```Again to fair Virginia's coast
```I turned, and view'd the British host
```Where Chesapeake's wide waters lave
```Her shores and join the Atlantic wave.
```There famed Cornwallis towering rose,
```And scorned, secure, his distant foes;
```His bands the haughty ramparts raise,
```And bid the royal standard blaze.
```When lo, where ocean's bounds extend,
```Behold the Gallic sails ascend,
```With fav'ring breezes steer their way,
```And crowd with ships the spacious bay.
```Lo! Washington from northern shores,
```O'er many a region wheels his force,
```And Rochambeau with legions bright
```Descends in terror to the fight.
`````John Trumbull.=
[Illustration: 9517]
VENING was approaching when I left Williamsburg for Yorktown, twelve
miles distant. It was an exceedingly pleasant afternoon, so mild,
that wild flowers peeped eautiously from the hedges, and a wasp and a
grasshopper alighted on the splash-board of my wagon, while stopping on
the margin of a clear stream. Soon after leaving Williamsburg, the road
entered a pine forest; and all the way to Yorktown these solitudes form
the principal feature in the landscape. The country is quite level, and
the cultivated clearings are more frequent and extensive than further
up toward the Chickahominy. The green foliage of the lofty pines, of
the modest holly, and the spreading laurel, made the forest journey less
gloomy than it would otherwise have been; for the verdure, the balmy
air, and the occasional note of a bird, made me forget that the
Christmas holidays were near at hand, and that the mountains of New
England were probably white with snow.
I arrived at Yorktown at twilight,[[Dec. 20, 1848]] and passed the night
at the only inn in the plaee, whieh is owned by William Nelson,
Esq., grandson of Governor Thomas Nelson, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence. To the kindness and intelligence of that
gentleman, I am indebted for much of the pleasure and profit of my visit
there. We supped together upon far-famed York River oysters just brought
from their oozy bed, and it was near midnight before we parted company.
Mr. Nelson resides in the fine old mansion which belonged to his
grandfather, and which yet bears marks of the iron hail poured upon it
during the siege of Yorktown.
Early the next morning I strolled over the village. It is situated upon
a high bluff of concrete or stone marl, covered with a sandy soil, on
the south side of the York River, about eleven miles from its mouth. The
peninsula on whieh the town stands is level, and is embraced upon eaeh
side by deep ravines, whieh almost meet in the rear. The ground is the
highest upon either the York or James Rivers, below Richmond. Being the
shire town of the county, it contains the publie buildings. * These,
with about forty dwellings, some of them decaying, compose the village,
which formerly was one of the most flourishing towns
* York is one of the original counties into which Virginia was divided
in 1634. The village was established by law in 1705, and for a long time
vied with Williamsburg, the capital. The average width of the river is
here nearly two miles, but is narrowed to a mile opposite Yorktown, by
the projecting cape on which Gloucester stands. The latter village was
once a thriving place. It had considerable commerce, but, like Yorktown,
the depreciation of the surrounding country for agricultural purposes
paralyzed its enterprise, and made busy the fingers of decay.
[[[Old Church at Yorktown--The Nelson Tombs.--Cornwallis's Cave.--An
Imposition]]]
{508}on the peninsula. It contained about sixty houses at the time of
the siege in 1781. A fire which occurred in 1814 destroyed much property
there, and from that blow the village seems never to have recovered.
[Illustration: 8518]
At that time its old church, built a century and a half before, was
destroyed; nothing but its stone-marl walls were left standing. In
this picturesque condition it remained for thirty years, when it
was repaired, and is now used as a place of worship. In the old
burial-ground adjoining it are the tombs and monuments of the Nelson
family, situated a few yards from the banks of the York. The nearer one
in the engraving, which stands over the grave of the first emigrant of
the family (who was called "Scotch Tom"), although mutilated, is yet
highly ornamental.
[Illustration: 9518]
It is about four feet high, three feet wide, and six feet long. Upon one
end are sculptured two angel-heads breaking from the clouds.
Over the upper one are the words, "All glory be to God."
The one below it is blowing On the other end are two heads, one of which
is about receiving a crown. On the side is an heraldic cloth, with the
head of an angel at the center of the top; and on the top slab is the
Nelson coat of arms, with an appropriate epitaph. This monument is of
white marble, and was made in London. The second monument is that
of president William Nelson. It is built of brick, with a handsomely
wrought and inscribed marble slab on the top. In a vault at the end
of the fragment of the brick wall seen beyond the monuments, rest the
remains of Governor Nelson, the signer of the Declaration. There is no
monument above it, and nothing marks the spot but a rough stone lying
among the rank grass. Around these are strewn fragments of the stone
marl of the old church wall, beautifully crystallized, and indurated by
exposure. The view from this point is very charming, looking out upon
the York stretching away toward the broad Chesapeake, and skirted by
woodlands and cultivated fields.
After breakfast, accompanied by Mr. Nelson in his carriage, I visited
the several localities which make Yorktown historically famous. We first
descended the river bank and, visited the excavation in the marl bluff,
known as Cornwallis's Cave.
It is square, twelve by eighteen feet in size, with a narrow passage
leading to a smaller circular excavation on one side. It is almost
directly beneath the termination of the trench and breastworks of the
British fortifications, which are yet very prominent upon the bank
above. Popular tradition says that this excavation was made by order of
Cornwallis, and used by him for the purpose of holding councils with
his officers in a place of safety, during the siege. Taking advantage of
this tradition, cupidity has placed a door at the entrance, secured it
by lock and key, and demands a Virginia ninepence (12 1/2 cents) they
paid the penalty of curiosity, knowing that I was submit-
* This view is from the burial-ground looking down the York River toward
Chesapeake Bay. The inscription upon the first monument is in Latin;
the following is a translation of it: "Here lies, in certain hope of a
resurrection in Christ, Thomas Nelson, gentleman, son of Hugo and Sarah
Nelson, of Penrith, in the county of Cumberland; born February 20th,
A.D. 1677, died October 7th, 1745, aged sixty-eight years." The
inscription upon the second monument is much longer, and quite
eulogistic. William Nelson was president of his majesty's council in
Virginia, and died on the nineteenth of November, 1772, at the age of
sixty-one years. No epitaph tells of the many virtues and heroic deeds
of him who lies in the obscure vault beyond. History has written them
upon the enduring pages of the chronicles of our republic; and in this
work his biography and portrait may be found among those of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence.
[[[Present Appearance of the British Works.--American and French
Armies--Morris and Peters.--Change in Plan of Operations,]]]
{509}ting to imposition, for I was assured, on the authority of an
old lady who resided at Yorktown at the time of the siege, that
this excavation was made by some of the people wherein to hide their
valuables. A house stood directly in front of it, the foundation of
which is yet there. The building made the spot still more secluded.
[Illustration: 9519]
A quarter of a mile below Lord Cornwallis _did_ have an excavation in
the bank, which was lined with green baize and used by the general for
secret conferences during the siege. No traces of his council chamber
are left.
We next visited the lines of intrenchments cast up by the British on the
south side.
