He wrote in his diary the same day,
Matters having now come to a crisis and a decisive plan to be determined on—I was obliged, from the Shortness of Count de Grasses promised stay on this Coast—the apparent disclination in their Naval Officers to force the harbour of New York . . . to give up all idea of attacking New York; & instead thereof to remove the French Troops & a detachment from the American Army to the Head of Elk to be transported to Virginia for the purpose of cooperating with the force from the West Indies against the Troops in that State.34
General Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau signed a letter to Grasse on the seventeenth and confided it to the care of General Duportail, who hastened south in hope of finding the French commander. He also brought dispatches to the Marquis de Lafayette. The letter to Grasse contains the following lines: “[W]e have determined to remove the whole of the French army, and as large a detachment of the American as can be spared, to the Chesapeake, to meet your Excellency there.”35
ARRIVAL IN PHILADELPHIA
Washington and Rochambeau left a detachment behind to keep up the feint of the expected attack on New York and marched their respective armies up the river to King’s Ferry. It took five days for them to cross with all their baggage and stores. The two commanders and their armies arrived in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 30, 1781. Robert Morris, superintendent of finance, being informed beforehand, had collected 30,000 “hard dollars” to be given as a surprise to the soldiers. Twenty thousand of these dollars had been borrowed from the Comte de Rochambeau. Morris promised to repay him by October 1. Colonel Laurens arrived at Boston from his mission to France on August 25 with 2.5 million livres, part of the donation of 6 million, enabling the superintendent of finance to fulfill his obligation.36
Before entering the city, the French troops were allowed time to dress in parade uniform. As they marched through the streets, Congress and the people were very joyful. The French minister, General Washington, and the Comte de Rochambeau then held conferences to plan the campaign. The troops who could not be transported to Yorktown by water would have to go on foot, so Lieutenant Colonel Gouvion was sent on September 2 to reconnoiter the roads they would have to travel. His orders:
You will proceed with all convenient dispatch to the camp of the Marqs. de la Fayette in Virginia and receive further orders from Genl. Duportail or the Marquis. You will let your rout be by Christiana bridge—the head of Elk—the lower ferry on Susquehanna-Baltimore-Elkridge landing—Bladensburg & Georgetown—From Georgetown you will go by the best waggon road to Fredericksburg by Falmouth avoiding the Ferries of Occoghat and Rappahannock Rivers—and from thence you will take the road which leads most directly to the above camp.—From Baltimore—Georgetown—Fredericksburg and the Virginia camp you will report the state and condition of the interstate roads—and the measures proper to repair them—and if you could incite the inhabitants as you passed along to set about this necessary business it would facilitate the movement of our waggons etc. which must go by land greatly—I am persuaded, that it is unnecessary to add any thing, by way of prompting you to the preparation of fascines and other matters which can accelerate our operations & prevent the waste of a single moment.37
Meanwhile, General Duportail, after a long and difficult journey on horseback, found Admiral Grasse anchored off Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake and boarded the commander’s flagship, the Ville de Paris. The Comte was surprised to receive an emissary from the commanders of the allied land forces and to learn that they were hastening on their way to join him before Yorktown. Grasse brought more than three thousand land troops from the West Indies under the command of the Marquis de Saint-Simon. Learning that General Cornwallis was fortifying himself on the York Peninsula, it seemed wise to attack immediately while the enemy was unprepared. He thought he could successfully accomplish that operation after the junction of Saint Simon’s troops with those of Lafayette. Duportail’s arrival changed his plans. He replied to General Washington’s letter on September 2 in part,
I received at the moment when I least expected it the letter which Your Excellency has had the kindness to transmit to me through M. duPortail, whose reputation has been known to me for many years. Therefore I have not hesitated to open my heart to him and acquaint him with all my resources and my orders. . . . I fear that the time at my disposal will not permit me to give all the aid to the united forces which I should wish to procure them. I had resolved to attack York with the Marquis de la Fayette’s troops and those which I brought in my ships. But because of the letter which I received from Your Excellency, and on the advice of M. du Portail, I have suspended my plans until the arrival of the Generals, whose experience in the profession of arms, knowledge of the country and insight will greatly augment our resources.38
During their first conference, General Duportail and Admiral Grasse understood their respective situations. Grasse and Duportail both wrote to General Washington at the same time later the same day, September 2. Duportail wrote,
Dear general: i arrived here this morning at five o’clock after a long and tedious journey on many accounts. but the pleasure I have to see at last a french fleet of 27 sail of line in your country makes me forget all the hardships i experienced. . . . count de grasse being obliged to it appears to be always determined to leave us in the time announced so we have only six weeks to operate. . . .
