The Ending Was Just The Beginning

We spent Friday, May 5th, exploring Yorktown, VA. Above is a photo of the site of the final battle of the Revolutionary War. In the fall of 1781, General George Washington with his troops and the French army surrounded General Charles Lord Cornwallis and his British troops and the German Hessians. The ensuing battle resulted in war's end when the British surrendered.
On October 18, 1781, Washington and Cornwallis and their aides met at this home, the Moore House, featured in the photo. This was setting where the terms of surrender were negotiated. A tour of this house was included on the 10 mile drive of the battlefields that included entrenchments, cannons and markers describing the significant events at various sites along the way.
This is the room were the Articles of Capitulation were signed by General Charles Lord Cornwallis and General George Washington.

This is a photo of Surrender Field, where the British troops marched between the American army on one side and French army on the other. On October 19, 1781, the British soldiers were ordered by their officers to "Ground your firelocks!" Nearby townspeople had gathered with the armies to watch the humilated British troops surrender to the American army. Their leader, Lord Cornwallis, chose to stay behind in his quarters as his men surrendered to their enemies. This ending began the era of independence of the colonies and the beginning of the United States of America.