The British fleet, under Admiral Thomas Graves, sailed from New York to rescue Cornwallis. At the same time, a French fleet under Admiral de Grasse arrived from the Caribbean. The two navies clashed at the Battle of the Chesapeake on September 5.
But autumn had other plans.
To this day, some naval historians call it “the autumn gale that founded a nation.” And every fall, when the winds shift unpredictably along the Atlantic coast, old-timers in Yorktown still say: “That’s the breeze that set us free.” Would you like a winter, spring, or summer story next? weather seasons in america
Most people think the harsh winter at Valley Forge was the low point of the American Revolutionary War. But few know about the strange, deadly autumn that came before it—and how a bizarre weather event in Virginia turned the tide. The British fleet, under Admiral Thomas Graves, sailed
Meanwhile, on land, the dry autumn weather gave Washington’s army a gift: hard, dusty roads that allowed them to haul their heavy siege artillery all the way from New York in record time. A wet October would have turned the roads into mud pits, stranding the cannons. Instead, clear, crisp autumn days let Washington dig siege lines around Yorktown with terrifying speed. But autumn had other plans
Cornwallis waited for the Royal Navy. It never came. After three weeks of bombardment—and with his supplies gone and no rescue on the horizon—he surrendered on October 19, 1781.
But here’s where the autumn season became the secret hero: unpredictable fall winds and shifting currents—part of the same weird weather system—kept the British fleet from entering the bay. For days, the wind blew consistently from the northeast, pinning the British ships out to sea. The French, who had anchored inside the bay, were sheltered. Every time the British tried to break through, autumn gusts slammed their sails and pushed them back.