The Yorktown Battle of Hamilton 🌟

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to the *Hamilton* soundtrack. A few years ago, I had some time on my hands and decided to revisit American history. If I was going to read about it, I figured I should see it for myself. 📚 Yorktown is a small town on the easternmost tip of Virginia, near the bay. It’s filled with charming colonial-era buildings that still carry a British colonial vibe. In *Hamilton*, the young protagonist is fearless and confrontational, constantly begging Washington to let him lead troops into battle, only to be denied time and again. The Battle of Yorktown was the decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War and also Hamilton’s first time commanding on the field. 🏰 I took the train from DC to Williamsburg and, early the next morning, hailed a cab to Yorktown in the light rain. The battlefield at Yorktown is surprisingly a “self-drive tourist attraction”—there aren’t even any golf carts. Without a car and unwilling to turn back, I steeled myself to hike across the historic battlefield. Compared to driving from point to point, this felt like a truly immersive experience. 🚗 The visitor center is housed in what used to be a British military stronghold, with the now-grassy battlefield stretching out beyond. The map shows the encirclement and points of engagement where Washington’s Continental Army and the French forces gradually tightened their grip on the British. 🗺️ This battle wasn’t a last straw for a lost cause; it had its own risks and opportunities. The French fleet unexpectedly cut off the British Navy’s supply lines. Seven hundred kilometers away, Washington, who was locked in combat with another British force, heard the news and made a decisive move. He marched his troops south to Yorktown, arriving just in time to join forces with the French and surround the main British army. After a month of intense fighting, the British surrendered. ⚔️ Miranda’s most memorable line for Hamilton in the entire musical is “I imagined death so much it feels like a memory.” This line, which appears from the beginning to the end of the show, is repeated at every turning point in Hamilton’s life, including in the “Yorktown” scene. 🎶 For Hamilton, who came from humble beginnings but had grand ambitions, his fearless heroism is truly moving. But he wasn’t the only one with this spirit. Washington, born into nobility, also forged ahead, facing all risks without hesitation and seeing all possibilities worth fighting for. Every era’s pioneers have this kind of spirit. 🌅 #AmericanHistory #USA #Hamilton #HamiltonMusical #History #Washington #Yorktown #Virginia #USATravel