Last updated: December 22, 2021
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Siege of Yorktown Trivia
Are you a Historian, Park Ranger, Park Regular, or a Visitor? Keep track of your correct answers to find out!
Question 1:
How many British troops were stationed in North America when the Battle of Yorktown ended?![Yorktown Surrender Ceremony An oil painting depicts British troops marching in line across the battlefield. They look distressed. To the right members of the continental army look on.](/colo/learn/education/images/1-Yorktown-Surrender-Ceremony-Keith-Rocco-artist.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Artist: Keith Rocco NPS image
b. 5,000
c. 26,000
d. 30,000
Though the British still had 26,000 troops in North America after Yorktown, their resolve to win the war was nothing like it had been before Yorktown. The war had been lengthy and costly. Replacing Cornwallis' captured army was a questionable proposition, particularly because the British also were engaged in military struggles in India, Gibraltar, the West Indies and Ireland. Thus, in March 1782, the British Parliament passes a resolution saying the British should not continue the war against the United States.
Question 2:
Which of these regiments fought for the British? You can choose more than one.![Reenactors at Saratoga National Historical Park Reenactors dressed as British royal troops march through tall grass.](/colo/learn/education/images/2-British-Troops-Saratoga-National-Historical-Park.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
NPS
b. Royal Deuxponts
c. Gatenois
d. Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Regiment Royal Deuxponts and the Gatenois Regiment were both French forces that allied with Americans during the American Revolution. The Ansbach-Bayreuth Regiment was part of the 30,000 German men British forces hired to fight on their side. The Royal Welch Fusiliers were an accomplished regiment within the British Army.
Question 3:
What was the average number of cannonballs and bombs shot daily by the American Allies towards the British at Yorktown?![Volunteers fire an 18 pound cannon ball at Yorktown Battlefield during a Lamb's Artillery reenactment. Reenactors fire a cannon at Yorktown battlefield. They wear continental army uniforms.](/colo/learn/education/images/3-Fired-by-Lambs-Artillery-NPS.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
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b. 1,700
c. 56
d. 400
b. 1,700
The effectiveness, accuracy, and destructiveness of the allied forces artillery helped convince Britain's Lord Cornwallis to surrender.
Question 4:
How many artillery pieces did the British surrender at Yorktown![A surrendered cannon on display at Yorktown Battlefield. An inscription on a cannon reads "surrendered by the capitulation of Yorktown Oct 1781](/colo/learn/education/images/4-Surrendered-by-NPS.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
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b. 80
c. 350
d. 244
d. 244
The British surrendered at Yorktown 244 artillery pieces of mainly lightweight field cannon. These had been ineffective against the enemy’s earthworks. While General Washington’s forces had considerably fewer pieces— approximately 131— it was their superior number of siege guns and their skilled gun crews, such as Colonel Lamb’s Artillery, that made the difference.
Question 5:
What rank was Alexander Hamilton during the Siege of Yorktown?![Alexander Hamilton painted by Charles Willson Peale A painting of Colonel Alexander Hamilton. He is a white man dressed finely and has a receding hairline with straight brown hair.](/colo/learn/education/images/6_45.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Artist: Charles Willson Peale Independence NHP
b. Major
c. General
d. Captain
a. Lieutenant Colonel
With his reputation as a skilled commander and writer, Alexander Hamilton was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and George Washington's secretary and Aide-de-camp in 1777.
Question 6:
Who was the Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America during the Siege of Yorktown?![British troops marching by a small town in New Jersey along the bank of a river seen in background. An illustration depicts three British soldiers marching in a line with muskets on shoulders. Behind them a soldier mounted on horseback follows.](/colo/learn/education/images/7-British-on-horseback-Cohen-Gilbert-Gil.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Artist: Cohen, Gilbert 'Gil' NPS Image
b. General John Burgoyne
c. General Charles Cornwallis
d. General Henry Clinton
d. General Henry Clinton
In February 1778, General William Howe resigned as commander-in-chief of British forces in America. Clinton was appointed to take his place. Clinton, in 1780, successful laid siege to Charleston, South Carolina, and captured practically the entire southern army of the Americans. Clinton returned to New York and left his second in command, General Cornwallis, in charge in the south.
Question 7:
What do you call a cannon ball that is heated before it is fired?![A 6 pounder cannon at Yorktown Battlefield. The picture looks down the barrel of a cannon](/colo/learn/education/images/8-Cannon.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
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b. Grapeshot
c. Hot shot
d. Chain shot
c. Hot shot
Cannon crews utilized hot shot, a superheated cannon ball to set a ship on fire.
Question 8:
On what day did the British officially surrender at Yorktown.![The victory monument at Yorktown A tall obelisk monument is pictures in front of a blue cloudy sky. In the background is the York River.](/colo/learn/education/images/9-Victory-Monument-NPS.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
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b. Oct. 11
c. Oct. 16
d. July 4
a. Oct 19
In the afternoon of October 19, 1781, the British garrison at Yorktown marches to Surrender Field to lay down their arms. One hour later, the garrison at Gloucester Point undergoes similar ceremonies. This action surrenders one third of all British forces in North America and is a devastating military disaster.
Question 9:
In what year was the final treaty signed that ended the war and acknowledged American independence?![Quill and inkwell An illustration of a quill and inkwell.](/colo/learn/education/images/Quill-and-Inkwell.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
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b. 1776
c. 1781
d. 1783
d. 1783
On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris is ratified in its final form. The treaty ends the war and establishes American independence. It isn’t until November 25, 1783, that British forces evacuate New York City, their last stronghold in the United States.
Bonus Question 10:
Who was closely related to General George Washington and General Thomas Nelson Jr.?![Artist Alonzo Pease from a painting by Gilbert Stuart Medium Oil on canvas Date 1881 Location Second floor hallway James A Garfield National Historic Site A painting of General George Washington. He is an older white gentleman with a powdered wig and stately nose.](/colo/learn/education/images/5-Artist-Alonzo-Pease-from-a-painting-by-Gilbert-Stuart-Medium-Oil-on-canvas-Date-1881-Location-Second-floor-hallway-James-A-Garfield-National-Historic-Site.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
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a. Martha Custis Washington
b. Nicolas Martiau
c. General Charles Cornwallis
d. General William Howe
Frenchman Nicolas Martiau (1591–1657) immigrated to Virginia in the 17th century and is buried in Yorktown. He is an ancestor of the first American president, George Washington and Thomas Nelson Jr.
How many did you get right?
9-10: You’re a Historian! With that kind of knowledge, you should be giving us a tour!
6-8: Throw on your flat-brimmed hat and head out to the field, you’re a Park Ranger!
4-5: History is a passion? More like a lifestyle. You might not be on your A-game with this quiz, but you’re clearly a Park Regular.
0-3: No shame in your game. As a Visitor you can learn all about the incredible people, places, and stories that were a part of the final major battle of the American Revolution, the Siege of Yorktown.