Six long, weary years the British armies had fought their way across America, but now, in 1781, they controlled only the ground upon which they stood. Tories had to choose between exile or silence. The American armies, on the other hand, could not quite win the war. Whenever the British found themselves worsted they could usually board their ships and sail along the coast line to some more vulnerable shore. If they could not hold Boston they could hold New York. The Franco-American alliance was soon to alter this situation for a moment, a moment in which the allies could gain a great victory and decide the fate of the war.

In 1781 Lieutenant General Washington's army was busy in New York with the British troops under Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton. Despite the landing of a French expeditionary force in New England, no opportunity for a decisive battle presented itself. Meanwhile, in Virginia, Major General Lafayette watched the British with his smaller force, continually avoiding battle with Lieutenant General Earl Cornwallis' powerful army.

Then, in early fall, two events changed the situation and opened the way for the Yorktown campaign. The French Admiral Count de Grasse sailed from the West Indies with twenty-four ships of the line, a fleet slightly superior to the British squadron in American waters. About the same time General Cornwallis had dispatched a part of his army to his nervous chief General Clinton. When Washington learned that Admiral De Grasse would be in Chesapeake Bay for a short while, the American commander marched south with his army and the French force, which was commanded by Lieutenant General Count de Rochambeau. Meanwhile, General Cornwallis had withdrawn his army to Yorktown, on the Virginia coast, near Williamsburg. Here he expected to receive reinforcements by sea if the Americans should attack. He knew nothing of the French fleet. Soon Generals Washington and Lafayette joined forces near Williamsburg, and then additional French troops landed near Jamestown. On the same day, September 5, 1781, British Admiral Graves, with nineteen ships, attacked the French fleet but was driven off. Nevertheless, the British army remained at Yorktown, confident they could hold out until help arrived.

On September 28, the allied armies moved in slowly on Yorktown and Gloucester, across the York River. The French formed the left wing of the curved line and the Americans were on the right. The French ships had closed the mouth of the Bay as a cork in a bottle. The allied army had almost three times as many men as the British.

French Force

First let us consider the French force. There were seven regiments of infantry: Bourbonndis; Royal Deuxponts; Soissonais; Saintonge and newly arrived from the West Indies, Agenois,, Gatenois and Touraine. Each regiment was divided into two battalions of four companies each and also had a grenadier and a chasseur company. Thus the total came to ten companies. The newly arrived regiments were supposedly at their full 1000 men strength and each of the others were about nine hundred strong. The general cut of the uniform was not too different from that in use at the start of the French Revolution. Grenadiers and chasseurs wore the cocked hat, the same as the line companies.

Everyone wore the black American rosette over the white French cockade in response to a similar American gesture. Grenadiers were distinguished by red pompons and epaulettes and a grenade worked in regimental color on the coat's skirt. In addition, the grenadiers wore a hanger. The chasseurs, on the other hand, had a green pompon and epaulette and a hunting horn on their coat tails. The line or fusilier companies wore a pompon of company color, white epaulettes trimmed with the regimental color and fleur-de- lis on their coats skirts. The pompons of a regiment's first battalion were: 1st company, royal blue; 2nd company, gold; 3rd company, violet; 4th company, crimson.

The second battalion's were the same except that the right side was white. All the drummers were dressed in blue coats, trimmed with crimson and white braid. The sleeves were decorated with seven wide chevrons of this braid, points up. In addition, there were three stripes of this under the lapels on each side, two on the cuffs, three more on the pocket flaps and below the pocket. This braid also followed the seams. Cuffs and lapels were in regimental colors. The copper drums were decorated only with the regimental number.