A letter from De Grasse announcing his intention to remain in the West
Indies, and another from La Fayette from Williamsburg, informing him
of the departure of Cornwallis for Portsmouth and the embarkation of a
large portion of his army for New York, were the principal causes which
influenced Washington in making an entire change in the programme of the
operations of the combined armies during the remainder of the campaign.
**
* This view is from the fields in the direction of the American works,
looking north. Toward the left is seen a portion of Governor Nelson's
house, and on the extreme left, a few other houses in Yorktown appear.
** It is related that when Washington received the letter from De
Grasse, Robert Morris, the superintendent of finance, and Richard
Peters, the secretary of the board of war, were at the head-quarters
of the general in the Livingston House, printed on page 195, and were
present.* Washington was bitterly disappointed, for he saw no fair hope
of success without the aid of a fleet. The cloud upon his brow was but
for a moment. He instantly conceived the expedition to Virginia, and,
turning to Judge Peters, asked. "What can you do for me?" "With money,
every thing; without it, nothing," was his brief reply, at the same time
turning an anxious look toward Morris. "Let me know the sum you desire,"
said the patriot financier, comprehending the expression of his eye.
Before noon, Washington completed his estimates, and arrangements were
made with Morris for the funds. Twenty thousand hard dollars were loaned
from Count De Rochambeau, which Mr. Morris agreed to replace by the
first of October. The arrival of Colonel Laurens from France, on the
twenty-fifth of August, with two millions and a half of livers, a
part of a donation of six millions by Louis XVI. to the United States,
enabled the superintendent of finance to fulfill his engagement without
difficulty.
* These gentlemen were appointed commissioners by Congress to proceed to
head-quarters, and consult the commander-inchief respecting the army for
the ensuing campaign. The basis of a scheme which they proposed was a
reduction of the army.--Sparks, viii., 142.
[[[Cornwallis ordered to the Chesapeake.--Takes Post at Yorktown and
Gloucester, and Fortifies them.--Sketch of Cornwallis.]]]
{510}As we have observed (page 213), the allies crossed the Hudson and
marched southward to co-operate with La Fayette in Virginia.
On the arrival of nearly three thousand troops, many of them Hessians,
to re-enforce him in New York,[[Aug 11, 1781]] Sir Henry Clinton
countermanded his orders in which he had directed Cornwallis to send a
portion of his army northward. The letter reached the Earl at Portsmouth
before the transports left Hampton Roads! It also contained exclamations
of surprise that his lordship should have left the vicinity of
Williamsburg without informing his commander-in-chief; and he was
directed to take some strong position.
The marquis did not feel sufficiently strong to attack Cornwallis, and
the tatter was unwilling to impede the progress in fortifying Yorktown,
by engaging his troops in other enterprises.
While Washington was uncertain what course to pursue, he received
dispatches from Count De Barras, *** the successor of Ternay at Newport,
bearing the agreeable intelligence
* Charles Cornwallis, son of the first Earl of Cornwallis, was born at
Culford Hall, in Suffolk, in 1738. He was educated at Westminster
and St. John's College, Cambridge. He entered the army in 1759, and
succeeded to the title and estates of his father in 1761. He was the
most competent and energetic of all the British generals sent here
during the war, but the cruelties exercised by his orders at times,
during the southern campaigns, have left an indelible stain upon his
character. Soon after the close of the war, he was appointed Governor
General of the East Indies, which office he held six years. During that
time he conquered the renowned Tippoo Sultan, for which service he
was created a marquis, and made master of the ordnance. He was Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland from 1798 to 1801, and was instrumental in
restoring peace to that country, then distracted by rebellion. He signed
the treaty of Amiens in 1802, and in 1804 was again appointed Governor
General of India. He died in October the succeeding year at Ghazepore,
in the province of Benares, at the age of sixty-seven years.--See
Georgian Era, London, 1833.
** The works, which surrounded the village, consisted of seven redoubts
and six batteries on the land side, connected by intrenchments. On the
river bank was also a line of batteries; one near the church was a grand
battery, with eleven pieces of cannon, which commanded the passage of
the river between York and Gloucester. The outworks consisted of three
redoubts on the margin of the ravine, southwest of the town, one a
little eastward of the road to Hampton, two on the extreme right, near
the river, and the fusileers' redoubt on the extreme left, near the
river. Cornwallis's head-quarters were at the house of Governor Nelson.
*** Barras, in his dispatches to Washington, said, that as the Count
De Grasse did not require him to form a junction with his fleet in the
Chesapeake, but left him at liberty to undertake any other enterprise,
he proposed an expedition against Newfoundland, and expressed a desire
to take with him the land forces which had been left at Newport under
M. De Choisé. Both Washington and De Rochambeau disapproved of this
proposition, and, as soon as he received their remonstrance against it,
Barras resolved to proceed to the Chesapeake.
[[[Southern Campaign.--De Grasse in the Chesapeake.--Sketch of De
Grasse.--Cornwallis's Attempt to Escape into Carolina.]]]
{511}that the Count De Grasse * was to sail from Cape François, in
the West Indies, on the thirteenth of August for the Chesapeake, with
between twenty-five and twenty-nine sail of the line, and three thousand
two hundred land troops under the command of the Marquis St. Simon.
[Illustration: 9521]
De Grasse desired every thing to be in readiness to commence operations
when he should arrive, for he intended to return to the West Indies
by the middle of October ** The plan of the southern campaign was,
therefore,, speedily arranged, and, as we have seen, the allied armies
were far on their march toward the head of Elk before Sir Henry Clinton
was assured of their real destination. ***
The Count De Grasse, with twenty-eight ships and several brigades,
arrived in the Chesapeake at the close of August.[[Aug. 31, 1781]]
[Illustration: 8521]
At Cape Henry, an officer sent by La Fayette gave De Grasse full
information respecting the situation of the two armies in Virginia.
De Grasse immediately dispatched four ships of the line and several
frigates to blockade the mouth of the York River, and to convey the land
forces commanded by the Marquis De St. Simon (for portrait, see next
page), who were destined to join those of La Fayette on the James River.
**** Cornwallis' now perceived the imminent peril that surrounded him,
and conceived a plan for escaping into North Carolina, but the vigilance
of La Fayette prevented his attempting the movement. (v) He could
console himself only with the hope that Sir Henry Clinton would send him
timely aid.
* François Joseph Paul, Count De Grasse, a native of France, was born in
1723. He was appointed to command a French fleet, to co-operate with
the Americans at the beginning of 1781. Although he was the junior in
service of Count De Barras, he was made his superior in command, with
the title of lieutenant general. His co-operation was much more
valuable to the Americans than that of D'Estaing; and in the capture of
Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown, he played a very important part.
His domestic relations seem to have been very unhappy; his second wife,
whom he married after leaving America, proving a very unworthy woman.
His life was a burden to him, particularly after losing the favor of his
king in consequence of an unfortunate military movement. He died early
in 1788, at the age of sixty-five years. Alluding to the unhappiness of
his latter days, Washington, in a letter to Rochambeau, April, 1778, on
hearing of the death of De Grasse, said, "His frailties should now be
buried in the grave with him, while his name will be long deservedly
dear to this country, on account of his successful co-operation in the
glorious campaign of 1781. The Cincinnati in some of the states have
gone into mourning for him."
