Editing Siege of Yorktown (section)

===Bombardment===
[[File:Washingtonyorktown.jpg|thumb|[[George Washington|Washington]] firing the first gun]]
After nightfall on October 6, troops moved out in stormy weather to dig the first parallel. The heavily overcast sky negated the waning full moon and shielded the massive digging operation from the eyes of British sentries.{{efn|The moon had been full on October 2.<ref>Davis p. 214</ref>}} Washington ceremoniously struck several blows with his pickaxe to begin the trench. The trench was to be {{cvt|2000|yd|m}} long, running from the head of Yorktown to the York River.<ref name="davis215">Davis p. 215</ref> Half of the trench was to be commanded by the French, the other half by the Americans. On the northernmost end of the French line, a support trench was dug so that they could bombard the British ships in the river.<ref name="davis215" /> The French were ordered to distract the British with a false attack, but the British were told of the plan by a French deserter and the British artillery fire turned on the French from the Fusiliers redoubt.<ref name="davis216">Davis p. 216</ref>

On October 7, the British saw the new allied trench just out of musket-range.<ref name="davis216" /> Over the next two days, the allies completed the gun placements and dragged the artillery into line. The British fire began to weaken when they saw the large number of guns the allies had.<ref name="davis217">Davis p. 217</ref>

By October 9, all of the French and American guns were in place.<ref name="davis217" /> Among the American guns there were three twenty-four pounders, three eighteen pounders, two eight-inch (203&nbsp;mm) howitzers and six mortars, totaling fourteen guns. At 3:00&nbsp;pm, the French guns opened the barrage and drove the British frigate {{HMS|Guadeloupe|1763|6}} across the York River, where she was scuttled to prevent capture. At 5:00&nbsp;pm, the Americans opened fire.<ref name="davis217" /> Washington fired the first gun; legend has it that this shot smashed into a table where British officers were eating. The Franco-American guns began to tear apart the British defenses.<ref name="davis218">Davis p. 218</ref> Washington ordered that the guns fire all night so that the British could not make repairs.<ref name="davis218" /> All of the British guns on the left were soon silenced. The British soldiers began to pitch their tents in their trenches and soldiers began to desert in large numbers.<ref name="davis219">Davis p. 219</ref> Some British ships were also damaged by cannonballs that flew across the town into the harbor.<ref name="davis219" />

On October 10, the Americans spotted a large house in Yorktown.<ref>Davis p. 221</ref> Believing that Cornwallis might be stationed there, they aimed at it and quickly destroyed it. Cornwallis sank more than a dozen of his ships in the harbor. The French began to fire at the British ships and scored a hit on the British {{HMS|Charon|1778|6}}, which caught fire, and in turn set two or three other ships on fire.<ref>Davis p. 222</ref> Cornwallis received word from Clinton that the British fleet was to depart on October 12, however Cornwallis responded by saying that he would not be able to hold out for long.<ref name="davis224">Davis p. 224</ref>

On the night of October 11, Washington ordered that the Americans dig a second parallel.<ref name="davis224" /> It was {{cvt|400|yd|m}} closer to the British lines, but could not be extended to the river because the British number 9 and 10 redoubts were in the way. During the night, the British fire continued to land in the old line; Cornwallis did not suspect that a new parallel was being dug.<ref name="davis224" /> By morning of the 12th, the allied troops were in position on the new line.<ref name="davis224" />