French regimental colors and uniforms combined the virtues of standardization and distinction to a considerable degree. All of the French infantry considered here wore a white coat, with the exception of Royal Deuxponts which rated as a foreign regiment in the French service. Bourbonnais soldiers wore the usual coat with a white standing collar, vest and breeches, white lapels piped with black, black plush cuffs, long pockets with black piping, silver buttons. Its regimental number was thirteen. Royal Deuxponts carried an interesting color, which was, per saltire, paly of ten argent and gules, the arms of Deuxponts, baruly of ten argent and azure, the arms of Deuxponts, on a saltire argent, the royal crown, between eight fleur-de-lys, all or. The Regiment wore a blue coat with a dark sky blue collar, white lining, bright yellow lapels and cuffs, cross pockets piped in yellow. The vest and breeches were white. The Regiment did not have a number.

Soissonais Regiment wore the usual coat with a white standing collar, crimson lapels, cuffs and piping, cross pockets with crimson piping, brass buttons. The vest and breeches were white. The Regiment's number was forty-one. The colors of the Saintonge Regiment were, quarterly, first, per saltire, or, vert, gules and azure, second, per saltire, or, azure, gules and vert, third and fourth, per saltire, vert, gules azure and or, over all a cross argent. The Regiment wore the ordinary coat, with a white standing collar, white lapels piped with dark green, dark green cuffs, cross pockets piped in green and brass buttons. The vest and breeches were white. The Regimental number was eighty-five.

The Agenois Regiment wore the usual coat with white standing collar, white lapels piped with violet, violet cuffs, violet piped cross pockets, brass buttons. The vest and breeches were white. The Regiment's number was sixteen. The Gatinois Regiment's colors were, quarterly, first and fourth, per bend sinister, gules and azure, second and third, per bend, azure and gules, over all a cross argent. The Regiment wore the ordinary coat with white standing collar, violet lapels, white cuffs piped with violet, long pockets piped with violet and silver buttons. The vest and breeches were white. The Regiment's number was eighteen. The Touraine Regiment consisted entirely of grendaiders. They dressed in the usual coat with white standing collar, white lapels piped with rose, rose cuffs, long pockets piped with rose and silver buttons. The vest and breeches were white. The regimental number was thirty-four.

The French brought a formidable train of artillery with them. Under Colonel D'Aboville there were some six hundred artillerymen of the Auxonne Regiment, probably a battalion of five or six companies. In addition there were twenty heavy guns (fourteen 24- pdrs and six 16-pdrs), sixteen howitzers and mortars (including two eight inch howitzers and two twelve inch mortars), thirty-two large field guns and four field howitzers. The total number of pieces came to seventy two. In accord with the Gribeauval system the French could put nine divisions of eight guns each into the lines.*

The Auxonne Artillery wore a blue coat, with a standing collar, red cuffs, blue lapels piped red, and with seven brass buttons in front. The coat was cut in a Polonaise point and could not be hooked or turned back. Each point has a blue fleur-de-lis on red. The epaulettes were of blue piped with red. The breeches and vest were blue, the plume white. The regimental number was sixty-four. Drivers evidently wore a gray coat with blue collar, lapels and cuffs. The vest was gray and the breeches were buckskin. Sappers wore grenadier type uniform, with the addition of dark colored hife aprons, hatchets, and a badge of two hatchets crossed worn on the sleeve. Pioneers appeared in blue coats with red vests and breeches.

Lauzun's Legion was a mixed unit consisting of three hundred horse and three hundred infantry and artillery. There were one general's company, one grenadier company, one chasseur company, two fusilier companies, one artillery company, two companies (squadrons?) of hussars, and one company of workmen. Evidently the rank and file of the hussars wore the usual tall black cap, bordered with gold galoon, with the black pendent also so trimmed. The sky blue jackets had a standing collar and bright yellow cuffs. They were trimmed with white braid. The men's pelises were of the same color but were bordered with black fur and trimmed in white braid. Their buttons were silver. The breeches were yellow, trimmed in front with white braid. The boots were furnished with white braid tops. A blue cloth sabertache carried the royal cypher in yellow, and was bound in black.