** The land troops for this expedition were borrowed from the garrison
at St. Domingo, and consisted of detachments from the regiments of
Gatinois, Agenois, and Tourraine. There were one hundred artillery, one
hundred dragoons, ten pieces of field ordnance, and several of siege
artillery and mortars. De Grasse promised to return these troops by the
middle of October.
*** See page 214.
**** The distance between the York and the James River, at Yorktown, is
only about six miles, and this gave the Americans a great advantage in
the siege that ensued.
* (v) A Jerseyman named Morgan was for some time employed as a spy
in the British camp at Yorktown, by La Fayette. He pretended to be a
deserter, and enlisted in the army of Cornwallis. On one occasion that
general inquired of Morgan whether La Fayette had many boats. Morgan,
according to instructions, told him the marquis had enough to transport
his whole army across at a moment's warning. "There!" exclaimed
Cornwallis, turning to Tarleton, "I told you this would not do." That
expression was an evidence that escape across the James River had been
contemplated. Morgan could not be prevailed upon to accept money for
his services in La Fayette's behalf, neither would he receive office.
He only desired a favorite gun to be restored to him. Morgan said he
believed himself to be a good soldier, but he was not certain that
he would make a good officer. These circumstances were related to Mr.
Sparks by La Fayette himself, fifty years after their occurrence.
[[[Admirals Hood and Graves proceed against the French Fleet.--Naval
Battle off the Virginia Capes.--French Squadron.]]]
{512}Admiral Rodney, commander of the British fleet in the West Indies,
at this time was aware that De Grasse had sailed for the American coast,
but seems not to have suspected that his whole fleet would proceed to
the Continent.
[Illustration: 9522]
He dispatched Sir Samuel Hood after him with only fourteen sail,
believing that that number would be quite sufficient to compete with
the French squadron. Hood arrived at Sandy Hook on the twenty-eighth of
August, and informed Admiral Graves, the successor of Arbuthnot, who was
lying in New York Bay with seven ships of the line, only five of which
were fit for service, that De Grasse was probably on the Virginia coast.
Intelligence was received on the same day, that De Barras had sailed
for the Chesapeake from Newport with a considerable squadron. Graves
immediately prepared for sea, with the whole fleet, consisting of
nineteen sail
of the line, proceeded in quest of the French.[[Aug. 31]]Not suspecting
the strength of De Grasse, he hoped to fall in with one or the other of
the French squadrons and defeat it.
The French fleet lay in Lynn Haven Bay, just within the Chesapeake, near
Cape Henry, to sea, desiring more room for conflict than the waters of
the Chesapeake afforded. Admiral Graves bore down upon De Grasse,
and both fleets, in attempting to gain the weather gage, slowly moved
eastward, clear of the Capes, upon the broad Atlantic. At four o'clock
in the afternoon, a partial action commenced between the van and part of
the center of the two fleets, and continued until sunset. Several ships
were considerably damaged, but neither commander could claim a victory.
Admiral Graves preserved the weather gage during the night, and intended
to have renewed the battle on the following morning; but, having
ascertained that several ships of the van division, under Admiral Drake,
could not safely be brought into action again without being repaired, he
deferred an attack. For five successive days the hostile fleets were in
sight of each other, sometimes approaching quite near, but neither party
seemed desirous of renewing the contest. At length the Count De Grasse
bore away for the Chesapeake, and anchored again in Lynn Haven Bay,
within the Capes.[[Sept. 10]] There he found De Barras with his
squadron, and a considerable land force under M. Choise (for portrait,
see opposite page), together with fourteen transports, with heavy
artillery and military stores suitable for carrying on a siege. Graves
approached the Capes of the Chesapeake, but, finding the entrance
blocked up by a force with which he was unable to contend with a hope
of success, he bore away and returned on the morning of the fifth
of September.[[1781]] At sunrise the British fleet was seen off Cape
Charles.
[Illustration: 8522]
At first Count De Grasse supposed it to be the squadron of De Barras,
but being soon undeceived, he prepared for battle. The wind was fair,
and the British fleet sailed directly within the Capes for the purpose
of attacking the French. De Grasse slipped his cables, and put
* The portraits of the French officers given in this chapter I copied
from Trumbull's picture in the Rotunda of the Capitol at Washington,
representing the surrender of Cornwallis. Trumbull painted the most of
them from life in 1787, at the house of Mr. Jefferson, in Paris, when
that statesman was minister there.
[[[Loss in the Naval Action.--March of the Allied Armies.--Arrival of
Washington and French Officers at Williamsburg.]]]
{513}to New York, for he began to entertain greater fears of the
equinoctial gales on the coast than of the guns of the French ships
of the line. The French lost in the action two hundred and twenty men,
including four officers killed and eighteen wounded.
[Illustration: 8523]
The English lost ninety killed, and two hundred and forty-six wounded.
The _Terrible,_ one of the English ships, was so much damaged, that,
after taking out her prisoners and stores, they set fire to and burned
her. *
While these events were occurring on the Virginia coast, the allied
armies were making their way southward with all possible dispatch, and
Sir Henry Clinton, certified of their destination, ** was trying to
divert their attention from the South, and recall some of their forces
by menacing movements at the North.
[Illustration: 9523]
He sent Arnold with a strong force to attack New London, an event which
we have considered on pages 42 and 45 inclusive. He also threatened New
Jersey, and caused a rumor to go abroad that he was about to proceed
with a strong force against the American posts in the Hudson Highlands,
which Washington had left in charge of General Heath, with fourteen
regiments. These movements and rumors failed to produce their desired
effect; and the outrages committed by Arnold at New London and vicinity
served only to heighten the exasperation of the patriot army, and nerve
it to more vigorous action.
When the allied forces arrived at the head of Elk there were not vessels
sufficient to transport them, and a large portion of the American
troops, and all of the French, made their way to Baltimore and Annapolis
by land. Washington, with Count De Rochambeau and the Marquis De
Chastellux, *** reached Baltimore on the eighth,[[Sept. 1781]] Mount
Vernon on the tenth, **** and Williamsburg on the evening of the
fourteenth. He had ordered the troops that were embarked on the
Chesapeake to halt, after learning that the fleet
* Marshall, i., 448. Stedman, ii., 398-401. Ramsay, Gordon, Rochambeau's
Memoirs.
** Sir Henry seems not to have suspected the destination of the allies
until the second of September, on which day he wrote to Cornwallis, and
expressed his belief that they were marching toward Virginia.
*** Francis John, Marquis De Chastelieux, came to America with
Rochambeau, hearing the title of major general. He traveled extensively
while here, and wrote a journal of his tour. A large portion of it was
printed on board one of the ships of the French fleet, before leaving
America. Only twenty-four copies were printed for distribution among his
most intimate friends. The complete work was translated by an English
traveler from the original manuscript, and published in London, with
maps and drawings, in 1787. On his return to France, the king made De
Chastellux a field-marshal, and the French Academy elected him one of
its members. At the close of 1787, he married an accomplished lady, a
relative of the Duke of Orleans. This circumstance he communicated to
Washington, who, in a playful letter (April, 1788) in reply, said, "I
saw, by the eulogium you often made on the happiness of domestic life in
America, that you had swallowed the bait, and that you would as surely
be taken, one day or another, as that you were a philosopher and a
soldier. So your day has at length come. I am glad of it, with all my
heart and soul. It is quite good enough for you. Now you are well served
for coming to fight in favor of the American rebels, all the way across
the Atlantic Ocean, by catching that terrible contagion, domestic
felicity, which, like the small-pox or plague a man can have only once
in his life." De Chastellux died in 1793. The fortune of himself
and wife seems to have been swept away by the storm of the French
Revolution, for in 1795 his widow made application to Washington, asking
for an allowance from our government to her and her infant son, on
account of the services of her husband. The application was unavailing.
