Cobblestone articles from October 2006

Cobblestone archives from October 2006

Editor's note.(Editorial)
October 1, 2006... This month, we travel back in time 225 years to the event that ended the American Revolutionary War. After more than six years of battles between the two sides, the Americans dealt what became the final blow to the British army at Yorktown,...

Washington makes his move.(George Washington )
October 1, 2006... In August 1781, British general Charles Cornwallis and his troops were settled in at Yorktown, Virginia. The general's decision to stay in this peninsula town, near where the York River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, would prove to be an...

Countdown to Yorktown: a time line.(Chronology)
October 1, 2006... 1778 February France officially enters the war on the side of the United States. 1779 June 1 British general and commander in chief Henry Clinton brings 6,000 troops to West Point, New York. June 16 Spain declares war against...

Partisans spring into action: American partisans in the South used their personal knowledge of the land to keep the British on their toes.
October 1, 2006... After the British captured Charleston, South Carolina, on May 12, 1780, the future looked bleak for the American cause. Fortunately, the Swamp Fox and the Carolina Gamecock rode to the Revolution's rescue. Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox)...

Hated British raider.(Banastre Tarleton)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... When Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton returned to England in 1782, the British hailed him as a hero. To Americans, however, he was known as "Ban the Butcher" and "Bloody Tarleton"--one of the most hated figures of the Revolutionary War....

France America's foreign friend: two mighty navies--the French and the British--faced one another at the Battle of the Capes in September 1781. The outcome of this naval battle helped determine what ultimately would happen at the siege of Yorktown.
October 1, 2006... America could not have won the Revolutionary War on its own. Fortunately for this nation struggling for its freedom, France provided the necessities: money, more troops, and supplies. Efforts to gain French support for an independent...

Allies to the rescue.(foreign soldiers in American Revolution)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Frenchmen such as the Marquis de Lafayette were not the only foreigners to join General George Washington's Continental Army. At Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Prussia's Baron von Steuben whipped the American army into shape with German military...

Under siege: American and British troops engaged in hand-to-hand fighting after the Americans stormed Redoubt 10.
October 1, 2006... On the night of September 28, 1781, General George Washington ordered his men to sleep with their weapons. Earlier that day, when his army had arrived within a mile of Yorktown, Virginia, British artillery and cavalry had fired on them. After...

Cocked hat.(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... During the American Revolutionary War. French and American soldiers wore cocked hats. These wide-brimmed hats Were bicorn (two-sided) or tricorn (three-sided). Typically, a cockade, representing the colors of the wearer's country, was pinned to...

Who played a part?
October 1, 2006... the play, sir, is over," the Marquis de Lafayette wrote the day after the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia. The American Revolutionary War's last major battle had ended. And what a dramatic encounter it was! Of course, American general...

World turned upside down.(Siege of Yorktown, 1781)
October 1, 2006... A red-coated British drummer boy climbed alone to the top of a defensive wall. Standing in full view of his enemy, he began beating a slow, steady drum roll. The horrifying artillery barrage going on around him made it impossible to hear the...

Top 10 reasons Cornwallis lost.(Charles Cornwallis)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The British armies led by General John Burgoyne at Saratogas and General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown are caught in the coils of this "American Rattlesnake." The surrenders of these two large armies were huge British losses and led to...

Maze to surrender.
October 1, 2006... The American victory at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781 came about as a result of several key factors--good and bad decisions and luck, as well as when they occurred, all played into the scenario. To solve our maze, you must find a path the areas...

Peace at last: despite its loss of the American colonies, Britain, portrayed here as a lion, was bold enough to face off against Spain, France, America, and Holland in the continued struggle for international power.
October 1, 2006... After the American victory at Yorktown, Virginia, almost two years went by before the United States and Great Britain signed a formal treaty. Why did the peace process take so long? First of all, the British army that General Charles...

Did you know?
October 1, 2006... By early October 1781, British general Charles Cornwallis ordered horses that were behind the lines of siege to be killed so that they would not starve to death. American commander in chief George Washington refused to accept a salary...

Yorktown: yesterday and today.(THE PAST IS PRESENT)(City overview)
October 1, 2006... Founded in 1691 as a deepwater port town--crucial for shipping tobacco to Great Britain--York thrived for decades. Along the riverbank on Water Street, wharves. warehouses, and businesses hummed with activity. On the bluff high above the...

Celebrating Yorktown Day!(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Victories are worth remembering, and that certainly is true of Yorktown. The anniversary of the American victory there is commemorated every October 19. It is not known exactly when the first celebration of Yorktown Day was held, but the...

Last man standing.(GOING GLOBAL)(France, Spain, and Great Britain after the American Revolution)
October 1, 2006... Yorktown proved to be the last crucial battle of the American Revolution. Some of the participants--notably France, Spain, and Great Britain--faced other decisive lie final conflicts around the globe just before and after our own Revolutionary...

