Cornwallis, while Washington made life miserable for the
British troops with three weeks of shelling. Thomas Nelson, a
signer of the Declaration of Independence and governor of
Virginia, in 1781 was a true Patriot. He urged Gen. Washington
to fire on his own home, the Nelson House, where Cornwallis
had his headquarters. Damage to his home from the
bombardment during the siege can still be seen today.
"On Oct. 11, Cornwallis had the misfortune to learn that
Clinton's departure from New York had been delayed. On the
night of Oct. 14, 400 French stormed Redoubt 9 and 400
Americans stormed Redoubt 10, capturing them in less than
30 minutes. Nine Americans and 15 French died in this brief
and heroic action. On Oct. 16, the British tried two desperate
moves. First, they attacked the allied center in an attempt to
silence a French battery, but the French cannons were firing
again in less than six hours. That night, they tried to evacuate
Yorktown by crossing the York River in small boats to
Gloucester Point. A violent windstorm arose at midnight,
scattering the boats and forcing an abandonment of the
escape.
"Realizing the situation was hopeless, Cornwallis sent
forth a British drummer on Oct. 17, followed by a British
officer with a white flag and note indicating a request for a
ceasefire. On Oct. 18, four officers—one American, one French
and two British—met at the Moore House, one mile outside
Yorktown, to settle surrender terms. Cornwallis attempted to
obtain the same favorable terms of surrender that Maj. Gen.
John Burgoyne had received at Saratoga. This was refused by
Washington, who imposed the same harsh conditions the
British had demanded of Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln the year
before at Charleston, S.C.
"The final surrender documents were signed on Oct. 19. At
noon, the French and American armies lined up to await the
British surrender. Two hours later, the British marched out
with flags furled and their bands playing 'The World Turned
Upside Down.' Claiming he was ill, Cornwallis sent Brig. Gen.
Charles O'Hara in his stead. O'Hara attempted to surrender
to Rochambeau but was instructed by the Frenchman to
approach the Americans. As Cornwallis was not present,
Washington directed O'Hara to surrender to Lincoln, who
was now serving as his second-in-command.
"Although the war continued on the high seas and in other
theaters, the Patriot victory at Yorktown ended virtually all
fighting in the American Colonies. Peace negotiations began
in 1782, and on Sept. 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed,
formally recognizing the United States as a free and inde-
pendent nation after eight years of war. A ragtag army of
farmers, shopkeepers, teachers, etc., had defeated the world's
greatest army and navy. Yes, the world was turned upside
down."
In patriotic service,
Lindsey Cook Brock
President General
Sources:
militaryhistory.about.com/od/americanrevolutio1/p/
yorktown.htm
www.nps.gov/york/historyculture/history-of-the-siege.htm
www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html
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