**** This was the first time that Washington had visited his home since
he left it to attend the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, in 1775,
a period of six years and five months: and he now remained there only
long enough to await the arrival of Count De Rochambeau, whom he left at
Baltimore.
[[[Arrival of Troops at Williamsburg.--Washington's first Interview with
De Grasse.--Approach of the Allied Armies.]]]
{514}of De Grasse had left the Capes to fight Graves, but when he
arrived at Williamsburg and found both French fleets in the Chesapeake,
* he sent Count Fersen, one of Rochambeau's aids, with ten transports
from Barras's squadron, to hasten the troops forward.
[Illustration: 9524]
This was speedily accomplished, and the forces at the head of Elk, and
at Annapolis, proceeded by water to the James River.
On the seventeenth, [[Sept]]Washington, accompanied by Rochambeau, De
Chastellux, and Generals Knox and Du Portail, proceeded to visit De
Grasse on board of his flag-ship, the _Ville de Park_, lying off Cape
Henry. They sailed in a small vessel called the _Queen Charlotte_, and
arrived on the eighteenth. Satisfactory arrangements were made for an
immediate attack upon Cornwallis, as soon as the American troops should
reach Williamsburg. **
[Illustration: 8524]
While awaiting their approach, information was received that Admiral
Digby, with six ships of the line, had arrived at New York as a
re-enforcement for Graves. Confident that nothing would be left untried
in attempts to relieve Cornwallis, and thinking his situation in the
Chesapeake unfavorable for an engagement with the augmented force of the
English, now nearly equal to that of his own. De Grasse communicated to
Washington his intention to leave a few frigates to blockade the York
and James Rivers, and to put to sea with his ships of the line in quest
of the British. This communication alarmed Washington, for a superior
naval force might enter the Chesapeake in the mean while, and assist
Cornwallis in making his escape.
He prevailed upon De Grasse to remain, and on the twenty-fifth, the last
division of the allied troops having reached Williamsburg, preparations
for the siege commenced.
Cornwallis, with the main division of his army, occupied Yorktown. The
main body of his troops were encamped on the open grounds in the rear of
the town.
Lieutenant-colonel Dundas, who did good service at Jamestown,
occupied Gloucester, with about seven hundred men, and was joined by
Lieutenant-colonel Tarleton and his legion when the siege commenced. The
Duke De Lauzun with his legion, the marines from the squadron of Barras,
and a brigade of Virginia militia under General Weeden * the whole
commanded by the French General De Choisé, were sent to arrest
Gloucester.
On the morning of the twenty-eighth, the combined armies, about twelve
thousand strong, left Williamsburg by different roads, and marched
toward Yorktown. On their approach, the British left their field-works,
and withdrew to those near the town, the remains of which are mentioned
on a preceding page." The American light infantry and a considerable
body
* Count De Grasse, anxious to accomplish the object of his expedition,
and impatient at the delay of the allied armies, had urged La Fayette
to co-operate with him in an attack, by land and water, upon York
and Gloucester. But the marquis, governed by more prudent counsels,
unwilling to hazard the advantage he possessed, refused to make any
offensive movement before the arrival of Washington.
** De Grasse refused to comply with the desire of Washington, that he
should ascend the river above Yorktown with a few of his vessels. He was
unwilling to risk a blockade in so narrow a space.
*** For a sketch of Lauzun, see page 34.
**** Intelligence from General Clinton at New York induced Cornwallis
thus to abandon his field-works, without an attempt to defend them. In
his letter, Clinton informed him of the arrival of Digby, and that at
a council of officers it was determined to send at least five thousand
troops with the fleet to relieve him, and that they would sail as early
as the sixth. Cornwallis, therefore, withdrew within his interior works,
confident that he could hold out there, and keep possession of both
Yorktown and Gloucester, until the arrival of these re-enforcements.
Just four years before, Burgoyne received like assurances from Clinton,
but was disappointed. Had he not expected aid, he could have retreated
back to Lake Champlain in time to have saved his army; had not
Cornwallis expected promised aid from Clinton, he might possibly
have escaped into North Carolina, notwithstanding the vigilance of La
Fayette.
[[[Death of Colonel Scammell.--Yorktown and Gloucester
invested.--General Arrangements of the Land and Naval Forces.]]]
{515}of French troops were ordered to take possession of these abandoned
works, and to serve as a covering party for the troops while digging
trenches and casting up breast-works. Cannonading from the town, and one
or two sorties, occurred during the day. Colonel Alexander Scamnell,
* the officer of the day, while reconnoitering near the Fusileers'
redoubt (A), situated upon the river bank, at the mouth of a little
stream on the extreme left, was surprised by two or three Hessian
horsemen.
[Illustration: 8525]
He surrendered, but they shot him, and left him for dead. He was carried
into Yorktown, and at the request of Washington, Cornwallis allowed him
to be taken to Williamsburg. This circumstance is mentioned on page 430,
volume i. I visited the site of the redoubt represented in the sketch,
and was informed that Colonel Scammell was killed near the stream, which
there crosses the river road from Williamsburg to Yorktown.
On the thirtieth the place was completely invested by the allied armies,
their line extending in a semicircle, at a distance of nearly two miles
from the British works, each wing resting upon the York River. The
French troops occupied the left, the Americans the right, while Count De
Grasse with his fleet remained in Lynn Haven Bay, to beat off any naval
force which might come to the aid of Cornwallis. On the extreme left of
the besieging army were the West India regiments under St. Simon, and
next to them were the French light infantry regiments, commanded by
the Baron and the Viscount Viomenil. The most distinguished colonels of
these regiments were the Duke De Laval Montmorenci, and Counts William
Deuxponts and Custine. (For portraits, see next page.) The French
artillery and the quarters of the two chiefs occupied the center; and
on the right, across a marsh, were the American artillery under General
Knox, assisted by Colonel Lamb, Lieu-
[Illustration: 7525]
* Alexander Seammell was born in Menden (now Milford), Massachusetts,
and graduated at Harvard College in 1769. He studied law with General
Sullivan, assisted Captain Holland In his surveys for the map of New
Hampshire, and in 1775 was appointed brigade major in the militia of
that state. He was appointed colonel in 1776, and in that capacity
fought nobly, and was wounded in the first battle at Stillwater. In
1780, he was appointed adjutant general of the American army, and was
a very popular officer. He was shot while reeonnoitering a redoubt
at Yorktown, on the thirtieth of September, 1781. He was conveyed to
Williamsburg, where he died of his wounds on the sixth of October. His
friend, Colonel Humphreys, who took the command of his regiment, wrote
the following epitaph on the day after the surrender of Cornwallis:
_"Alexander Scammell, adjutant general of the American armies, and
colonel of the first regiment of New Hampshire, while he commanded a
chosen corps of light infantry at the successful siege of Yorktown, in
Virginia, was, in the gallant performance of his duty as field
officer of the day, unfortunately captured, and afterward insidiously
wounded--of which wound he expired at Williamsburg, October, 1781. Anno
Ætatis."_ The elegiac lines appended to this epitaph are printed on page
431, volume i., of this work.
