See Also: Yorktown, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Yorktown(dictionary)
siege(dictionary)
siege(dictionary)
Siege(medicine)
Toulon, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Siege (as used in expressions)(encyclopedia)
Mafikeng, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Zara, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Leningrad, Siege of(encyclopedia)

Yorktown, Siege of (sh) and cotton (sh)


Yorktown, Siege of (sh)




(1781) American-French land and sea campaign against the British that virtually ended the American Revolution.

About 7,500 British troops under Charles Cornwallis occupied defensive positions at the coastal port of Yorktown, Va., on Aug. 1, 1781. They were opposed by a smaller American force under the marquis de Lafayette, assisted by Anthony Wayne and Frederick Steuben. From New York, George Washington ordered Lafayette to prevent Cornwallis's escape by land. French troops under the count de Rochambeau joined Washington's forces and marched south. Linking up with a French fleet at the head of Chesapeake Bay, they joined Lafayette's forces on September 28, and the 14,000 troops besieged the British position. Cornwallis waited for British reinforcements under Henry Clinton to arrive by sea; but now outnumbered, outgunned, and running low on Food, he surrendered his 8,000 men and 240 guns on October 19. The siege ended fighting in the war and virtually guaranteed Success to the American cause.


cotton (sh)




Seed-hair fibre of various plants of the genus Gossypium, in the mallow family, native to most subtropical countries.

The shrubby plants produce creamy white flowers, followed by small green seedpods (cotton bolls), which contain the seeds. Fibres growing from the outer skin of the seeds become tightly packed within the boll, which bursts open at maturity to reveal soft masses of the white to yellowish white fibres. Cotton is harvested when the bolls open. One of the world's leading agricultural crops, cotton is plentiful and economically produced, making cotton products relatively inexpensive. The fibres can be made into a diverse array of fabrics suitable for a great variety of apparel, Home furnishings, and industrial uses. Cotton fabrics can be extremely durable and are comfortable to wear. Nonwoven cotton, made by fusing or bonding the fibres, is useful for making disposable products including towels, polishing cloths, tea bags, tablecloths, bandages, and disposable uniforms and sheets for hospital and Other medical uses.


Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).

Rod Heinrichs-Grant Heilman