The World Turned Upside Down: The Yorktown Victory That Won America's Independence

A dramatic, gripping history of the Battle of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution, told through vastly different perspectivesIn October 1781, American and British forces converged on a small village named Yorktown—a place that the British would try to forget and Americans would forever remember.In his riveting, balanced, and thoroughly researched account of the Revolutionary War’s last pivotal conflict, author–historian Tim Grove follows the true stories of both Americans and the British with vastly different backgrounds and viewpoints whose lives intersected at Yorktown. Grove’s account highlights the bold decisions made by famous military leaders, the everyday courage shown by civilians, and the heroic work of enslaved individuals.Narratives include General George Washington; traitor Benedict Arnold; the young French major general, the Marquis de Lafayette; James, an enslaved man; British General Lord Cornwallis, and others.Profusely illustrated with archival images, broadsides, and letters, the book includes a timeline, endnotes, bibliography and index. The World Turned Upside Down tells the story of both the British and the Americans, in Yorktown, when the world had forever turned upside down.

The World Turned Upside Down isa dramatic, gripping history of the Siege of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution, told through vastly different perspectives.

In October 1781, American, French, and British forces converged on a small village named Yorktown—a place that the British would try to forget and Americans would forever remember. In his riveting, balanced, and thoroughly researched account of the Revolutionary War’s last pivotal conflict, author–historian Tim Grove follows the true stories of American, French, and British players, whose lives intersected at Yorktown.

Through very different viewpoints—from General George Washington to Alexander Hamilton to the notorious traitor Benedict Arnold, from young French hero Lafayette to British General Lord Cornwallis, and an enslaved man named James who became a spy, The World Turned Upside Down tells the story of bold decisions made by famous military leaders, as well as the everyday courage shown by civilians. For every side involved, the world forever turned upside down at Yorktown.

Profusely illustrated with archival images, broadsides, and letters, the book includes a timeline, endnotes, bibliography, and index.