In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and historian Dr. Iris de Rode trace how the Franco-American alliance made the 1781 Siege of Yorktown possible, featuring Dr. de Rode's research on French Major General François Jean de Chastellux. After Cornwallis entrenched at Yorktown, Washington and Rochambeau weighed attacking New York or the South, but French reconnaissance and relationship-building—led by Chastellux, a key English-speaking liaison and strategist—helped shift the plan.

The episode follows the complex coordination of Washington and Rochambeau’s 9,000-man march, deceptive tactics to mislead the British, and the decisive naval role of Admiral de Grasse, whose fleet controlled the Chesapeake after the Battle of the Capes. It highlights the brutal fighting for Redoubts 9 and 10, Cornwallis’ surrender on October 19, and the war’s continuation until the 1783 Treaty of Paris, plus Chastellux’s friendship and correspondence with Washington and the rediscovery of his long-lost archive.

Guest:

• Dr. Iris de Rode, Historian, Author, & Speaker
• Dr. Iris de Rode is a historian of the French role in the American Revolution. In the family château of Major General François-Jean de Chastellux in Burgundy, she uncovered his unpublished papers. Chastellux, a French officer in Rochambeau’s army and close friend of George Washington, became the focus of her PhD (2019) and her book (2022), which received the Prix Guizot of the Académie Française in 2023. She has held more than twenty research fellowships, appears in Ken Burns’s PBS series The American Revolution, advises major museums and digital-heritage projects on both sides of the Atlantic, and is now completing a book on the French in the American Revolution.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited
• 00:35 Yorktown in Context
• 01:11 Meet Dr. Iris de Rode
• 01:44 Alliance Strategy Takes Shape
• 03:57 Chastellux Archive Discovery
• 07:59 Winning Trust in Newport
• 10:17 Chastellux Meets Washington
• 14:51 Choosing the Southern Campaign
• 16:40 French Fleet to Chesapeake
• 18:01 The March to Virginia
• 21:00 Deception and British Delays
• 23:25 Siege Lines at Yorktown
• 25:02 Battle of the Capes
• 29:15 Bombardment Begins
• 30:04 Storming Redoubts 9 and 10
• 33:32 Cornwallis Surrenders
• 35:56 Aftermath and Human Cost
• 36:51 Why Yorktown Mattered
• 40:03 Treaty of Paris and Legacy
• 40:43 Washington and Chastellux Farewell
• 42:42 Why Chastellux Was Forgotten
• 45:42 Closing Credits

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech and historian Robert (Bert) Dunkerley explain how Britain’s shift to a Southern Campaign in 1780 made the South, and ultimately Virginia, decisive in the final years of the Revolution.

Inside the Epsiode:

After early failures in 1776, Britain captured Savannah and Charleston, where many Virginia Continentals were taken prisoner, and fought brutal, morale-shaping actions like Waxhaw under Banastre Tarleton. Despite American disasters such as Camden, Patriot victories at Kings Mountain and Daniel Morgan’s Cowpens blunted British momentum, culminating in Guilford Courthouse, a costly British win that weakened Cornwallis. The episode follows the war’s expansion into Virginia: Jefferson’s capital move to Richmond, Benedict Arnold’s 1781 raid and destruction, attacks on Petersburg and Osborne’s Landing, raids toward Charlottesville stopped by Jack Jouett’s warning, and Cornwallis’s move to Yorktown, where Washington and Rochambeau marched south to besiege him.

Robert M (Bert) Dunkerly, author and historian

• Robert M. (Bert) Dunkerly is a historian, award-winning author, and speaker who is actively involved in historic preservation and research. He holds a degree in History from St. Vincent College and a Masters in Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He has worked at fourteen historic sites, written over a dozen books, and numerous scholarly articles. His research includes archaeology, colonial life, military history, and historic commemoration. He is a past President of the Richmond Civil War Round Table, and serves on the Preservation Commission for the American Revolution Round Table-Richmond. He has taught courses at Central Virginia Community College, the University of Richmond, and Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Dunkerly is currently a Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He has visited over 500 battlefields and over 1000 historic sites worldwide. He enjoys exploring local bookstores, battlefields, and breweries, not necessarily in that order.

