In Podcast #10 the Virginia Trekkers explore the Yorktown and the York River.  Find out where the York river ranks in comparison to other Virginia rivers, learn how Yorktown played an important role in the history of the United States, and explore some of the characteristics of the coastal plain region of Virginia.  Come on... let’s go trekkin’! (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link).

During George Washington’s siege on Yorktown in 1781 he fired over 1,700 shells and bombs per day which averages about one explosion every minute! Many of the buildings in Yorktown were damaged, and some still have cannonballs stuck in the walls (Can you see it in the picture? Image credit). British ships in the York River were also damaged by cannonballs and hot shot. Hot shot was a special kind of cannonball that was heated until it was red hot. When it struck the ships, it would catch them on fire. One eyewitness described the siege on Yorktown this way: “The ships were enwrapped in a torrent of fire, which spreading with vivid brightness among the combustible rigging, and running with amazing rapidity to the tops of the several masts, while all around was thunder and lightning from our numerous cannon and mortars, and in the darkness of night, presented one of the most sublime and magnificent spectacles which can be imagined.” (Dr. James Thacher, Surgeon, Continental Army, NPS French Trench marker)


Here is a Google map of Yorktown and the York River. Use the +/- button in the bottom right to zoom in or out.



This is a 360 view of the York River. Click the arrows to look around.



This is a 360 view of the Yorktown battlefield. Click and drag to look around.



This is an old Flash animation about the rivers in Virginia. We got it to work using Ruffle!


Social Studies

1.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate knowledge of Virginia history by describing important events and people in the history of the Commonwealth, including

b) famous Virginians, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who helped form a new nation;


1.5 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to describe contributions of Virginia’s diverse people and the stories of changemakers in the history of Virginia and their contributions to our Commonwealth, including but not limited to

c. Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe;


2.7 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to describe the revolutionaries who fought for America’s freedom (1764-1781), including but not limited to

h. George Washington (“Father of our Country”).


VS.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;

c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp);


VS.5 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by

b) identifying the various roles of American Indians, whites, enslaved African Americans, and free African Americans in the Revolutionary War era, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, the Marquis de Lafayette, and James Lafayette;

c) identifying the importance of the American victory at Yorktown; and


VS.1 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present by

c. locating, identifying, and describing the impact of Virginia’s bodies of water on its history, economy, and culture.


VS.5 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain Virginia and Virginians’ role during the American Revolution by

b. examining the important contributions, leadership, and experiences of Virginians during the war, including but not limited to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, James Madison, James Armistead Lafayette, Indigenous Peoples, women, and free and enslaved Blacks;

d. identifying the importance of the American victory at Yorktown.


USI.6 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the American Revolution by

d. describing the leadership roles of individuals, including but not limited to George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, John Adams, and the Marquis de Lafayette; and

e. examining the causes, course, and consequences of key events and battles of the era.


Science

4.8 The student will investigate and understand that Virginia has important natural resources. Key resources include

a) watersheds and water;