OT: On This Date in History

[Tom McAndrew]

the last major battle of the American Revolution ended, as British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered his forces to Gen. Washington and Gen. Rochambeau at Yorktown, VA.

Yorktown is a fascinating ending to the war. It would not have been possible had not:

- Cornwallis moved his forces out of South and North Carolina toward the coast of North Carolina, and then up to Yorktown, VA
- French Admiral de Grasse moved his fleet out of the Caribbean up to the Chesapeake, and then defeated British Rear Admiral Graves at the Battle of the Capes (also known as the Battle of the Chesapeake), and thus eliminated the ability of Cornwallis to be resupplied and/or to escape off the peninsula via ship transports
- Gen. Rochambeau convinced Gen. Washington to give up on his plans to attack British Gen. Clinton and his forces in Manhattan
- Gen. Washington and Gen. Rochambeau moved the majority of the Northern Army and the French troops, respectively, from Connecticut/New York/New Jersey/Rhode Island to Yorktown, VA in about a month
- Robert Morris raised funds (many of them his personal funds or on his line of credit) to pay the costs of the movement of Washington's forces
- the Spanish raised funds in Cuba, in great part from private citizens, which French Admiral de Grasse took with him to Yorktown, and which were used to pay back salaries that many American soldiers insisted they must receive before they would take part in another battle
- etc., etc., etc.

 

[bkmtnittany1]

Ass beating!

 

[jjw165]

1812 Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armée begin their retreat from Moscow numbering just 100,000 (started campaign with 500,000).

 

[LionJim]

1812 Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armée begin their retreat from Moscow numbering just 100,000 (started campaign with 500,000).

I’m reading the Wiki article on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. Apparently when the French left Moscow they tried to avoid taking the road back through Smolensk but Kutuzov pushed them back onto that road, where there was zero forage available. Yikes.

This is a long, fascinating read.

French invasion of Russia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Woodpecker]

1812 Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armée begin their retreat from Moscow numbering just 100,000 (started campaign with 500,000).

 

[psuro]

1787 - Editorial from Alexander Hamilton accuses Presidential Candidate Thomas Jefferson of an affair with an enslaved person.

1982- John DeLorean arrested on an attempt to traffic $24MM worth of cocaine.

1987- largest one day drop in Stock Market history (to that point)

 

[BobPSU92]

Fluke win for Washington. Backed into our independence.

 

[PSU Mike]

I’m reading the Wiki article on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. Apparently when the French left Moscow they tried to avoid taking the road back through Smolensk but Kutuzov pushed them back onto that road, where there was zero forage available. Yikes.

This is a long, fascinating read.

French invasion of Russia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Meh, rub some dirt on it…

 

[bkmtnittany1]

Fluke win for Washington. Backed into our independence.

He made sure that he had ACC refs!

 

[PSU Mike]

Did Washington support booing British casualties? Asking for a friend that lives four hours away …

 

[jjw165]

Well over a million there.
I’ve read that up to 2.5 million for total men under arms, not just the Grande Armee at a given point.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Have always been amazed how they were able to move large armies such long distances. Moving men, heavy weapons, food, water, tents, horses, medical supplies, all without roads or trains. And be in condition for battle when they got there.

Reading the OP it also took fortuitous timing for Washington and the French to arrive at generally the same time from very distant points of origin. And all done with terrible communications to coordinate it all.

 

[psuro]

Have always been amazed how they were able to move large armies such long distances. Moving men, heavy weapons, food, water, tents, horses, medical supplies, all without roads or trains. And be in condition for battle when they got there.

Reading the OP it also took fortuitous timing for Washington and the French to arrive at generally the same time from very distant points of origin. And all done with terrible communications to coordinate it all.

Genghis Khan moved great armies across great expanses well before Washington and the French did. With even more rudimentary weapons and rations. Conquered several (now) countries and territories.

Plus he banged a lot of chicks. Read somewhere that 1 of every 6 people on the planet can trace their history to Genghis Khan.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Genghis Khan moved great armies across great expanses well before Washington and the French did. With even more rudimentary weapons and rations. Conquered several (now) countries and territories.

Plus he banged a lot of chicks. Read somewhere that 1 of every 6 people on the planet can trace their history to Genghis Khan.

So did the Phoenicians, Romans, the Persians, and many others. All amazing feats.

 

[LionJim]

I’m reading the Wiki article on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. Apparently when the French left Moscow they tried to avoid taking the road back through Smolensk but Kutuzov pushed them back onto that road, where there was zero forage available. Yikes.

This is a long, fascinating read.

French invasion of Russia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

For my own satisfaction, I need to clarify. Napoleon headed east to Moscow through Smolensk, where there was a big battle before Kutuzov moved south and left the road to Moscow open. The Smolensk corridor was used up and not a viable option for the French to head back west on. Taking that same route home as they used coming in was a death sentence for the Grande Armee. Kutuzov made sure that this was the only route home the French could take. Doing this was easy once the French horses died off and left the French Army defenseless against the Cossack cavalry. A learning moment for me.