General George Washington led his combined Continental and French Army into Virginia in mid-September 1781 to trap the British Army under General Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown. To support Washington, the French fleet arrived in the Chesapeake on August 30 and six days later outgunned the British at the Battle of the Capes. On September 28, Washington’s army of 16,000 men opened the siege of Yorktown. Two weeks later, the last British outer forts were captured by Colonel Alexander Hamilton and his men.

After marching throughout the Carolinas and Georgia, winning most of the pitched battles but never securing the “hearts and minds” of the upcountry people, British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis entered Virginia to await reinforcements and further instructions. In late July 1781, Cornwallis was ordered to establish a deep-water port in the Chesapeake Bay and he selected Yorktown on the York River. Meanwhile, General George Washington had been keeping an eye on the British Army in New York City. Upon hearing from Admiral de Grasse, the French naval commander, that he planned to sail to the Chesapeake and arrive off the Virginia Capes in late August, Washington immediately seized this opportunity and headed south to attack Cornwallis.