[[[French Officers.--Biographical Sketch of Lieutenant-colonel
Stevens]]]
{516}tenant-colonels Stevens * and Carrington, and Major Bauman ** the
Virginian, Maryland,
[Illustration: 0526]
* The history of the services of several most meritorious officers of
the Revolution is only partially written; this is especially true of
those of Lieutenant-colonel Stevens of the artillery, who was a most
efficient and patriotic officer from the commencement of the war to its
close.
* Ebenezer Stevens was born in Boston in 1752, and at an early age
became strongly imbued with the principles of the Sons of Liberty. He
was engaged in the destruction of the tea in Boston harbor, in December,
1773 (see list of names, volume i., p. 499), and, anticipating evil
consequences to himself, he went to Rhode Island to reside. When that
province, after the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, sent an army
of observation to Roxbury (see page 24), young Stevens received a
commission as lieutenant, which bears date May eighth, 1775. His skill
was soon perceived by Gridley and Knox, and early in December of that
year, he was directed by General Washington to raise two companies of
artillery, and one of artificers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island,
and proceed to join the expedition against Quebec. The recruiting was
speedily accomplished, and with Captains Eustis and Nichols, Captain
Stevens being in command, traversed, with cannon and mortars, through
deep snows, the rough hills of New Hampshire and Vermont, to the mouth
of Otter Creek, on Lake Champlain, nearly opposite Split Rock, enduring
great privations and sufferings. They descended the lake, and the Sorel
to the St. Lawrence, and went down that stream as far as Three Rivers,
where they heard of the fall of Montgomery, and the defeat of the
Americans at Quebec. They returned to St. John's, and Major Stevens and
his corps rendered efficient service in the northern department during
1776. In the spring of 1777 he went to Ticonderoga, and commanded the
artillery there. On the approach of Burgoyne, when St. Clair and the
garrisons retreated, Major Stevens shared in the mortifications
produced by that retreat. He joined General Schuyler at Fort Edward, and
commanded the artillery at the battle of Stillwater, in which service he
was greatly distinguished. He continued in the command of the artillery
at Albany; and in April, 1778, "in consideration of his services, and
the strict attention with which he discharged his duty as commanding
officer of artillery in the northern department during two campaigns," *
he received from Congress brevet rank as lieutenant colonel of foot,
and in November following was appointed lieutenant colonel of artillery.
General Gates desired to retain him in the command of the artillery
of the northern and middle department. Hitherto his corps had been
considered by him as an independent one: now it was attached to that of
Colonel Crane. Unwilling to serve under this officer, Lieutenant-colonel
Stevens was assigned to Colonel Lamb's regiment in the New York line,
until the close of the war. He was often intrusted with special duties
of great moment, and was for some time at the head of the laboratory
department. He was selected to accompany La Fayette in the contemplated
expedition into Canada. Early in 1781 he proceeded with La Fayette into
Virginia to oppose the ravages of Arnold, and in the autumn of that year
was actively engaged with very full powers, under the orders of General
Knox, in collecting and forwarding artillery and other munitions to be
employed in the siege of Yorktown. During that siege he was in alternate
command of the artillery with Colonel Lamb and Lieutenant-colonel
Carrington. After the surrender of Cornwallis, Lieutenant-colonel
Stevens returned north, and from that time until the close of the war he
remained in command with Colonel Lamb, at West Point and its vicinity.
When peace returned, he commenced the business of a merchant in New
York, at the same time performing the duties first of colonel, then
of brigadier, and finally of major general, commanding the division of
artillery of the State of New York. He held the latter office when the
war of 1812 broke ont, and was called into the service of the United
States for the defense of the city. He continued to be the senior major
general of artillery until the peace of 1815. General Stevens was
often employed by government in services requiring skill, energy,
and integrity. In the year 1800, he superintended the construction of
fortifications on Governor's Island. For many years he was one of
the leading merchants of New York, in which pursuit he amassed a
considerable fortune. He died on the second of September, 1823.
* Colonel Trumbull has introduced Lieutenant-colonel Stevens, in his
picture of the surrender of Cornwallis, mounted at the head of the
regiment; and also prominently in his picture of the surrender of
Burgoyne. Letters written to Colonel Stevens by Generals Washington,
La Fayette, Schuyler, Knox, Gates, Lincoln, and other officers, yet
in possession of his family, attest the extent of his services, his
efficiency as an officer, and their high regard for him as a man. The
gold medal voted by Congress to General Gates, and his small library,
were left to members of General Stevens's family, and are still retained
by them. General Stevens's second wife was Lucretia, sister of Colonel
William Ledyard, who was massacred in Fort Griswold, at Groton, as
recorded on page 44.
** The same officer whose name was appended to the report on the
condition of the artillery of West Point, which was furnished to Arnold
when preparing for his treasonable act. Major Bauman was postmaster at
New York city for thirteen successive years, commencing in 1790.
* Journals of Congress, iv., 180.
[[[Position of the American Corps.--Approach by Parallels.--Cannonade
and Bombardment.--Burning of British Ships.]]]
{517}and Pennsylvanian troops, under Steuben; the New York, Rhode
Island, and New Jersey troops, with sappers and miners under General
James Clinton; the light infantry under La Fayette; and the Virginia
militia under Governor Nelson. The quarters of General Lincoln were on
the banks of Wormeley's Creek, on the extreme right.
[Illustration: 9527]
The general disposition of the troops will be better understood by
reference to the map on the next page.
From the first until the sixth of October, the besieging armies were
employed in bringing up heavy ordnance, and making other preparations.
The evening of the sixth was very dark and stormy, and under cover of
the gloom, the first parallel ** was commenced within six hundred yards
of Cornwallis's works. General Lincoln commanded the troops detailed
for this service. So silently and so earnestly did they labor, that they
were not discerned by the British sentinels, and before daylight the
trenches were sufficiently complete to shield the laborers from the
guns of the enemy. On the afternoon of the ninth, several batteries
and redoubts were completed, and a general discharge of twenty-four
and eighteen pounders was commenced by the Americans on the right. This
cannonade was kept up without intermission during the night, and early
the next morning[[Oct. 10]] the French opened their batteries upon the
enemy. For nearly eight hours there was an incessant roar of cannons
and mortars; and hundreds of bombs and round shot were poured upon the
British works. So tremendous was the bombardment, that the besieged soon
withdrew their cannon from the embrasures, and fired very few shots
in return. At evening red hot cannon balls were hurled from the French
battery F, on the extreme left, at the _Guadaloupe and Charon,_ two
British vessels in the river. The _Guadaloupe_ was driven from her post,
and the _Charon_ of forty-four guns and three large transports were
burned. The night was starry and mild, and invited to repose, but
the besiegers rested not, and Yorktown presented a scene of terrible
grandeur, such as is seldom witnessed by the eye of man. ** All night
long the allies kept
* Adam Philip, Count De Custine, was born at Metz in 1740. He entered
the army in early life, and served under Frederick the Great, of
Prussia, during the Seven Years' War. He commanded a regiment in the
French army in America, under Rochambcau. On returning to France, he
was made governor of Toulon. In 1792, he had command of the army of the
Rhine, when he was suddenly summoned to Paris by the Terrorists and sent
to the guillotine. He was decapitated in August, 1793, at the age of
fifty-three years.
