Yorktown

Patriots…

October 17, 1781

Patriots, you can smell the ocean nearby and glimpse the French flags flying from the masts of the French fleet under the command of Admiral Francois Joseph de Grasse. As the first light of day dawns, you hear the thunder of the French ships’ cannons firing on the defenses of Yorktown once again.

You flinch as the cannons of the Continental and French armies surrounding Yorktown join in with the French fleet to pound the British-held city. This siege has lasted for more than two weeks now, and with every passing day, the defenses of Yorktown get weaker and weaker.

You snap back to attention as you hear the booming German-accented voice of Baron Von Steuben, your commanding officer and the man who taught your how to be a soldier during that hard winter. He orders your company into marching formation – you will try to dislodge the British soldiers from their positions outside of Yorktown.

You set off at a run toward the dirt embankments hiding the British soldiers and see puffs of smoke rising from their cannons. The ground shakes as a cannon ball slams into the earth behind you. Now you see many smaller clouds of smoke as the British musketeers begin to fire at your soldiers. You notice that there are not nearly as many enemy muskets firing at you as there were two weeks ago. You approach the embankment and begin to charge up the dirt slope. What will you do next?

1. Fire your musket and jump over the embankment

2. Jump over the embankment, then fire your musket

3. Crawl carefully over the embankment.

If you chose NUMBER 1

Roll the die to see if your MILITARY EXPERTISE will help you succeed in battle.

If you chose NUMBER 1

If your roll a number HIGHER than your MILITARY EXPERTISE number, your musket fire made the enemy soldier duck down. As you jump over the embankment, you land on top of him and accidently knock him senseless. (He will wake up in a few minutes) Raise your morale by 2.

If you roll your MILITARY EXPERTISE NUMBER OR LOWER, the loud noise of your weapon startles you and you trip over the embankment, landing in a pile of mud. You get up and continue running into battle, though you smell terrible. Your morale does not change.

If you chose NUMBER 2

Roll your dice to see if your STAMINA will help you in battle.

If you chose NUMBER 2

If you roll a number HIGHER than your stamina number, you spot a Redcoat running towards you. You are able to knock him to the ground and continue the assault on Yorktown. Raise your morale by 2.

If you roll your stamina number or LOWER, a Redcoat sees you and starts running towards you. Suddenly, you become very afraid and start running away as fast as you can. A fellow Patriot soldier sees your frantic running and comes to your aid. Raise your morale by 1.

If you chose NUMBER 3

Roll the dice to see if your Common Sense will help you in battle.

If you chose NUMBER 3

If you roll your Common Sense number or higher, you are able to successfully sneak past the fighting beyond the embankment. You sabotage a British cannon thanks to your clever timing. Raise your morale by 2.

If you roll a number lower than your Common Sense number, you crawl over the embankment to find that your fellow soldiers have already routed (cornered) the enemy. You watch as the British retreat to Yorktown. Raise your morale by 2.

Diary Prompt

Three cheers for the red, white, and blue! The Patriots have overtaken Yorktown! General Cornwallis has surrendered to General Washington and the war is finally over.

Prompt: Write about how you think your life will change as a result of winning the Revolutionary War.