Tim Grove - The World Turned Upside Down: The Yorktown Victory That Won Americas Independence

Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-4197-4994-0

eISBN 978-1-64700-102-5

Text 2022 Tim Grove

Edited by Howard W. Reeves

Book design by Melissa Jane Barrett

Published in 2022 by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

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GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON

commander in chief of the Continental Army

MAJOR GENERAL LAFAYETTE

a French aristocrat and military officer

JAMES

an enslaved man

THOMAS JEFFERSON

Virginia governor, statesman

GENERAL THOMAS NELSON

a general in the Virginia militia and later Virginia governor

LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALEXANDER HAMILTON

a military officer and aide to Washington

LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN LAURENS

a military officer and aide to Washington

GENERAL SIR HENRY CLINTON

commander of all forces in North America

GENERAL LORD CHARLES CORNWALLIS

top British commander in Virginia

BRIGADIER GENERAL BENEDICT ARNOLD

former American military commander

LIEUTENANT COLONEL BANASTRE TARLETON

cavalry officer under Cornwallis

REAR ADMIRAL THOMAS GRAVES

Royal Navy commander in the Second Battle of the Capes

BRIGADIER GENERAL CHARLES OHARA

second-in-command under Cornwallis

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM PHILLIPS

military commander in Virginia

ADMIRAL MARRIOT ARBUTHNOT

Royal Navy commander in the First Battle of the Capes

JEAN-BAPTISTE-DONATIEN DE VIMEUR, COMTE DE ROCHAMBEAU

commander of French ground forces in North America

FRANOIS JOSEPH PAUL, COMTE DE GRASSE

commander of the French navy

CHARLES REN DOMINIQUE SOCHET, CHEVALIER DESTOUCHES

naval commander in the First Battle of the Capes

JACQUES-MELCHIOR SAINT LAURENT, COMTE DE BARRAS

naval commander based in Newport, Rhode Island

BARON LUDWIG VON CLOSEN

a nobleman from Bavaria (in present-day Germany) who served as an aide to Rochambeau

LIEUTENANT EBENEZER DENNY

a twenty-year-old soldier in a Pennsylvania regiment

CAPTAIN JOHANN VON EWALD

a Hessian (German) military officer who fought with the British

LOUIS-FRANOIS-BERTRAND DU PONT DAUBEVOYE, COMTE DE LAUBERDIRE

a twenty-one-year-old aide and translator for General Rochambeau in the French army

JOSEPH PLUMB MARTIN

a young private in his teens who fought for the Continental Army

DR. JAMES THACHER

an army surgeon from Massachusetts who served with the Continental Army

ST. GEORGE TUCKER

a major in the Virginia militia, translator for Governor and General Thomas Nelson

Everything that happened in this book is true, and all the characters were real people. The book is based on historical evidence. Historians try to put a puzzle together from the many pieces of historical evidence they find while doing research; sometimes there are pieces missing. Fortunately, quite a few diaries and official papers are available to provide firsthand accounts of the American Revolution.

The United States owes a great debt of gratitude to France. Simply put, without French help during the American Revolution, the United States would probably not have achieved independence. This book tells the story of people from very different backgrounds who worked together toward a common goal. Others worked hard to stop them. Every historical event can be viewed from multiple perspectives, and that makes history fascinating.

Why are so few womens perspectives included in this book? This tale relies on available historical sources. As it focuses on the military events that led up to the Siege of Yorktown, and because women in the eighteenth century did not play a role in warfare, there are no known records kept by women about military tactics and outcomes. Further, they did not hold many positions of leadership that might have been documented. Ive woven womens perspectives into the story whenever relevant and possible.

In a war, there are many different types of military units. When the American Revolution began, the United States did not exist, so no professional army existed. Each colony was responsible for its own protection or received aid from British troops. When fighting erupted, the various colonies responded to a call for soldiers by sending their own regiments, which joined together to become the Continental Army under General George Washington. Each colony also formed militias, usually based in a county, that stayed in the colony to defend it. Militia soldiers were usually part-time soldiers.

In our day of instant communication, it is very difficult to grasp the incredibly slow speed of communication in the eighteenth century. Think about life with no telephone, email, texts, instant messaging, TV, or radio. The challenges for military commanders spread over hundreds of miles meant they had to trust one another to make good decisions; often their correspondence crossed in delivery, meaning an answer they received could be referring to a question they asked several letters before. Whenever possible, they preferred to send communication by water transportation, as it was faster due to the poor state of roads at the time.

Finally, a few notes about terminology and spellings: In America, Lafayette became known by his last name though it was spelled in different ways. Marquis was a title he inherited when his father died. In the eighteenth century and until the mid-twentieth century, the term negro was used in common language to describe someone with dark skin. Negro is the Spanish word for black. Today it is considered a dated, offensive term by many people. I have used the word only in direct quotations from the period. Also, Yorktown, Virginia, was referred to as York or little York in 1781.

This book tells the story of the struggle for freedom. But freedom means different things to the different characters. James Lafayette wants freedom to make his own decisions in life, something denied to him as an enslaved person. Leaders like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson want a free society with a government representing its citizens. And yet, as slave owners, they deny freedom and citizenship to enslaved people. General Washington fights for freedom for many and denies freedom to others. Is it possible to be a strong military leader and enslave people at the same time? Yes. Does one excuse or cancel the other? No. History is complicated because people are complicated.