Editing Alexander Hamilton (section)

===Field command===
{{further|Yorktown campaign}}

While on Washington's staff, Hamilton long sought command and a return to active combat. As the war drew nearer to an end, he knew that opportunities for military glory were diminishing. On February 15, 1781, Hamilton was reprimanded by Washington after a minor misunderstanding. Although Washington quickly tried to mend their relationship, Hamilton insisted on leaving his staff.<ref>Chernow 2004, pp. 151–152</ref> He officially left in March, and settled with his new wife Elizabeth Schuyler close to Washington's headquarters. He continued to repeatedly ask Washington and others for a field command. Washington continued to demur, citing the need to appoint men of higher rank. This continued until early July 1781, when Hamilton submitted a letter to Washington with his [[Commission (document)|commission]] enclosed, "thus tacitly threatening to resign if he didn't get his desired command."<ref>Chernow 2004, pp. 153–159</ref>

On July 31, Washington relented and assigned Hamilton as commander of [[The Light Infantry Division at Yorktown (1781)|a battalion of light infantry companies]] of the 1st and 2nd New York Regiments and two provisional companies from Connecticut.<ref>Murray, p. 69.</ref> In the planning for [[Siege of Yorktown (1781)|the assault on Yorktown]], Hamilton was given command of three [[battalion]]s, which were to fight in conjunction with the allied [[France in the American Revolutionary War|French troops]] in taking [[Redoubt]]s No. 9 and No. 10 of the British fortifications at Yorktown. Hamilton and his battalions took Redoubt No. 10 with [[bayonets]] alone so as not to risk accidental gunfire and discovery in a nighttime action, as planned. The French also suffered heavy casualties and took Redoubt No. 9. These actions forced the British surrender of an entire army at Yorktown, marking the ''de facto'' end of the war, although small battles continued for two more years until the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] and the departure of the last British troops.<ref>Mitchell, pp. I:254–260.</ref><ref name="Morris1970">{{cite book |last=Morris |first=Richard Brandon |title=The Peacemakers: The Great Powers and American Independence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-tS4twEACAAJ |year=1970 |publisher=Harper & Row}}</ref>