i intend to join too morrow the marquis. the admiral has sent him already the troops he had on board which amount to more than 3000 men. now the situation of the marquis appear to me very nice, because on one side he must not according my opinion run any great risque till you arrive. that should be entirely improper unless the enemy gives a fine opportunity of an attacking against him which never must be lost. [Duportail evidently alludes here to the attack as first proposed by Grasse.] but in another respect it should be very advantageous to confine the ennemy as much as possible that he could not obtain provisions because by what i heard of the advantages of his position at york, 6000 men well fortified shall be forced with difficulty. so if we could join famine to other means, we should have better chance of succeeding. but to determine to what degree it is convenient to aim at each of these different objects requires a very great judgment, fortunately the intelligence and good sense of the marquis must give us great confidence. i will put myself under his orders and second his views as much as i shall be able . . . but dear general come with the greatest expedition. let us make us[e] of the short stay of the count de grasse here. we have no choice left I thinck, when 27 of line are in Chesapeake, when great americain and french forces are joined we must take cornwallis or be all dishonored.39
DUPORTAIL JOINS THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE
Duportail joined the Marquis de Lafayette the following day. Lafayette was aiding Saint-Simon to debark his men as quickly as possible. While the troops were disembarking, the Comte de Grasse sighted the British fleets under Graves and Hood and attacked them. The Battle of the Chesapeake has been characterized as the British navy’s Waterloo and had much greater significance than Waterloo. It gave the allies mastery of the seas for a time, turning the tide of events completely in their favor. The ships were so disabled that the British were forced to abandon their project of relieving Cornwallis. They sailed back to Sandy Hook for repairs.40
In the meantime, Washington had received Grasse’s and Duportail’s letters. He wrote to Duportail on September 7,
I am made happy by the receipt of your letter of the 2nd inst. and the other Dispatches announcing the arrival of the Count de Grasse. Nothing now gives me uneasiness but the two things you mention, not hearing from the Count de Barras who sailed the 24th of Augst. and the resolution for the departure of the fleet at a certain time.—Our measures must be forced, and every intermediate moment employed to the greatest advantage.
The want of sufficient number of transports to carry our whole force and Apparatus from this place at once, is a great misfortune. We will however, hurry on the troo
ps & preparations for the intended operation as much as possible. The heavy Ordinance & necessary Stores will be forwarded immediately. & the Van of the American and French Armies consisting of 1000 men each will, I hope, be embarked tomorrow. The remainder of the Army will move by land to Baltimore without delay as you advise, and I shall come forward myself with all possible expedition.41
Washington seemed not to have noticed the Comte de Grasse’s intention to immediately attack the British position. He replied to the Comte de Grasse’s letter,
I Will only inform you, that the van of the Two Armies . . . will fall Down the Chesapeake to form a junction with the Troops under the Com’d of the Ct. de St. Simon, & the Marquis Lafayette, & to Cooperate in Blockg. up Ld. Cornwallis in York River, and in preventg. him to make his Retreat by Land, or collecting any Supplies from the Country.
. . . In the Mean Time it will be of the greatest Importance to prevent the Escape of his Lordship from his present Position,—I am persuaded that every Measure which prudence can dictate, Will be improved for that Purpose untill the Arrival of our Compleat Force when I hope his Lordship will be compelled to yield his Ground to the superior Power of our Combined Forces.42
In a postscript to his letter to Lafayette of September 10, Washington said, “I hope you will keep Lord Cornwallis safe, without Provisions or Forage until we arrive. Adieu.”43
Lafayette wrote to General Washington on September 8,
Lord Cornwallis will in a little time Render himself very Respectable I ardently wish Your whole Army may soon be brought down to operate. We will make it our business to reconnoiter the Enemy’s Works and give you on your arrival the best description of it that is in our power—I expect the Governor this Evening and will again urge the necessity of providing what you have recommended.44
Before closing the letter, Lafayette made two requests: the first, that Washington, in answering Saint-Simon’s letter that Lafayette forwarded, should make special mention of “your Admiration of the Celerity of the landing and your sense of their cheerfulness in submitting to the difficulties of the first Movement—indeed, I would be happy something might be said also to Congress on the Subject.”45 Lafayette concluded his letter with great modesty:
Your approbation of my Conduct Emboldens me to request that, as General Lincoln will of course take command of the American part of your Army, the division I will have under him may be composed of the troops which have gone through the fatigues and dangers of the Virginia Campaign—This will be the greatest reward of the Services I may have rendered, as I confess the strongest attachment to those troops.46
Lafayette’s letter to Washington of September 10 noted the arrival of Colonel Gouvion at Lafayette’s camp at Williamsburg. He did not mention the report that Gouvion must have made or of what he had been able to accomplish in improving the condition of the roads over which the heavy army wagons would be forced to proceed. He certainly did the best he could under the circumstances.
Duportail’s October 29 letter to the commander in chief informed him that Gouvion instantly threw himself, heart and soul, into all that now presented itself to be done in relation to providing defenses for the American part of the allied armies.47 Those defenses were carried on under Duportail’s direction.
