Click here to watch live video with John V. Quarstein

Siege of Yorktown
Presented by author and historian John V. Quarstein

Join us on Friday, May 1 at 2 p.m. for a Live Lecture with author and historian John V. Quarstein, director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center! Live from his home in Hampton, Virginia, John will give a 15-minute presentation about the Siege of Yorktown in 1862. Viewers are welcome to send him any comments or questions during the presentation, and John will answer them following his talk!

On April 4, 1862, Union General George Brinton McClellan began his march up the Virginia Peninsula to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond. The next day, his 121,000-strong army’s path was blocked by the Warwick-Yorktown Line, manned by Confederate General John Bankhead Magruder’s 13,000-man Army of the Peninsula. Since the James River was blocked by CSS Virginia, Magruder was able to create an illusion of strength and bluffed McClellan into a siege to gain access to the York River. The Union advance was delayed for nearly a month, which aided the Confederate defense of Richmond. This resulted in McClellan’s defeat during the Seven Days battles.