** Parallel is a technical term applied to trenches and embankments dug
and thrown up as a protection to besiegers against the guns of a fort.
In this way the assailants may approach a fort, and construct batteries
within short gun-shot of the works of the beleaguered, and be well
protected in their labors.
*** Doctor Thatcher in his journal, page 274, says, "From the bank of
the river I had a fine view of this splendid conflagration. The ships
were enwrapped in a torrent of fire, which, spreading with vivid
brightness among the combustible rigging, and running with amazing
rapidity to the tops of the several masts, while all around was thunder
and lightning from our numerous cannons and mortars, and in the darkness
of night, presented one of the most sublime and magnificent spectacles
which can be imagined. Some of our shells over-reaching the town, are
seen to fall into the river, and bursting, throw up columns of water,
like the spouting of the monsters of the deep.
[[[Continued Approaches toward the British Works.--Preparations to Storm
Redoubts.--Plan of the Siege of Yorktown.]]]
{518}up a cannonade, and early the next morning[[Oct 11.]] another
British vessel was set in flames by a fiery ball, and consumed.
[Illustration: 0528]
During the night of the eleventh, the besiegers commenced a second
parallel, between two and three hundred yards from the British works.
The three succeeding days were devoted to the completion of this line of
trenches, during which time the enemy opened new embrasures in positions
from which their fire was far more effective than at first. Two redoubts
(K and L) on the left of the besieged and advanced three hundred yards
in front of the British works, flanked the second parallel, and
greatly annoyed the men in the trenches. Preparations were made on the
fourteenth to carry them both by storm. To excite a spirit of emulation,
the reduction of one was committed to the American light infantry under
La Fayette; the other to a detachment of the French grenadiers and
chasseurs, commanded by Major-general the Baron De Viomenil, a brave and
experienced officer. Toward evening the two detachments marched to the
assault. Colonel Alexander Hamilton, who had commanded a battalion
of light infantry during this campaign, led the advanced corps of the
Americans, assisted by Colonel Gimat, La Fayette's aid; while Colonel
Laurens, with
* Note.--Explanation of the Map.--A, British outworks taken possession
of by the Americans on their arrival. B, first parallel. C, D, American
batteries. E, a bomb battery. G, French battery. H, French bomb battery.
I, second parallel. K, redoubt stormed by the Americans. L, redoubt
stormed by the French. M M M, French batteries. N, French bomb battery.
O, American batteries.
[[[Successful Assault upon two Redoubts.--Loss sustained by the
Combatants.--Bravery and Loss of the French Grenadiers.]]]
{519}eighty men, turned the redoubt, in order to intercept the retreat
of the garrison. At a given signal, the troops rushed furiously to the
charge without firing a gun, the van being led by Captain Aaron Ogden,
of New Jersey.
[Illustration: 9529]
Over the _abatis_ and palisades they leaped, and with such vehemence
and rapidity assaulted and entered the works, that their loss was
inconsiderable. One sergeant and eight privates were killed; and seven
officers, and twenty-five noncommissioned officers and privates were
wounded. Colonel Gimat received a slight wound in the foot, and Major
Gibbs, commander of Washington's Life-guard, was also slightly wounded.
Major Campbell, who commanded the redoubt, and some inferior officers,
with seventeen privates, were made prisoners. Eight privates of the
garrison were killed in the assault, but not one was injured after the
surrender. *
[Illustration: 8529]
This redoubt (K, on the map) was upon the high river bank, on the
extreme right of the American lines. When I visited the spot in 1848,
the remains of the embankments were quite prominent.
The redoubt (L) stormed by the French under Viomenil was garrisoned by
a greater force, and was not so easily overcome. It was defended by a
lieutenant colonel, and one hundred and twenty men. After a combat of
nearly half an hour, the redoubt was surrendered.
Eighteen of the garrison were killed, and forty-two were made prisoners.
The French lost in killed and wounded about one hundred men. *** In
this engagement Count Mathieu Dumas (see portrait, on next page), one
of Rochambeau's aids, bore a conspicuous part. He was in the advanced
corps, and was one of the first who entered the redoubt. **** In this
assault the Count De Deuxponts, who led the French grenadiers, was
slightly wounded. Count Charles De Lameth, the adjutant general, was
also wounded,
* Gordon (iii., 258) says that La Fayette, with the sanction of
Washington, ordered the assailants to remember Fort Griswold (see page
44), and put every man of the garrison to death after the redoubt should
be captured. There is no other than verbal evidence that such an
order was ever given, an order so repugnant to the character of both
Washington and La Fayette. Colonel Hamilton afterward publicly denied
the truth of the allegation; and so also did La Fayette. Stedman, an
officer under Cornwallis, and historian of the war, does not mention it.
** This view is from the mounds looking northwest, up the York River.
The first head-land on the right is Gloucester Point, and upon the high
bank on the left is situated the village of Yorktown. The dark spot in
the bank indicates the place of the so-called Cornwallis's Cave.
*** Doctor Thatcher says, the reason why the loss of the French was so
much greater than that of the Americans was the fact that they awaited
the removal of the _abatis_ before they made the assault, and all
that time were exposed to the galling fire of the enemy. Doctor Munson
informed me that while the assault upon these redoubts was progressing,
Washington, with Lincoln, Knox, and one or two other officers, were
standing in the grand battery (C) watching every movement, through the
embrasures, with great anxiety. When the last redoubt was captured,
Washington turned to Knox, and said, "The work is done, and _well_ done
and then called to his servant, "Billy, hand me my horse."
**** Rochambeau, in his Memoirs, mentions an interesting circumstance
connected with the attack upon this redoubt. The grenadiers of the
regiment of Gatenois, which had been formed out of that of Auvergne,
called Sans Tache, were led to the attack. When informed that they
were to be engaged in this perilous enterprise, they declared their
willingness "to be killed, even to the last man," if their original
name, which they so much revered, would be restored to them. Rochambeau
promised them it. should be done. They fought like tigers, and one third
of their number were killed. When Rochambeau reported this affair to
the king, Louis signed the order, restoring to the regiment the name of
Royal Auvergne. Dumas, in his Memoirs, vol. i., 52, also mentions this
circumstance.
[[[Desperate Situation of Cornwallis.--Sortie.--Attempt of Cornwallis to
Escape.--Providential Interposition.--Count Dumas.]]]
[[Oct. 15.]]{520}a musket ball passing through both knees. Washington
was highly gratified with the success of these assaults, and in general
orders the next day congratulated the armies on the result.
During the night of the fourteenth, these redoubts were included in a
second parallel, and by five o'clock the next after-noon[[Oct. 15]] some
howitzers, which had been placed in them, were opened upon the British
works.