John Adams.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... John Adams was a great leader of our country and best known as our second president. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was in the first election for a president, but ended up becoming the first vice president....

Benjamin Franklin.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... One of the colonial leaders was Benjamin Franklin. This inventor was born in 1706 and died in 1790. When he was 23 years old, he owned and published what survives today as the Saturday Evening Post. The impact Franklin had on America was that...

Rainbow.(Poem)
October 1, 2006... Rainbow A mix of colors in the sky. A sign of peace, happiness, and joy. After it rains, you can see it up in the sky. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Purple. ...

Pine Trees.(Poem)
October 1, 2006... PINE TREES Rough old trees, big as buildings. Look like cocoons or fence posts in a line. Lots of arms that stir in the wind. Pine cones on top look like bananas. Beautiful old trees. Ben...

Thunder.(YOUR LETTERS)
October 1, 2006... THUNDER Boom! Crash! Bang! Thunder roars outside. "Go back to sleep," I tell myself as I say, "Good night!" Paytn DiGregorio Setauket, New York

World War II: D-Day! (April 2007) John F. Kennedy (May 2007).(in THE WORKS)
October 1, 2006... Write to us! Draw a picture or write a poem or short essay that connects to one of the above COBBLESTONE themes on which we are currently working. All contributions must be your own, original work. Include your name, address, and a note from a...

Books to read.(Digging DEEPER)(American Revolution, 1775-1783)(Recommended readings)
October 1, 2006... The Road to Yorktown by Broadus Mitchell (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971, out of print, but available at libraries) likely is the most comprehensive book (for young people) on the events that led up to, and the action that resulted in, the siege...

More media.(Digging DEEPER)
October 1, 2006... Liberty! The American Revolution combines readings from historical letters and diaries with a re-creation of events that took place during the American Revolutionary War. The movie is available in VHS or DVD format from PBS, 1320 Braddock...

On the web.(Digging DEEPER)(members.aol.com/spursfan50/davidallen/yorktown.htm)
October 1, 2006... "The Battle of Yorktown," found on the Web at members.aol.com/spursfan50/davidallen/yorktown.htm, is a concise wrap-up of the "climax of the Revolutionary War," with particular attention paid to France's involvement in the siege. For time...

Places to visit.(Digging DEEPER)(online guide to visit Yorktown)(Website list)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Editor's Note: To aid in planning a visit to the following, we have included each site's Web address. Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center (www.historyisfun.org/), Williamsburg and Yorktown, Virginia. Located near the Yorktown...

The World Turned Upside Down.(EMBRY'S REVIEW)(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by Richard Ferrie (New York: Holiday House Press, 1999, www.holidayhouse.com). Throughout history, people and relationships have been behind all conflicts, from ancient campaigns to modern wars. That point is proven...

Ethan rates it ...(www.britishbattles.com/battle-yorktown.htm)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... *** While searching for the "perfect" Web site on the siege of Yorktown, I struggled to find one that was both informational but also readable and enjoyable for kids. I think I met that goal with the selection of...

From the archives.(Bibliography)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... The American Revolutionary War and the people who were a part of it have made for some terrific COBBLESTONE issues. Pick up the following and see for yourself: Benedict Arnold: American Traitor (COB9911), George Washington (COB9204), Thomas...

A man for others.(FLASHBACK TO ...)(George Washington)(Siege of Boston, 1775-1776)
October 1, 2006... In 1775, an army of New Englanders surrounded British-held Boston, Massachusetts. They hoped that southern militiamen would join the revolution that had started. But who would lead the American force? Many members of the Second Continental...

Brain ticklers.(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... GIVE YOUR, BRAiN A LiTTLE TiCKLE TO SEE HOW WELL YOU READ AND UNDERSTOOD THiS iSSUE ON THE SiEGE OF YORKTOWN. iF YOU BELiEVE THE ANSWER TO BE FALSE, GiVE YOURSELF THE ULTiMATE TEST AND SEE WHETHER YOU CAN EXPLAIN WHY iT iS FALSE. ANSWERS BELOW....

A final word.
October 1, 2006... IMAGINE THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO STORM ON OCTOBER 16, 1781, AND GENERAL CHARLES CORNWALLIS HAD ESCAPED WITH HIS ARMY FROM YORKTOWN BY CROSSING THE RIVER TO GLOUCESTER POINT. HOW MIGHT THAT HAVE AFFECTED THE OUTCOME OF THE WAR.

Cartoon connection with Ebenezer & The Colonel.(Comic)(Cartoon)
October 1, 2006... YORKTOWN-OCTOBER 1781 Cornwallis's troops seem pretty well entrenched? Pesky British! How will we force them out of there? Our only hope is to get CLOSER. We must dig NEW SIEGE LINES before tomorrow morning. But-Sir, the...

What is it?
October 1, 2006... That featherbrained Colonel scrambled this photo of a scene connected to Yorktown. Can you unscramble these boxes and put the image back together? Try making a copy of the cover and then cutting out the pieces to move them around. The full...