00:00 Welcome to the Series

00:42 Why the South Mattered

03:17 British Strategy Shift

05:40 Georgia and Charleston Fall

07:34 Waxhaws and Tarleton

11:42 Camden to Cowpens Turnaround

13:44 Guilford Courthouse Clash

16:20 Virginia Giant Legend

18:34 War of Attrition Explained

20:45 Arnold Raids Richmond

25:18 Petersburg and Statewide Raids

29:15 Yorktown Trap Set

30:47 Closing and Next Episode

• Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution – The Journal of the Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution
• The Virginia Continental Line, by John Settle
• The Revolution in Virginia, by John Selby

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin.

© 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech is joined by Amanda Ohlke of the International Spy Museum to explore how espionage shaped the American Revolution, from Congress’s Committee of Secret Correspondence and foreign intelligence to George Washington’s expanding networks, paid informants, and use of deception.

The episode traces early efforts like Knowlton’s Rangers and the failed mission of Nathan Hale, then highlights the Culper Ring’s civilian spycraft—aliases, codebooks, dead drops, and disinformation—and its role in reporting British plans and helping expose Benedict Arnold through the capture of John André. It also examines period techniques such as dictionary codes, sympathetic stains (invisible ink), masked letters, and mail interception, and includes the story of James Fayette, an enslaved Virginian spy whose intelligence aided Yorktown and whose freedom is documented through petitions, Lafayette’s endorsement, and a pension record.

Amanda Ohlke, the International Spy Museum (SPY), Director of Adult Programs

• Amanda Ohlke is Director of Adult Education at the International Spy Museum. As a key member of the Spy Museum creative team since 2004, she has worked on a wide variety of exhibitions and programs on topics ranging from unexpected spies to sabotage to current national security issues, and she is the content liaison for the Museum’s international travel opportunities. Ohlke was on the team that developed the groundbreaking immersive experience Operation Spy, and she was the creative lead on the Museum’s “Spy in the City” GPS-based game. Her article inspired by an exhibition she curated, “Mata Hari: Ripe for Recruitment” is included in Secrets on Display from the University Press of Kansas. Her writing has been featured in Museum magazine, H-Diplo and other history and museum-oriented publications. She is currently writing a children’s book on spying. Ohlke has appeared on shows such as “Mysteries at the Museum,” The Secret History of the Civil War” and on podcasts including Galaxy Brains, Artastra, and SpyCast. She was formerly the Executive Director of the Museum Trustee Association and has worked for the National Building Museum, Nat Geo, and the Maryland Center for Arts and Culture.

International Spy Museum (SPY)

• The International Spy Museum (SPY) is an independent nonprofit institution dedicated to illuminating the tradecraft, history, and contemporary relevance of espionage. Since its founding in 2002 in Washington, DC, the Museum has served as the only public institution in the United States solely focused on intelligence and espionage. In 2019, SPY relocated to an expanded, purpose-built facility at L’Enfant Plaza, enabling deeper public engagement through immersive exhibitions and continued innovative educational programming. SPY houses the largest collection of international espionage artifacts on public display as well as 10,000 additional objects in our “vault.”

• 00:00 Welcome to Revolution Revisited
• 00:36 Spies of the Revolution
• 01:57 Congress Goes Secret
• 03:30 Washington Builds Intelligence
• 04:50 Knowlton’s Rangers and Hale
• 06:30 Birth of the Culper Ring
• 09:30 Culper Codes and Aliases
• 12:04 Culper Wins and Arnold
• 13:33 Tradecraft and Gadgets
• 15:34 Codes and Cipher Books
• 18:31 Invisible Ink and Masks
• 22:19 Dead Drops and Disinformation
• 26:35 Intelligence for Yorktown
• 27:03 James Fayette Spy Story
• 29:13 How We Know the Spies
• 33:04 Deep Cover After the War
• 34:58 Why People Spy
• 36:16 Wrap Up and Next Episode

Revolution Revisited™ is produced by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of William & Karen Fralin. © 2026 Virginia Museum of History & Culture.