Cornwallis Headquarters

Cornwallis Headquarters (HM1HF0)

Location: Yorktown, VA 23690 York County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 13.853', W 76° 30.297'

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Inscription

1781 Siege of Yorktown



"?Lord Cornwallis has built a kind of Grotto at the foot of the secretary's Garden where he lives under Ground?" - St. George Tucker, October 11, 1781



On the level plain above you stood the home of Thomas Nelson, former secretary of the royal governor's council prior to the American Revolutionary War. General Charles Lord Cornwallis chose the prominent two story mansion just within the British Inner Defense Line for his headquarters. When the American and French bombardment began on October 9, 1781, the secretary's house was extensively damaged, forcing Cornwallis to seek safer quarters from which to direct the defense of his position.



According to eyewitness descriptions of the town after the siege, Cornwallis moved his headquarters to an earthen bunker in this ravine where he had additional protection from the intense artillery barrage. An American officer who visited Yorktown after the siege described Cornwallis' headquarters as a "bombproof."



Unfortunately any trace of this important spot no longer exists. It is left to one's imagination to paint the scene of Cornwallis and his staff carrying on their duties in this ravine and making important decisions while faced with the ever-growing possibility of defeat as cannonballs struck around them and their defenses crumbled.
Details
HM NumberHM1HF0
Tags
Placed ByColonial National Historical Park, National Park Service
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, October 2nd, 2014 at 12:47am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 366497 N 4121546
Decimal Degrees37.23088333, -76.50495000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 13.853', W 76° 30.297'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 13' 51.18" N, 76° 30' 17.82" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)757
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1000 Colonial National Historic Pkwy, Yorktown VA 23690, US
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