Leading up to the Battle of Yorktown, the many ships coming and going up and down the Chesapeake Bay must have been concerning to the uninformed citizens living along the shoreline. The increased boat traffic was an indication of some type of major activity coming. In September 1781, lights at night from vessels moored at the mouth of the Piankatank River could be seen from both the Middlesex and Gloucester counties sides and as far away as Lancaster County. Mathews...