Yorktown Battlefield
October 14-16, 2016, Schedule of Events
The Colonial National Historical Park at Yorktown Battlefield, site of the climactic 1781 siege, will offer a variety of special events in commemoration of the defeat of Lord Cornwallis to the combined forces of Generals Washington and Rochambeau.
Friday, October 14
Storming of Redoubt #10 by Rand Scholet of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society
11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center
The 1781 evening attack on the British, led by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton, so stunned Lord Cornwallis that it resulted in an immediate communiqué to the British Supreme Commander in New York pleading for help. The help, of course, never came, and the British surrendered five days later. Upon hearing of Lord Cornwallis’ surrender, Lord North, the British First Minister, lamented “all is lost!” Mr. Scholet will detail how Hamilton ended up leading the charge that day (a fascinatingly unexpected journey with twists and turns); and how his experience there helped define his future with Washington, right up to the last two days of Washington’s life (his last letter from Mount Vernon was to Hamilton).
Saturday, October 15
Windsor Fry, an African American in the Rhode Island Regiment
10 a.m. and 11 a.m., Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center
Park Ranger Jerome Bridges will deliver a first-person account of Windsor Fry, an African American in the Rhode Island Regiment, offering insight to his heroic acts during the October 14, 1781, attack on Redoubt #10, an event which catapulted the surrender of the British garrison at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, and ultimately the end to British rule of the thirteen colonies.
British Royal Artillery
12:15 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center
The Nelson House, home of Thomas Nelson, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence
Open 1 to 4:30 p.m., Main Street, Yorktown
The Moore House, location of October 1781 surrender negotiations
Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Yorktown
Sunday, October 16
The Nelson House, home of Thomas Nelson, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence
Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Main Street, Yorktown
The Moore House, location of October 1781 surrender negotiations
Open 1 to 4:30 p.m., Yorktown
Programs begin at the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center, located at 1000 Colonial Parkway at the eastern end of the Colonial Parkway, 12 miles from Williamsburg. Admission on October 14-16 is $7.00 per adult and under age 16 admitted free. Interagency Passes, including lifetime senior and access passes, are honored. For more information, including times for programs and demonstrations, call (757) 898-2410 or visit www.nps.gov/colo.