Creative Writing: Siege Of Yorktown Essay, Research Paper

Creative Writing: Siege of Yorktown

It was four o’clock in the morning when my commanding officer awoke me

and we were ordered to prepare to march. We had set up an extensive camp at

Chatham in New York, we all believed that we would attack New York City. It

turned out that we were marching on towards Yorktown.

When we arrived at Yorktown the bay was full of French ships. Our army

along with the French encircled Cornwallis. Cornwallis did not surrender, he

waited for a larger British fleet to save him.

Being in the Corps of Sappers and Miners we were to prepare mines and

trenches. On the night of October 5th we sneaked within 150 ft. of the British

lines. We were under heavy protection, for it was a dark and rainy night. We

laid down pine wood end-to-end so troops would know where to dig trenches. The

trenches allowed 100 cannons to be close to the British but still be under

protection. Soldiers were moved to the area and issued shovels and picks. It

was truly a patriotic moment to see General Washington break the first ground at

the Siege of Yorktown.

We had sent a small band of men to the western side of us to fire on the

British. Our plan worked and all the British inside were soon firing on them

while we dug our trenches. When dawn came around they saw their mistake and

started firing on us but no harm was done. It took nine days to dig all of the

trenches. Finally on October 15th we were prepared to start the siege.

As the American Flag rose ten cannons fired simultaneously. Since we

were firing from 150 ft. away our cannons had a devastating effect. Later,

during the second afternoon the Sappers and Miners, including myself were issued

axes and we were instructed to chop a path through the abatis (the tops of trees

cut with a slanting stroke to act as spikes) they were nearly impossible to get

through. As American and French soldiers rushed through the British ran in

terror, only minor hand to hand combat took place. Soon afterwords the British

handed over their regimental flags and stacked their weapons in a pile. That

was it the war was over!