In 1781, Virginia was invaded by formidable British forces that sought
to subdue the Old Dominion. Lieutenant General Charles, Lord Cornwallis,
led thousands of enemy troops from Norfolk to Charlottesville, burning
and pillaging. Many of Virginia's famed Patriots--including George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Nathanael
Greene'struggled to defend the commonwealth. Only by concentrating a
small band of troops under energetic French general the Marquis de
Lafayette were American forces able to resist British operations. With
strained support from Governor Jefferson's administration, Lafayette
fought a campaign against the veteran soldiers of Lord Cornwallis that
eventually led to the famed showdown at Yorktown. Historian John R.
Maass traces this often overlooked Revolutionary struggle for Virginia
and details each step on the road to Yorktown.