We are in Yorktown, Virginia. This is the site of the final battle of the Revolutionary War. The general on the American side was George Washington. The general on the English side was Lord Cornwallis. The Americans also had help. They had signed a treaty with our old friends the French and the nice French had sent an army under their general Rochambeau to help the Americans. They had also sent a fleet of French navy ships under their admiral de Grasse all the way from the West Indies, a thousand miles away, just to help. There were just as many French soldiers there as Americans and a lot more French navy. Man, those French guys were great. That's why the Americans still love the French. Cause they're always there when you need help.
Well, in the end the Americans and French surrounded Cornwallis on land and sea. The British had to quit and we had a new country.
Right after that the congress authorized the building of a big monument at Yorktown. But they didn't authorize any money. The monument didn't get built until a hundred years later. I am not making that up.
The monument has a statue of a lady on the top of a spire of granite from Maine. A few years later the statue got hit with lightning which blew the lady's head off. They had a picture of the exploded head. It was very cool. They made a new head and put a lightning rod in it this time.
They have plaques with the names of the American and French dead. Angel Jen found the name of one of the Frenchmen that was the French form of her mothers family name. He might be one of her ancestors!
Yorktown got destroyed in the fighting but the National Park Service, another great branch of your friendly, benevolent federal government, restored many of the homes and made a museum to teach people about the history of Yorktown.
Well, kids. That's your history lesson for today. So what did we learn? The America you love was greatly aided by the French and lightning will surely blow the head off a statue if you put it up in the air.
Now be good and listen to the teacher today. Do what she says immediately, and say, 'Yes, teacher!' enthusiastically when tasks fall your way.
John from the boat
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