Officers were distinguished by a white pelise with gold galoon trim, and red breeches. They also sported a busby of marten fur with a red bag, a gold tassel and cords and a red and white feather plume. The uniform was amply adorned with braid and gilt buttons. The horse furniture of the men consisted of white sheepskin with a border of sky blue cloth, for the officers, of tiger skin bordered with galoon. The foot troops were comparatively pedestrian in their sky blue coats, with yellow cuffs and piping, gilt buttons, and cross pockets. Their vests were blue and their breeches red. Strangely, Lauzun's force was considered a part of the French Navy!

The total strength of this magnificent army was just 7,000 men omitting perhaps a few sailors who could be spared for shore duty.

French Officer Uniforms and Distinctions of Rank

Before leaving the French we should take note of officers uniforms and distinctions of rank. However, since most officers wore regimental uniform, we shall discuss only the insgnia of those grades. General officers wore a cocked hat bordered with gold gallon and fringed with feathers around the top. Naturally there was the usual cockade. The coat was royal blue, with a standing collar, small cuffs and a full skirt, bordered with gold galloon.

The vest and breeches were scarlet, the buttons gold. Lieutenant generals, sported three large silver stars worked in a triangular pattern on their gold galoon epaulettes, a double row of galoon trim on the collar, cuffs and pockets of the coat and on the vest. Major generals had to content themselves with two silver stars on their epaulettes and a single border of gold galoon. Brigadier generals wore the same uniform as their next superiors but had only one star on their epaulettes.

Other insignia for field and company grade officers were as followsMestre-de-camp commandant, two full gold or silver epaulettes, with heavy bullion fringe; Second Mestre-de-camp, the same, but with a flame colored silk cord running the length of the epaulette; Third Mestre-cle-camp, the same, but with two of the silk cords; Lieutenant Colonel, one epaulette on his right shoulder like that of the mestre-de-camp commandant; Major, two gold or silver epaulettes, but with a smaller bullion fringe; Captain-commandant, one epaulette on his right should of the same type as the major's; Second Captain, the same, but with a flame colored cord lengthwise; Third Captain, the same, but with two cords; First Lieutenant, one epaulette on his right should, with flame colored silk squares and a mixed silken and metallic fringe; Second Lieutenant, the same, but with the addition of a flame colored silk cord lengthwise, over the squares; Ensign, one epaulette with gold or silver squares on a field of flame colored silk, also with a mixed fringe and worn on his right shoulder; Second Ensign, the same, but with a metallic cord running lengthwise; Color Bearer, one epaulette of flame colored silk, piped with gold or silver and with a mixed metallic and silken fringe; Brigadier, epaulette, with a gold or silver star, of the opposite metal to the epaulette. Except in the artillery, subordinate officers wore a fringeless counter-epaulette. In general the metal of the epaulette matched that of the coat buttons. Officers generally wore gorgets of gilded copper with the royal arms in silver on the center.

Noncommissioned officers wore stripes on their sleeves as badges of rank. Sergeants major were distinguished by two oblique strips of silver galoon, just above 6ach cuff. Sergeants wore only one above each cuff. Corporals had two worsted blue stripes like the sergeants major. Sub- corporals wore one like sergeants. Sergeants also wore a hanger or short sword.

Officers and men wore black gaiters in winter, white in summer. Generally, belting and slings were of white leather. The black leather cartridge box could hold thirty two rounds and its flap was adorned by a brass plate with the royal arms. Enlisted ranks and subalterns were armed with Model 1777 Charleville .69 caliber muskets.

*Most likely the calibers of the unlisted artillery pieces were: siege howitzers, 8-inch, mortars, 8 and 10-inch. The "Large" field guns may have simply been older Valliere system guns or possibly they were 8 and 12-pdrs. The field howitzers were probably 6-inch since they were distinguished from the siege pieces and only two calibers were in use. Woodwork was blue, ironwork black.