The evening before the Victoy Celebration some of us gathered around the tables of our favorite dinning room in Williamsburg, Virginia. We met at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern to be with friends and experience the pleasure of fellowship with our compatriots, our wives and our ancestors.

The occasion was the battlefield victory at Yorktowne. We came to pay homage to patriots that we know only from family archives and historical records, but we draw nearer to one another during the events of the weekend and the dinner in the hope of maybe experiencing the camaraderie they may have shared two hundred and thirty-eight years in the past. We enjoy the ambiance of the rooms in which we celebrate and we are clad in the uniforms of the day. Some of us had the honor of serving this country in our own day and somehow wonder if our experiences may not have been akin to theirs. We share in the brotherhood of their patriotism as we enjoy the liberty and privilege they sought for themselves, their families and ultimately gave to us.

Since 2017 the Cincinnati Chapter has coordinated with other chapters within the Ohio Society to build participation and passion in our most important Revolutionary War Milestones — the Battles of Monmouth, Guilford Courthouse, Saratoga, Princeton, Trenton & the Siege of Yorktowne.

This year at Yorktowne, as in past years, we payed homage to Virginia Governor and General Thomas Nelson. The colors were presented, eulogies were made and wreaths were placed by patriotic organizations from surrounding states. A little later in the morning the Victory Parade made its way past the Yorktown Victory Monument adjacent to the Battlefield and overlooking the York River and Gloucester Point.

Later, in the afternoon, we met at the DAR Memorial listing the patriots lost during the siege. Again, words were spoken and wreaths were placed as we remembered the courage of these original American Patriots.

Members of three Ohio SAR chapters at Mourn Arms during the Wreath Placement Service and Memorial Observance for Patriots at Yorktowne.

As the ceremony took place at a US National Battlefield Park, the firing of the traditional 3 vollies by musketry was not permitted. In lieu of the musketry, at the command of “Mourn Arms”, the Honor Guard grounded Regimental and Chapter Colors in tribute to their courage and sacrifice during October 1781.