Washington Built Brick Ovens to Hide the March to Yorktown
How George Washington used brick ovens and false papers to hide the march to Yorktown in 1781.
Part of our Yorktown week: one complete true story every day, October 18 to 24, 2026.
Sources
- National Park Service, Yorktown Battlefield, History of the Siege: https://www.nps.gov/york/learn/historyculture/history-of-the-siege.htm
- National Park Service, Siege Timeline: https://www.nps.gov/york/learn/historyculture/siegetimeline.htm
- National Park Service, The Moore House and the Articles of Capitulation: https://www.nps.gov/york/learn/historyculture/mooorehouseandarticle.htm
- Architect of the Capitol, John Trumbull, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis: https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/surrender-lord-cornwallis
- Founders Online, Washington's diaries and letters of August to October 1781, and Hamilton's report of October 15, 1781: https://founders.archives.gov/
- Disputed points (the credit for the victory, Clinton's sailing date and numbers, the surrender tune) are presented as disputes.
Pictures are artistic reconstructions and are labeled on screen. Maps and documents are original schematic graphics, not to scale.
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Watch the full Yorktown documentary: https://youtu.be/VpQ12AMhZ90