Notwithstanding the standard American texts, "a naval battle fought between the British and the French was largely responsible for the independence of the United States." Washington had worked for years to take advantage of France's assistance to the colonies, but the French fleet never engaged the British. They did so in 1781 in the Battle of the Chesapeake. A year later, Washington wrote "that there never was a people who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs than those of the United States."
When the French entered the war, they focused their naval forces where Britain's were, and where Britain's American wealth was concentrated - in the Caribbean. In October of 1780, three different hurricanes killed over 22,000 in the tropics and the French concluded that their navy might be safer much further north the following year. By 1780, the war was being fought exclusively in the south and there were two British armies that Washington hoped to trap with the assistance of the French. Lord Cornwallis was in North Carolina and Benedict Arnold was in Virginia. A French fleet defeated the British at the Battle of Cape Henry in March, 1781, but did not capitalize upon their victory by attacking Arnold at Portsmouth. On land, Cornwallis had decided to charge north and seek out the enemy. He boldly burned his wagons and lived off the land to make his force quicker in his pursuit of the soldiers under American Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Greene. Unfortunately for the UK, Cornwallis could not catch the Americans and was lured further and further into the inhospitable American interior. On March 15, the two armies fought an inconclusive battle at Guilford Courthouse where Cornwallis' army was "eviscerated" by the Americans. He retreated to Wilmington and headed north a month later. Regardless of any strategic considerations, he wanted to fight. Soon he was at Petersburg with almost seven thousand men. After five years of war, neither side had an advantage and Washington was concerned about France's commitment to the cause.
Washington was hoping the French would assist him in an attack on NYC. But Adm. de Grasse decided to head for the Chesapeake, where Gen. Clinton had ordered Cornwallis to head for Yorktown. When Washington learned of the location of Cornwallis' army, he realized that the end might be near. He and Rochambeau marched south and were in Philadelphia when he learned that De Grasse had arrived in the Chesapeake with 28 ships and over 3,000 soldiers. On Sept. 5, the French engaged the British and held them off. Unable to relieve Cornwallis by entering the bay, the British returned to NY. Outnumbered and without relief in sight, Cornwallis was also low on provisions. The British killed their horses and dumped the carcasses in the river. The British and German soldiers were packed into a small space and were pounded by the American and French artillery. Infantry began to penetrate Cornwallis' outer lines and he decided to escape across the York River at night. Rain and wind prevented the effort from succeeding and surrender became the only choice. Thus, on Oct. 17, Cornwallis sought terms and surrendered two days later on the 19th. No one knew it at the time, but the war was over. Washington returned to Newburgh and held the army together for a few more years. When the Treaty of Paris was signed, he bid his officers adieu at Fraunces Tavern in New York. He resigned his commission at Annapolis where Congress had assembled and rode home to Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve in 1783.
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