Yorktown

the capital of York County, Virginia, situated on the York River fifty miles southeast of Richmond. The present population does not exceed 250 persons. Interest in Yorktown is entirely historical. In 1781 the British under Cornwallis were penned up here by the allied forces of the Americans and French, commanded by Washington and Lafayette respectively. A French fleet under the command of De Grasse prevented the escape of the British by sea. October 19th the British army of 8,000 men surrendered to Washington, an event which virtually closed the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War Yorktown was a scene of struggles between the Confederates, who were defending the approach to Richmond most gallantly, and the Union forces led by George B. McClellan.