YORKTOWN, Va. — This summer, the Yorktown harbor will be filled with historic ships that tell the story of the birth of our country. It's all part of the Sail 250 celebration.
History hits close to home for Homer Lanier. The Williamsburg resident was born three miles from the Jamestown settlement. He has spent 45 years working with the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and he is excited to share his hometown with the many visitors who will be in town for the Sail 250 celebration.
"A wonderful maritime, three-day event here at Yorktown, where we're going to have visiting ships from across the world come and tie up at the docks," Lanier said.
While the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, the war continued until 1781, and Yorktown played a significant role. The last major battle of the American Revolution took place here, securing America's freedom from the British.
"British Gen. Cornwallis was coming up through Savannah, Charleston and the Carolinas, wreaking havoc, and he eventually came to a sleepy town called Yorktown," the historian said.
Cornwallis set up camp, waiting for British ships to bring supplies.
"Then Gen. Washington and Gen. Rochambeau, our French allies, realized they had an opportunity to trap Cornwallis at Yorktown, and the key to this was the French navy," Lanier said.
French ships kept the British from entering the Chesapeake Bay, and that was the beginning of the end for Cornwallis. Fearing a French attack on the beach, he made a costly mistake.
"He tried to build obstacles to keep the French from coming ashore, so he sank his own boats to create a debris field along the beaches," the historian said.
"Now here come 18,000 French and American troops to his front door to bottle him so he could not escape, while the French fleet controlled the bay and the York River; he had nowhere to go," explained Lanier.
If he had not sunk his ships, he could have used them to escape. The British general surrendered, and America won the war and its independence.
You will be able to see replicas of many of the ships involved in the birth of our country during the Sail 250 celebration June 12-14.
Yorktown and residents like Homer, who keep the history alive, are 'Positively Hampton Roads.'
For a list of all of the events in Yorktown: https://www.visityorktown.org/
