By 1781 Britain's struggle to contain the rebels in her American colonies had reached an inglorious stalemate. Six years on from the British defeat by the New England militia at Boston, George Washington's rebuilt Continental Army - with support from the French - now systematically began to seek out and destroy British forces even if protected by seemingly impregnable defences. Yorktown would be a salutary lesson to the British Crown about the odds she now faced in holding on to her colonies. The siege of Yorktown began in late September 1781 and ended in mid-October when Lt. Gen. Charles, Earl Cornwallis surrendered. Although the British officers captured were allowed to sail home, the rank and file marched off into captivity. The Franco-American victory at Yorktown extinguished the British campaign to reconquer the south and ended their chances of winning the war. Brendan Morrisey recounts and explains the campaign in Virginia, the naval operations between March and October 1781 and the siege of Yorktown. The military and political background to these events and their effects on the course of the war are all examined. The siege of Yorktown was a crucial action in the American War of Independence and was important in demoralising the British enough to finally prompt them to make peace. Brendan Morrissey's account does it full justice.

• The road to Yorktown
• The seat of war
• The opposing commanders
• The opposing armies
• The campaign in Virginia 1781
• Naval operations march-october 1781
• The siege of Yorktown
• Aftermath
• The battlefield today
• Chronology
• A guide to further reading
• wargaming the Yorktown campaign

Auteur
Brendan Morrissey trained as a lawyer before working as a PR consultant and writer in the defence industry, principally with British Aerospace. He has a long-standing interest in military affairs and Anglo-American relations. Brendan has written several titles on this subject for Osprey, including Campaign 67 Saratoga 1777, and Campaign 37 Boston 1775. He is married and lives in Surrey, UK.
Illustrateur
Adam Hook studied graphic design at art college and began his illustrating career in 1983. He has worked with a variety of educational publishers covering various subjects within the fields of history and natural history. For Osprey he has illustrated Campaign 52 Gettysburg 1863 and Campaign 55 Chancellorsville 1863. Adam lives and works in Sussex, UK