7/4/11 – Yorktown Battlefield NM

One of the reasons I’d booked us to a campground near Williamsburg, VA, was to celebrate the 4^th of July at Colonial Williamsburg.  Once we got here, the locals kept telling us to go to the York River for the fireworks, so we did.  Or at least we tried...

Colonial National Historical Park includes Historic Jamestowne, the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America and Yorktown Battlefield, the site of the last major battle of the American Revolution—and the 23-mile Colonial Parkway that connects them.

   

     

We went early so we could park at the Visitors Center.  We watched the movie and toured the museum.  We learned about the Siege of Yorktown and Lord Cornwallis’ British troops by the Marquis de Lafayette and Gen. Geo. Washington, then went outside to look at the actual battlefield.  We didn’t venture far out onto it because they were getting ready to use it for parking for the fireworks.

We then walked over to the town of Yorktown.  People still live there, and several of the buildings from the colonial period have been restored.  The Yorktown Victory Monument was authorized by the Continental Congress right after the war, but wasn’t built until the centennial of the surrender.  (It wasn’t in the budget!  Sound familiar???) 

At 4:00 we followed the Fifes & Drums parade to the Monument for their review.  We sat on the lawn above the York River and watched the other presentations.



George checking the weather



Before the parade at 6:00, the skies were showing signs of discontent.  They announced that everyone should “make yourselves safe”.  Nobody left.   Fireworks were scheduled for 9:15, but at 7:15 they announced that all fireworks in the area were cancelled.  We headed for the truck and headed home just as the downpour started, complete with its own light & sound demonstration.

Here are a few more pics of Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown and the parade.   Yorktown