Yorktown

I was down on the Peninsula for a few days last week with Mrs. E. and her mother (who's from the Auld Sod, in case you can't tell). We saw the Shirley Plantation and Sherwood Forest, John Tyler's estate, but the highlight of the trip was definitely the Yorktown Battlefield. Because Yorktown was a siege, the battlefield is relatively confined and easily comprehended. We had a wonderful Ranger who did a superb job explaining the sequence of events, the art of siege warfare at the time, the weaponry, etc. Clearly ex-military, she explained why the allies had to storm and seize Redoubts 9 and 10 by placing our group in a line and discussing the potentially catastrophic effects of enfilading fire.

The movie, which we saw at the beginning, was informative. The driving tour CD was reasonably priced - about $5.00 - and took us out to the successive allied lines, the redoubts, the surrender field, and back to the allied line of approach and staging areas.

If you're in the area, don't miss the Yorktown Battlefield. Highly recommended.