Show by ELMO SCOTT WATSON HEN the british army commanded www y by lord Cornwall ls marched out of rk town va on october 19 1781 I 1 ww to surrender sor render to the combined french T and american forces under rochambeau and washington the tune to which they marched was an old english song the world turned upside down and in that fact there was more significance than any of the participants in that historic scene could possibly have realized at the time and more significance than most americans realize now it Is probable that to the average american today the phrase surrender of Cornwall ls at t yorktown means the end of the revolution be has a vague recollection of a picture of a man on foot cornwallis ls handing his sword to a man on horseback washington while two lines of mounted officers those in one line wear ing funny looking hats those were the french look proudly on then he thinks that meant the war was over the rest of the british in america sailed for england washington and his soldiers went home and the united states of america went into operation immediately as a tree and independent nation it was far from being as simple as all that As a matter of fact yorktown important a allene though it was in the revolution was far from being the end of the journey there could be no doubt that the news of cornwallis ls surrender would be a crushing blow to british hopes of subduing her rebellious colonies but that did not mean that king george and his ministry would not keep on trying the british held new york charleston and savannah and no sooner was washington through at york tow n than he had to march his army back to new york to face sir henry clinton and his army once more true there was no more important campaigning after october 1781 but it was not until more than a year later november 80 1782 that articles of peace between great britain and the united states were signed it was not until december 23 1782 that washington resigned hla commission as commander in chief it was not until september almost two years after yorktown that the final treaty of peace was signed it was not until november 25 1783 that the continentals Continent als staged their victory march through new york and it was not until early in 1784 that all of them were finally disbanded except for an army of 80 men with to officers in proportion 1 so when the sun went on the surrender field at yorktown that october day years ago it was far from being the final curtain of a mighty drama what then Is the significance of yorktown in history briefly it Is this it blazed like a beacon light of hope to a people who were beginning to de calr for 1780 and 1781 had been dark years for the patriots and more than once in those years the revolution seemed near collapse so the news of yorktown gave them courage to struggle on and seemed to promise an earlier end to a war which had dragged on for alx lx years it weakened the power of the tories in parliament who had supported the king and his ministers in prosecuting the war and strengthened the hands of admund burke and the whigs who had been denouncing the attempt to subdue the americans as a shameful misuse of royal power yorktown was not an nd but it was the beginning of an end the end of autocratic rule by hereditary monarchs and of a new era of freedom for mankind began there so the importance of the celebration eb which Is to bo held at yorktown on october ac 17 18 and 19 of this year not only to america but to all nations is one which can hardly be overestimated probably more americans are aware that such a celebration Is to be held because of a controversy oer whether or not the actual surrender scene should be reproduced as a part of the yorktown pageant than they are because of an understanding of the significance of the event itself but since it was finally decided that such a surrender scene would not wound british sensibilities and therefore might properly be included to the acs program the ultimate result of the dispute has probably been a good one in that it has focused the attention of the whole coun try on this celebration more than any other event yet eckl since so much has been made of this surrender scene it should be of interest to recall just what actually took place then and there but first a brief review of the events leading up to yorktown after cornwallis ls unsatisfactory campaign in the carolinas Caroll nas he retired to york town where be awaited reinforcements from sir henry clinton the british commander in york but there was a in the british plans and a lack of ordination coordination co which were to prove fatal to the british leader in virginia continental forces under lafayette wayne and steuben invested yorktown by land and a french flet under de brasse and de bars i 4 J s A ta f r cear ras bottled it up from the sea then washing ton having deceived clinton as to his real purpose made a rapid south to join in the siege the actual investment of yorktown began on september 28 on october 6 the americans and french advanced their trenches to within yards of the british lines and three days later opened fire on the town on october 14 two outlying british re doubts were captured one by the french and one by a party of americans brilliantly led by capt alexander hamilton later destined for fame as secretary of the treasury by this time Cornwall ls realized that he was in a tight place on octo ac be made a desperate attempt to cut his way through the lines and falling in this he knew that the game was up the bombardment of the allies had been eo fierce that his defenses were crumbling about him and he realized that he could