Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Surrender at Yorktown

Colonial National Historical Park

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 12, 2008

1. Surrender at Yorktown Marker

Inscription. Near this spot on the afternoon of October 19, 1781 – as silence prevailed among the Allied soldiers and onlookers – all eyes were trained on the approaching British troops. Cornwallis, sending word that he was ill, appointed his second in command, Brigadier General Charles O’Hara, to surrender his sword. O’Hara mistakenly approached French General Rochambeau to present the sword. He was quickly corrected and led to Washington, the supreme commander of the Allied forces. Washington refused to take the blade from O’Hara’s “good hand,” and referred him to Major General Benjamin Lincoln, his second in command. Lincoln, accepting it, escorted O’Hara to an open field about one and a half miles from here, where British and German soldiers, regiment after regiment, grounded their arms.

Erected by Colonial National Historical Park, National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Notable Places • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is October 19, 1866.

Location. 37° 13.574′ N, 76° 30.363′ W. Marker is in Yorktown, Virginia,

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in York County. It is on Cook Road, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located on the Yorktown Battlefield in Colonial National Historical Park, at stop C on the Battlefield Tour. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Yorktown VA 23690, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Second Allied Siege Line (a few steps from this marker); Slabtown (within shouting distance of this marker); Shiloh Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Yorktown National Cemetery

Marker on the Yorktown Battlefield image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 12, 2008

2. Marker on the Yorktown Battlefield

(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Shiloh Baptist Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Grand French Battery (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named The Grand French Battery (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Allied Siege Line (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.

More about this marker. The marker is dominated by the famous John Trumbull painting of the Surrender at Yorktown. The original painting today hangs in the capital rotunda in Washington D.C. The painting identifies the French, British and American troops, as well as Rochambeau, O’Hara, Lincoln and Washington. It has a caption of “Washington’s former aide-de-camp, Colonel John Trumbull, painted The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1797. By then, many of the American and French officers depicted here were continuing their bond of alliance through the Society of Cincinnati, formed under the leadership of General Henry Knox in 1783.”

Also see . . .
1. Yorktown Battlefield. National Park Service. (Submitted on August 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

2. The Battle of Yorktown.

Second Allied Siege Lines image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 12, 2008

3. Second Allied Siege Lines

The marker is located near the Second Allied Siege Lines.

The Patriot Resource website. (Submitted on August 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

3. The Battle of Yorktown 1781. A British perspective of the Battle of Yorktown from BritishBattles.com. (Submitted on August 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

Surrender Field image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 12, 2008

4. Surrender Field

General Lincoln led General O’Hara and the British and German soldiers to this field where they laid down the arms and colors.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,103 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 23, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.