[Illustration: 9530]
The situation of Cornwallis was now becoming desperate. Beleaguered
on all sides by a superior force, his strongest defenses crumbling
or passing into the possession of the besiegers, and no tidings from
General Clinton to encourage him, the British commander was filled with
the gloomiest apprehensions. Knowing that the town would be untenable
when the second parallel should be completed, he sent out a detachment
under Lieutenant-colonel Abercrombie, to make a sortie against two
almost completed batteries, guarded by French troops. They made a
furious assault at about four o'clock in the morning,[[Oct. 16]]
and were successful; but the guards from the trenches soon drove the
assailants back, and their enterprise was fruitless of advantage.
Cornwallis, confident that he could not maintain his position,
determined to make a desperate effort at flight. His plan was to leave
the sick and his baggage behind; cross over to Gloucester, and, with his
detachment there, cut up or disperse the troops of De Choise, Weeden,
and Lauzun; mount his infantry on horses taken from the duke's legion,
and others that might be seized in the neighborhood; by rapid marches
gain the forks of the Rappahannock and Potomac, and, forcing his way
through Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, form a junction with the
army in New York. This was a most hazardous undertaking, but his only
alternative was flight or capture. Boats were accordingly prepared, and
at ten o'clock on the evening of the sixteenth a portion of his troops
were conveyed across to Gloucester. So secretly was the whole movement
performed, that the patriots did not perceive it; and had not a power
mightier than man's interposed an obstacle, Cornwallis's desperate plan
might have been successfully accomplished. The first body of troops had
scarcely reached Gloucester Point, when a storm of wind and rain, almost
as sudden and fierce as a summer tornado, made the passage of the river
too hazardous to be again attempted. The storm continued with unabated
violence until morning, and Cornwallis was obliged to abandon his
design. The troops were brought back without much loss, and now the last
ray of hope began to fade from the vision of the earl.
At daybreak, on the morning of the seventeenth, several new batteries in
the second parallel were opened, and a more terrible storm of shells and
round shot was poured upon the town than had yet been experienced by the
enemy. Governor Nelson, who was at the
* Count Mathieu Dumas, who, after his return from America, was made
a lieutenant general, was born in Montpellier, in 1753. At the age of
twenty he entered the army. He accompanied Rochambeau to America as his
aid, and served with distinction at the siege of Yorktown. On his return
to Europe, he entered into the French service. He was married to Julia
De La Rue in 1785. In 1789 he was elected a member of the Legislative
Assembly, and from that period until the close of Napoleon's career he
was continually engaged in the most active public duties. Yet he found
time to use his pen, which he wielded with power. At the beginning of
the "Reign of Terror," he fled with his family, in company with Count
Charles Lameth, who was wounded at Yorktown, to England. He soon
returned, but was obliged to flee into Switzerland. He acted with La
Fayette in the reorganization of the National Guard, and was at length
elevated to a place in the Chamber of Peers. He was with Bonaparte at
the battle of Waterloo, and with that event closed his military career.
The leisure which ensued he employed in writing historical essays, and
preparing Memoirs of his own times. These extend from 1773 to 1826, when
he was seventy-three years of age." From these Memoirs I have compiled
this brief notice of his public life. He took an active part in the
French Revolution in 1830, and co-operated with La Fayette in placing
Louis Philippe on the throne. He died at the house of his son (the
editor of his Memoirs), in 1837, at the age of almost eighty-five years.
He was thirty-five years of age when Trumbull painted the portrait here
given.
[[[Patriotism of Gov. Nelson.--Bombardment of his Mansion.--Cornwallis's
Proposition to Surrender.--Destruction in Yorktown.]]]
{521}head of the Virginia militia, commanded the first battery that
opened upon the British works that morning. His fine stone mansion, the
most commodious in the place, was a prominent object within the British
lines. He knew that Cornwallis and his staff occupied it, and was
probably in it when he began the cannonade.
[Illustration: 8531]
Regardless of the personal loss that must ensue, he pointed one of his
heaviest guns directly toward his house, and ordered the gunner, and
also a bombardier, to play upon it with the greatest vigor. * The
desired effect was accomplished. Upon the heights of Saratoga, Burgoyne
found no place secure from the cannon-balls of the besiegers; in
Yorktown there was like insecurity and before ten o'clock in the
morning, Cornwallis beat a parley, and proposed a cessation of
hostilities. The house of Governor Nelson, I have already mentioned,
still bears many scars received during the bombardment; and in the yard
attached to the dwelling, I saw a huge unexploded bomb-shell which was
cast there by order of the patriot owner.
Cornwallis, despairing of victory or escape, sent a flag to Washington
with a request that hostilities should be suspended for twenty-four
hours, and that commissioners should be appointed to meet at Mrs.
Moore's house on the right of the American lines, and just in the rear
of the first parallel, **** to arrange terms for the surrender of his
army. Washington was unwilling to waste precious time in negotiations,
for, in the mean while, the augmented British fleet might arrive, and
give the earl an opportunity to escape. (v) In his reply to
* Never did a man display more lofty patriotism than Governor Nelson on
this occasion. He was the chief magistrate of the state, and by virtue
of his office was commander-in-chief of its militia. At that time the
treasury of Virginia was empty, and there was great apprehension that
the militia would disband for want of pay. Governor Nelson applied to a
wealthy citizen to borrow money on the credit of the state. The security
was not considered safe, and the patriot pledged his private property
as collateral. The money was obtained and used for the public service.
Because Governor Nelson exercised his prerogative as chief magistrate of
the state in impressing men into the military service on the occasion
of the siege of Yorktown, many influential men were offended, and many
mortal enemies appeared. But he outlived all the wounds of malice, and
posterity does honor to his name.
** Dr. Thatcher says: "I have this day visited the town of York, to
witness the destructive effects of the siege. It contains about sixty
houses; some of them are elegant, many of them are greatly damaged,
and some totally ruined, being shot through in a thousand plaees, and
honey-combed, ready to crumble to pieces. Rich furniture and books were
scattered over the ground, and the carcasses of men and horses,
half covered with earth, exhibited a scene of ruin and horror beyond
description. The earth in many places is thrown up into mounds by the
force of our shells, and it is difficult to point to a spot where a man
could have resorted for safety.
*** This view is from the street looking northwest. A long wooden
building, with steep roof and dormer windows, a portion of which is seen
on the left, is also a relic of the Revolutionary era. It, too, was much
damaged by the bombardment. A few feet from the door of Mr. Nelson's
dwelling is a fine laurel-tree. On the occasion of La Fayette's visit to
Yorktown in 1824, a large concourse of people were assembled; branches
were taken from this laurel-tree, woven into a civic crown, and placed
upon the head of the venerable marquis. He took it from his brow, and
placing it upon that of Preserved Fish, who accompanied him, remarked
that none in all that company was better entitled to wear the mark of
honor than he.
**** See the map on page 518.
* (v) Delay on that occasion would, indeed, have been dangerous, perhaps
fatal to the hopes of the Americans. Admiral Digby hastened the repairs
of his vessels with all possible dispatch, and on the very day when the
capitulation was signed, Sir Henry Clinton, with seven thousand of his
best troops, sailed for the Chesapeake to aid Cornwallis, under a convoy
of twenty-five ships of the line. This armament appeared off the
Capes of Virginia on the twenty-fourth; but, receiving unquestionable
intelligence of the capitulation at Yorktown, the British general
returned to New York.
