Cornwallis's Defeat at Yorktown

Espauts et Rapilly
Carte de la partie de la Virginie ou l'armée combinée de France & des États-Unis de l'Amérique a fait prisonnière l'Armée anglaise commandée par Lord Carnwallis . . . .
Paris: ca. 1782
Hand-colored engraved map
Geography & Map Division (21A.5)
[ G&M Digital ID # g3884y ar146200 ]

This stylized, pictorial map of the lower Chesapeake Bay emphasizes the Revolutionary War naval battle that took place off the Virginia coast prior to General Charles Cornwalllis's surrender at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. It graphically illustrates the French blockade at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, preventing the combined fleets of English Admirals Thomas Graves and Samuel Hood from providing reinforcements to Cornwallis. The battle marked a turning point in American history with the remainder of hostilities between France and Great Britain taking place elsewhere.