Prerequisites of The Establishing The United States of America

The Battle of Yorktown

The final battle of the American Revolution, the war that proved the thirteen colonies were fierce fighters, the war that proved young and weak could beat old and strong. The Battle of Yorktown showed and proved all of these things and many more.

Unique Facts

The Battle of Yorktown took place from September 28th, 1781 through October 19th, 1781. The Americans had 8,800 soldiers fighting along with the 7,800 French soldiers who was helping the Americans, whereas the British only had 6,000 soldiers. This helped them, but it still wasn’t easy. The leader of the French army was Comte de Rochambeau. Lafayette was the most famous French soldier who helped with the American Revolution, in fact when the Americans landed in France many years later to help with World War I their slogan was, ¨Lafayette we are here!¨ American Continental Army The American Continental army was established June 14, 1775 by the Continental Congress. The leader was George Washington. At first the army had no uniform at all. Later they adopted the color brown, but there was not enough brown cloth. The first official uniform was in 1779, but the militias and minutemen still didn’t have one, so they used their hunting shirts instead. The weapons used included rifles, pistols, knives, bayonets, muskets, long pistols, tomahawks, swords, axes, sabres, pole arms, and cannons. 25,000 Continental soldiers died during the war. 8,000 died during battle. 17,000 died of sickness, went missing, or died of other causes. 9,000 suffered serious injuries.

George Washington

George Washington was born on February 2nd, 1792, in Virginia. He grew up to be a great leader and the 1st president. His wife was Martha Dandridge Custis and they did not have any children. George was the leader of the Continental Army and was whom the British surrendered to at the Battle of Yorktown. His years of service were from 1775 to 1783, the ranks he achieved included Major General and Commander in Chief. He fought in four battles, which were Siege of Yorktown, Siege of Boston, Philadelphia Campaign, and New York Campaign. George Washington died when he was 67 on December 14, 1799.Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis on January 11th, 1775. He was an orphan by the age of thirteen. When he was seventeen the island raised money for him to go to America. Hamilton attended an academy in Elizabeth, New Jersey when he arrived. During the war he served as chief aide to Washington. After he became a lawyer. Hamilton’s wife was Elizabeth Schuyler and they had eight children. The children’s names were Philip Hamilton, Angelica Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton Jr., James Alexander Hamilton, John Church Hamilton, William S. Hamilton, Elizabeth Hamilton, and Philip Hamilton (the second). Unfortunately their oldest son Philip was killed in a duel. Hamilton and one man named Burr argued with each often, after a while Burr got tired of it and challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted, and was shot in the duel, and brought to a doctor. He died at the age of 49, on July 12, 1804.

After the War

Several thousand British soldiers were taken as prisoners. This must have been a great thing for the Continental Army because only 6,000 British soldiers were fighting in the war. It took two days for Washington and Cornwallis to work out the surrender. Brigadier General Charles O’hara ended up surrendering to Washington’s second in command, Major General Benjamin Lincoln. Cornwallis’s entire army and the weapons were surrendered. Even though the Battle of Yorktown ended in 1781, the Revolutionary War didn’t conclude until 1783, when the peace treaty was signed. The defeat encouraged the British to give the colonists their freedom.

The New Country

On September 17, 1787, the constitution was signed by the founding fathers. The constitution stated the rules of the United States of America as well as the rights the citizens have in this country. On April 30, 1789, George Washington was sworn in as the nation’s first president in New York City. John Adams was vice president. John Adams later became the second president of the United States of America. The thirteen colonies were now The United States of America. The battle did not mark the end of the revolution; it marked the last battle of the war. This battle was the hope for the colonies. It was the thing that showed that the unexpectable was possible. It was this battle that proved to everyone that maybe, just maybe, the elder, experienced, and strong would not always win every battle or be right. It showed that the inexperienced, young, and weak have just as much potential as the elders.