Combat· American Revolutionary War
Yorktown Campaign
The Yorktown campaign ended when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781.
Officers, seamen and Marines of the Virginia Navy, thrown out of employment by the destruction of their fleet, aided the Allied forces at the siege by collecting supplies and transporting troops. The boat Liberty was used as a transport, as were three ships, among them the Cormorant and the Oliver Cromwell, which Virginia is believed to have purchased for the purpose. In August and September 1781 Maryland gave similar aid to Washington's army while it was on its way to Yorktown, and every vessel in the state was pressed into service. Yorktown settled the issue of the war but did not end it. In November 1781, soon after the surrender, Virginia dispensed with its existing naval organization except so far as was compatible with prudence and economy, dismissing its officers, surgeons and mates except the few retained on board the Liberty and in some barges intended for service in the York River and its contiguous waters.
Record no. 170