WASHINGTON AND ROCHAMBEAU REST AT MOUNT VERNON
Washington and Rochambeau rested at Mount Vernon for two days, then hastened to join Lafayette at Williamsburg. They arrived on September 14 and informed the Comte de Grasse the following day of their arrival. They made arrangements for a conference onboard the Ville de Paris for the seventeenth. Washington recorded in his journal,
17th. In company with the Comte de Rochambeau, the Chev. Chastellux, Genls. Knox and Duportail I set out for the interview with the Admiral and arrived on board the Ville de Paris (off Cape Henry) the next day by noon and having settled most points with him to my satisfaction, not obtaining an assurance of sending ships above York and one that he could not continue his fleet on this Station than the first of November I embarked on board the Queen Charlotte (the vessel I went down in) but by hard blowing and by contrary Winds did not reach Williamsburg again till the 22nd.48
All the allied troops were assembled at a camp near Williamsburg by September 27. Washington’s orderly book for that day gave the “Order of Battle for the Army.” They were to march to Yorktown, the Americans to form the right wing, and the French, the left. The “Park of Artillery and the Corps of Sappers and Miners” were to be located between them. Immediately after arriving the morning of the twenty-ninth, Duportail took command of the defenses of the American army; “Trees were felled, flèches were thrown up, and batteries were constructed at the points deemed most vulnerable.”49
Artillery at the second parallel. Photo courtesy of the author.
Cornwallis had withdrawn his men from the outer defenses before daybreak of the thirtieth and retired to those immediately about Yorktown. As soon as the allies learned of this retreat, they advanced and took possession of the abandoned ground, strengthening the old defenses and building new ones. Reconnoitering parties kept the armies informed of the strength and position of the enemy.
Washington wrote to the president of Congress on October 6, “[B] oth the Allied armies are assiduously employed in making fascines and gabions, and in transporting our heavy cannon, mortars and stores. . . . It being the opinion of the engineers that we now have a sufficient stock to commence operations, we shall this night open trenches.”50 Washington’s diary for the seventh records, “The work was executed with so much swiftness
Reconstructed zigzag communication trench between the first and second parallels. The actual trenches would have been much deeper. Photo courtesy of the author.
Reconstructed redoubt 9, Yorktown, showing the fraise and embrasures for gun emplacements. Photo courtesy of the author.
Map of Yorktown showing deployments and defense works. Colonial National Historical Park Visitors Brochure.
and dispatch that the enemy were, I believe, totally ignorant of our labor till the light of Morning discovered it to them. Our loss . . . was extremely inconsiderable.”51
Even though several of Duportail’s engineer officers were still imprisoned following their capture at Charleston the previous year, the allies had more than a dozen engineers at Yorktown. Fifteen thousand fatigue men did the work, covered by “armed detachments numbering 2,800 men.”52 Duportail directed them with the assistance of only two of his officers, Lieutenant Colonel Gouvion and Captain Rochefontaine. Laumoy, Cam-bray, L’Enfant, and Schreiber were still detained prisoners.
The intense strain, constant activity, and responsibility involved undermined the health of the commandant of engineers. Duportail had dysentery at the end of the siege and was unable to take part in the final triumph. That did not matter much to him. It was more important to him that the united efforts of the allied armies succeeded. However, neither Duportail nor the commander in chief realized how badly the enemy had been beaten at Yorktown. They were too close to the conflict to realize the significance of what had happened.
SURRENDER AT YORKTOWN
After the surrender, Washington urged Grasse to help him drive the British from Charleston. Grasse thought that there was no need to waste time and treasure, not to mention human life, in wresting territory from the British. Failing in that request, he asked for assistance in transporting his army as far as Wilmington, North Carolina. The Comte de Grasse was willing and eager to gratify Washington, even though he himself realized that the effort was unnecessary. But he had already outstayed the time his orders permitted for the operations at Yorktown, so he and Washington expressed their good wishes and parted company. The British abandoned both New York and Charleston less than a year later without spilling a drop of blood. This was not due to the military power of the allies but to Great Britain’s “temporary loss of maritime supremacy and political support.”53
The day after the surrender, General Washington personally commended D
uportail for his siege work in the attacks and commended him and Colonel Ethis de Corny in the general orders of the day “for the Vigor and Knowledge which were conspicuous in their Conduct of the Attacks.”54
Reenactment of the surrender at Yorktown. Photo courtesy of the author.
REQUESTS FOR PROMOTIONS
Following the capitulation, General Duportail sought a leave of absence on October 24 to permit him to visit France for the approaching season, when little could be done in the field. He requested Washington’s intervention to get him promoted to major general and an advancement in rank for Gouvion. He also asked for and renewed his entreaties that Colonels Laumoy and Cambray be exchanged. The letter ended with assurances of his attachment to the American cause in general but particularly to the person and glory of the commander in chief.
Washington replied two days later pointing out the very grave difficulties that stood in the way of asking Congress for a raise in rank for the Royal Engineers. It meant that all the foreign officers who had fought so bravely and so well would feel they had been slighted if some special promotion were not granted to each one. This, in turn, would set a precedent to American officers, and the troubles that surfaced at the beginning of the war would reassert themselves:
In answer to your letter of the 24th I beg leave to inform you, that as no immediate operation requires your presence in this country, I shall most cheerfully second your application to Congress for a six months furlough to yourself and Col. Gouvion for the purpose of arranging your private affairs in France.
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