The Road to Yorktown: Jefferson, Lafayette and the British Invasion of Virginia

by John R. Maass

Overview

In 1781, Virginia was invaded by formidable British forces that sought to subdue the Old Dominion. Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis, led thousands of enemy troops from Norfolk to Charlottesville, burning and pillaging. Many of Virginia's famed Patriots—including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Nathanael Greene'struggled to defend the commonwealth. Only by concentrating a small band of troops under energetic French general the Marquis de Lafayette were American forces able to resist British operations. With strained support from Governor Jefferson's administration, Lafayette fought a campaign against the veteran soldiers of Lord Cornwallis that eventually led to the famed showdown at Yorktown. Historian John R. Maass traces this often overlooked Revolutionary struggle for Virginia and details each step on the road to Yorktown.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626193918
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	07/27/2015
Series:	Military
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	1,060,017
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

John Maass is a historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. He received a BA in history from Washington & Lee University, an MA in U.S. history from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a PhD in early U.S. history from the Ohio State University. He is the author of North Carolina and the French and Indian War: The Spreading Flames of War (The History Press) and Defending a New Nation, 1783-1811 (U.S. Army Center of Military History).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

1 "A Successful Battle May Give Us America": Lord Cornwallis Invades Virginia 13

2 "With Fire and Every Other Cruelty": The British Ravage the Tidewater 23

3 "A Difficult and Dangerous Expedition": Lafayette Gomes to Defend Virginia 39

4 "Like Desperate Bands of Robbers": Cornwallis Chases Lafayette 59

5 "With Rapid and Devious Movements": The British Strike West 79

6 "Virginia Is Not Conquered": Wary Opponents Along the James 105

7 "We Wage War Like Gentlemen": Two Battles and the Path to Yorktown 131

8 "Bravery, Fortitude, Zeal and Discipline": The Conclusion of Lafayette's Campaign 149

Coda: "A Catalogue of Omissions and Other Misconduct" 155

Appendix: Sites of the 1781 Virginia Campaign 161

Notes 171

Bibliography 189

Index 199

About the Author 205

Editorial Reviews

"...Maass' campaign history of Virginia's 1781 tribulation expertly fills a critical gap in the American Revolution's historiography." Army Magazine

From the Publisher