11 to 14 October 1781
Yorktown: Redoubts 9 and 10
On the night of 11 October the allies dig a second parallel 400 yards (370 m) closer. It cannot reach the river, because Redoubts 9 and 10 stand in the way. By 14 October the trenches are within 150 yards of both, and the guns batter them all day.
French troops storming Redoubt 9 at Yorktown, illustration in Washington, the Man of Action, 1914Wikimedia Commons, unknown author, No restrictions (Washington, the man of action (1914) (14589531120).jpg)
At 6:30 pm a French feint against the Fusiliers’ Redoubt draws British attention. Then 400 American light infantry under Alexander Hamilton storm Redoubt 10, held by about 70 men, with unloaded muskets and bayonets, while John Laurens goes round to its rear. At the same time 400 French soldiers of the Royal Deux-Ponts Regiment attack Redoubt 9, held by 120 British and Germans, hack through the abatis under fire and take it.
With both redoubts taken, the allies carry the second parallel to the river and can shell the town from three sides.
Sources
- Jerome A. Greene, The Guns of Independence (2005).
- Brendan Morrissey, Yorktown 1781: The World Turned Upside Down (1997).
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