Heavy Artillery at Yorktown

Heavy Artillery at Yorktown (HM17WT)

Location: Yorktown, VA 23690 York County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 14.331', W 76° 30.492'

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Inscription
Within a few years of Yorktown's founding in 1691, a small gun battery was established along the shoreline. Later, Virginia's Royal Governor Spotswood rebuilt andenlarged the fortification to include 11 cannon. By 1731, the town's battery of between 12 and 20 guns was relocated to the slope overlooking the waterfront where it remained until falling into total disrepair by the 1770s.

In October 1781, Lord Cornwallis deployed 244 brass and iron pieces of various calibers against some 150 cannon, howitzers and mortars in the American and French arsenals. At the height of the siege, Alliedartillery fired as many as 1,500 rounds each day, more than one round per minute. The British were forced to surrender.

During the Civil War, Confederate troops armed Yorktown's bluffs with heavy artillery. Union General George McClellan highly over estimated their strengthand prepared for a "second Siege of Yorktown." After exchanging fire throughout April 1862, in May the Confederates left and Union troops moved in to occupy the same positions.
Details
HM NumberHM17WT
Tags
Year Placed2010
Placed ByYork County
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 5th, 2014 at 11:10pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 366223 N 4122434
Decimal Degrees37.23885000, -76.50820000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 14.331', W 76° 30.492'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 14' 19.86" N, 76° 30' 29.52" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)757
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 331 Water St, Yorktown VA 23690, US
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