The rights proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence---life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness---were grounded in the rights the colonists felt were due them as Englishmen.  These rights and privileges were asserted from the beginning; the first permanent settlement at Jamestown had a representative legislative assembly in 1619.  At Williamsburg, colonists again heralded the cause of man's natural rights in their 1776 "Declaration of Rights."  The final battle to insure these rights took place at Yorktown.

This Yorktown victory is given depth and substance at the National Park Service Visitor Center at the Yorktown Battlefield.  A free museum with exhibits and a movie provides an ideal introduction to your battlefield tour.

It was the end of September 1781, the seventh year of the American Revolution, and Cornwallis had moved his British troops into Yorktown following his campaign through Virginia and the southern colonies.  Washington responded by moving his men from their New York camp down to Virginia, hoping to arrive before Cornwallis escaped by sea with his army.

For three weeks Washington's men dug siege lines around the British who were forced by a French blockade to hold their positions.  With his army surrounded and his escape cut off, Cornwallis had run out of options.  On October 14 two important British redoubts fell.  (A painting in the Old Senate Chamber at the Virginia State Capitol captures this dramatic action.  See Capitol selection.) On October 17,  a red-coated drummer appeared on the British inner defense line and beat a parley.  The guns were silent at last.  On October 18 surrender terms were drawn up at the home of Augustine Moore, and the next day the British army surrendered.  It would be another two years before the peace treaty was signed, but the war was, in fact, over.

A popular exhibit at the museum is the gun deck and captain's cabin from the Charon.  The Charon was a 44-gun frigate the British lost during the Battle of Yorktown.  Also on display are the British regimental colors surrendered to Washington on October 19, 1781.

Before starting your drive, take the time to view the battlefield from the visitor center observation deck.  The seven-mile tour marked by red arrows, includes six main points of interest: British inner defense lines, grand French battery, second Allied siege line, redoubt 9 and 10, the Moore house and surrender field.

A second Allied encampment tour extends nine additional miles and is marked with yellow arrows.  Its significant stops include: the American artillery park, Washington's headquarters, the French cemetery,  the French artillery park,  the French encampment loop and an untouched British redoubt.

Yorktown Battlefield at Colonial National Historical Park is open daily 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. with  seasonally extended hours.  Admission is free.

Directions:  From I-95 in the Richmond area, take I-64 east to the Colonial Parkway.  Follow the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown.