Revolutionary War Campaign of 1781

The roads through Prince William County were important routes for the Revolutionary War campaign of 1781. In April, the Marquis de Lafayette passed through the county on the King's Highway with a portion of Gen. George Washington's Continental Army. During July, Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne and his troops marched through the region on the Carolina Road and joined Lafayette at Rapidan. In September, the cavalry and baggage wagons of the French and American armies took the King's Highway to Yorktown. After the Battle of Yorktown, the British troops surrendered to the American and French forces on 19 Oct. 1781.