Thomas Anburey, a British officer in Burgoyne's army, and who served in
America until near the close of 1781, published two interesting volumes,
called Travels in America. Alluding to the capture ot Cornwallis, which
occurred three or four weeks previous to his sailing for Europe, he
says: "When the British fleet left Sandy Hook, General Washington had
certain intelligence of it, within forty-eight hours after it sailed,
although at such a considerable distance as near six hundred miles, by
means of signal guns and alarms. A very notorious rebel in New York,
from the top of his house, hung out the signal of a white flag the
moment the fleet got under way, which was immediately answered by the
firing of a gun at a small village about a mile from our post at Paulus'
Hook (now Jersey City); after that a continual firing of cannon was
heard on the opposite shore; and about two days after the fleet sailed,
was the period in which General Washington was so pressing for the
army to surrender."--Volume ii., page 481. There is no evidence that
Washington was informed of the departure of the fleet previous to the
surrender. Although Digby did not leave Sandy Hook until the nineteenth,
on account of unfavorable winds and other causes of delay, he left the
harbor of New York on the seventeenth.
[[[Terms of Capitulation proposed.--The Commissioners.--Synopsis of
Articles of Capitulation.]]]
{522}Cornwallis's letter, Washington desired him to transmit his
proposals in writing previous to the meeting of the commissioners, for
which purpose he would order a cessation of hostilities for two hours.
To this the earl consented, and within the stipulated time he sent
a rough draft of the general basis of his proposals. * Washington,
perceiving that there would probably be no serious disagreement finally,
also sent Cornwallis a general basis of terms upon which he should
expect him to surrender. ** Commissioners were appointed to meet in
conference at Moore's house, and hostilities were suspended for the
night. The American commissioners were Colonel Laurens, *** and Viscount
De Noailles, a relative of La Fayette's wife; the British commissioners
were Lieutenant-colonel Dundas and Major Ross.
The commissioners met early on the morning of the eighteenth;[[Oct.
1781]] but, being unable to adjust the terms of capitulation ****
definitively, only a rough draft of them could be
* He proposed that the garrisons at York and Gloucester should be
prisoners of war, with the customary honors; that the British soldiers
should be sent to Great Britain, and the Germans to Germany, under an
engagement not to serve against France, America, or their allies, until
released or regularly exchanged; that all arms and public stores
should be delivered to the conqueror, reserving the usual indulgence of
side-arms to officers, and of retaining private property by the officers
and soldiers; and that the interests of several individuals (Tories) in
civil capacities, and connected with the British, should be attended to,
and their persons respected.
** Washington declared that a general basis for a definitive treaty
should be the reception of the two garrisons as prisoners of war, with
the same honors as were granted to the American prisoners at Charleston;
but he would not agree to send the prisoners out of the country.
They were to be marched to some convenient place, where they could be
sustained and treated kindly. The shipping and boats in the harbor of
Yorktown and Gloucester, with all their guns, stores, tackling, apparel,
and furniture, to be delivered to a naval officer appointed to receive
them. The artillery, arms, munitions, and public stores to be delivered
up, and the sick and wounded to be supplied with the British hospital
stores, and attended by the hospital surgeons.
** Cornwallis, in reply, asked the privilege of retaining the Bonetta
sloop of war, and sufficient officers and men, to carry his dispatches
to Sir Henry Clinton, pledging her safe delivery to the conqueror
subsequently, if she escaped the dangers of the sea. This was granted.
*** At that very time, Colonel Laurens's father, who had been president
of Congress, was confined in the Tower of London on a charge of high
treason. He had been captured at sea while on his way to Holland to
solicit a loan. This circumstance will be more fully noticed hereafter.
**** The following is an abstract of the Articles of Capitulation: I.
The garrisons at York and Gloucester to surrender themselves prisoners
of war; the land troops to remain prisoners to the United States; the
naval forces to the naval army of the French king. II. The artillery,
munitions, stores, &c., to be delivered to proper officers appointed
to receive them. III. The two redoubts captured on the sixteenth to be
surrendered, one to the Americans, the other to the French troops. The
garrison at York to march out at two o'clock, with shouldered arms,
colors cased, * and drums beating; there to lay down their arms and
return to their encampment. The works on the Gloucester side to be
delivered to the Americans and French; the garrison to lay down their
arms at three o'clock. IV. The officers to retain their side-arms,
papers, and private property. Also, the property of Loyalists found in
the garrison to be retained. V. The soldiers to be kept in Virginia,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and to be subsisted by the Americans.
British, Anspach, and Hessian officers allowed to be quartered near
them, and supply them with clothing and necessities. VI. The officers
allowed to go on parole to Europe, or to any part of the American
confederacy; proper vessels to be granted by Count De Grasse to convey
them, under flags of truce, to New York, within ten days, if they
choose. Passports to be granted to those who go by land. VII. Officers
allowed to keep soldiers as servants, and servants, not soldiers, not
to be considered prisoners. VIII. The Bonetta to be under the entire
control of Cornwallis, to go to New York with dispatches, and then to
be delivered to Count De Grasse. * IX. Traders not considered close
prisoners of war but on parole, and allowed three months to dispose of
their property, or remove it. X. Loyalists not to be punished on account
of having joined the British army. Considering this matter to be of a
civil character, Washington would not assent to the article. XI. Proper
hospitals to be furnished for the sick and wounded, they to be attended
by the British surgeons. XII. Wagons to be furnished, if possible, for
carrying the baggage of officers attending the soldiers, and of the
hospital surgeons when traveling on account of the sick. XIII. The
shipping and boats in the two harbors, with all their appendages, arms,
and stores, to be delivered up, unimpaired, after the private property
was unloaded. * XIV. This article is given entire in the preceding fac
simile, which, with the signatures, I copied from the original document,
now in possession of Peter Force, Esq., of Washington City! These
articles were signed, on the part of the British, by Lord Cornwallis,
and by Thomas Sy-monds, the naval commander in York River; on the part
of the allied armies, by Washington, Rochambeau, Barras, and De Grasse.
* This disposition of colors is considered degrading. Lincoln was
obliged to submit to it at Charleston, where the British general
intended it as an insult. As Washington made the terms of surrender
"those of Charleston," Cornwallis was obliged to submit.
** As Washington refused to agree to any stipulations respecting the
Tories in the British camp, many of them sailed in the Bonetta for New
York, unwilling to brave the ire of their offended countrymen.
[[[Fac Simile of the Fourteenth Article of the Capitulation.]]]
{523}prepared, which was submitted to the consideration of Cornwallis.
[Illustration: 0533]
Washington would not permit the delay that might ensue by leaving these
open to further negotiation; he, therefore, had the rough articles
fairly transcribed, and sent them to his lordship early on the morning
of the nineteenth, with a letter expressing his expectation that they
would be signed by eleven o'clock, and that the
[[[Ceremonies at the Surrender of the British Army.--Delivery of the
Colors.--Conduct of Cornwallis in the Carolinas.]]]