2025 First-Class Forever Stamp - Battlefields of the American Revolution: Reconstruction of British Battlefield

US #5977m
2025 Battle of Yorktown: British Battlefield

• Features an image of the British battlefield at Yorktown
• Part of Battlefields of the American Revolution set
• Honors the 250^th Anniversary of the start of Revolutionary War
• Part of multiyear celebration of America’s 250...  more

US #5977m
2025 Battle of Yorktown: British Battlefield

• Features an image of the British battlefield at Yorktown
• Part of Battlefields of the American Revolution set
• Honors the 250^th Anniversary of the start of Revolutionary War
• Part of multiyear celebration of America’s 250^th birthday
  
  

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Battlefields of the American Revolution
Value:   73¢, First-Class mail rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  April 16, 2025
First Day City:  Concord, Massachusetts
Quantity Issued:  15,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset/Flexographic
Format:  Panes of 15

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a pane of 15 issued to commemorate five significant battles of the Revolutionary War and the 250^th anniversary of the start of the war.

About the stamp design:  The Battle of Yorktown stamp features a photo of two British defenses that were overtaken by the Colonists and their French allies.  They were rebuilt by the National Park Service.  Each battlefield is portrayed using a modern photograph of the site, along with an illustration of the battle spanning two stamps.  US Postal Service art director Derry Noyes chose Greg Harlin to illustrate the battle scenes using watercolor paintings.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts.  This is the site of the opening battle of the American Revolution.

About the Battlefields of the American Revolution Set:  The American Revolution was defining struggle that tested the courage and resolve of the colonies in their quest for independence.  From the first shots fired in Massachusetts to the final surrender in Virginia, these battles were the baptism of fire in which a new nation was forged. 
Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775) ignited the war when Briths troops clashed with colonial militia.  The “shot heard ‘round the world” at Lexington was followed by a colonial victory at Concord, Marking the start of open rebellion.  At Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775), despite losing the battle, the Americans showed they could stand up to the British.  The costly British victory demonstrated the resolve of the colonial forces and made them realize the war would not be easily won.
After leading a late-night crossing of the Delaware River, Washington commanded his troops in a daring attack on a Hessian garrison in Trenton on December 26, 1776.  A turning point of the war, it boosted American morale and reinvigorated the Revolution.  The Battle of Saratoga (1777) was a decisive win that convinced France to formally ally with America, strengthening the colonial cause.  Finally, at Yorktown (1781), Washington’s forces, with French support, forced British General Cornwallis to surrender, effectively ending the war and securing American independence.

History the stamp represents: Located on Yorktown, Virginia’s high ground overlooking the British defenses, Redoubts 9 and 10 played a crucial role in one of the final major battles of the American Revolutionary War.
General Lord Cornwallis’s troops were entrenched in these positions, and capturing them was critical to the success of the American and French siege.  On October 14, 1781, the combined forces of the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, and the French army, under General Rochambeau, launched a daring and coordinated attack to seize these fortifications.
Redoubt 9 was assaulted by French troops led by the Vicomte de Deux-Ponts, while Redoubt 10 was attacked by Americans commanded by Alexander Hamilton.  In a brilliant display of strategy and bravery, both redoubts were captured in hours, crippling the British defense and signaling the collapse of Cornwallis’s position.  The fall of these redoubts contributed directly to his surrender on October 19, 1781.

Today, the Yorktown Battlefield National Historical Park preserves these critical sites, where visitors can explore the redoubts, walk the battlefield, and reflect on the courage and tactical genius that led to American independence.  Redoubt 9 is featured on a 2025 Revolutionary War Battlefields stamp commemorating the Battle of Yorktown.