VA, USA
Allies Open the First Parallel
October 6, 1781
On the night of October 6, 1781, allied engineers began digging the first parallel — a trench line approximately 600 yards from the British fortifications. The work was done under cover of darkness, and by morning the trench was deep enough to protect the troops from British fire. Heavy siege guns were moved into position along the line.
Washington himself reportedly fired the first cannon on October 9 when the allied artillery opened its bombardment. The volume of fire was devastating, and the British defenses began to crumble under the sustained barrage. The methodical advance of siege lines toward the British positions was European siege warfare at its most professional.
People Involved
Commander of the Continental Army who orchestrated the march from New York to Virginia and directed the siege of Yorktown. Washington's decision to shift the entire campaign south — abandoning his long-planned attack on New York — was the strategic gamble that won the war.