeake Bay. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 2, 2009
2. Map of Chesapeake Bay.
The September 5, 1781, “Battle of the Capes” between British and French fleets ended in a draw but the French sealed off the Chesapeake Bay. The British ships returned to New York and their army was soon surrounded at Yorktown. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
British Defenses at Gloucester Point. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 2, 2009
3. British Defenses at Gloucester Point.
The British defenses at Gloucester Point featured twenty cannons spread though four redoubts. The defenses behind the stockade were forced to hug the Point with their backs to the water. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
The Tyndall’s Point Park Walkway. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 2, 2009
4. The Tyndall’s Point Park Walkway.
Markers and earthworks at Gloucester Point. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 2, 2009
5. Markers and earthworks at Gloucester Point.
A Vital British Outpost at Gloucester Point Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bradley Owen, October 18, 2021
6. A Vital British Outpost at Gloucester Point Marker
Seen on the left, the marker has been relocated to near the “Parts of a Parrott Rifle” marker.
Tyndall’s Point Park Entrance. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 2, 2009
7. Tyndall’s Point Park Entrance.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 7, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,122 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on November 4, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 7, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.   6. submitted on November 4, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.   7. submitted on May 7, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.

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Mar. 28, 2024