not hope to hold out against a determined assault under all these circumstances I 1 thought it would have been wanton and inhuman to the last degree to sacrifice the lives of this small body of gallant soldiers who had ever behaved with so much fidelity and courage by exposing them to an assault which from the numbers and alons of the enemy could not fall to succeed he wrote afterwards so on october 17 Cornwall ls beat a parley and proposed a cessation of hostilities for 24 hours so that terms of surrender might be discussed to this washington agreed and appointed colonel laurens and viscount noailles Noal lles to meet two british officers at the moore house to discuss the proposal through colonel dundas and major ross who met laurens and noailles Noal lles en the cornwallis ls tried to make the best bargain possible lie asked that his british and german soldiers both privates and officers be allowed to return to their homes and that no punishment be meted out to the tories who had taken refuge in his lines finally he asked to be allowed to march out with all honors of war the latter request washington was not disposed to grant when the british captured charleston they had denied such honors of war to general lincoln who was compelled to march out not with colors flying but with his flags furled so washington laid down these terms the garrison of york will march out to a place to be appointed in front of the posts at 2 precisely with shouldered arms colors cased drums beating a british or man march they are then to ground their arms and return to their encampments encamp ments where they will remain until they are to the places of their destination the works on the gloucester side will be delivered at 1 0 clock to a detachment of french and american troops appointed to possess them the garrison will march out at 3 0 clock in the afternoon the cavalry with their swords drawn trumpets sounding and the infantry in the manner prescribed for the garrison of york they are likewise to return to their encampments encamp ments until they can be finally marched off afao surrender took place on october 19 and several eyewitness eye witness accounts of it have been preserved one of them Is by the famous light harry lee father of the general who was to participate in another famous surrender some 84 yeara later not many miles from this spot lee writes ibe road through which they marched was lined with spectators french and american on one side the commander in chief surrounded by his alt sic and the american staff took his station on the other side opposite him was the count de bocham beau in like manner attended the head of the column approached the corn beander in chief mistaking the ch cle turned to that on his left for the purpose of paying his respects to the commander in chief and requesting further orders when quickly discovering his error and with much embarrass ment in his countenance he flew across the road and advanced up to washington asked pardon for bla mistake apologized for the absence of lord Cornwa llla and begged to know his fur ther pleasure the general feeling his embarrassment ras relieved it by referring him to gen eral lincoln for his government returning to the bead of the column it again moved under the guidance of lincoln to the field selected for the conclusion of the ceremony every eye was turned in search of the british commander ln chief anxious to look at that man heretofore so much the object of their dread all were disappointed another account differs slightly from this according to it comte du dumas the french general rofle out to leet 0 nara to lead the british to their place where Is general rochambeau asked on our left responded dumas at the head of the french line then started toward rochambeau but dumas galloped ahead and placing himself in front of the british general pointed to wash ington sitting on his horse opposite and said you deceive yourself the commander in chief of our army Is to your right so with dumas leading the way rode up to washington and offered his sword but washington checked him saying never from such a good band then he motioned him toward general lincoln who took the sword held it for a moment and then handed it back to immediately so the picture which lingers vaguely in most americans minds Is far from the actual occurrence cornwallis ls was not on the surrender field and did not hand bis sword to washington subordinates of both generals were the actors in this historic scene not only Is yorktown symbolical of an event of world wide historic significance but the story of it adds further to the greatness that was george ills was the master stroke of strategy which deceived sir henry clinton into believing that an attack on ew york was imminent then he literally hurled his army southward to aid in crushing cornwallis ls before clinton could discover his real purpose and go to the aid of that hapless commander it was washington s graciousness and tact which led him to write to de grasse the admiral of the french fleet thus 1 I should be anxious to have the honor of your excellences participation in the treaty which will according to present appearance pe arance shortly tale place I 1 need not add how happy it will make me to welcome your excellency in the name of america on this shore and embrace you upon an occasion so advantageous to the interests of the common cause and on which it is so much indebted to you should naval reasons deprive me of this happiness by requiring your excellences presence on board I 1 entreat that you will be pleased to appoint an officer to represent you and take charge of the capitulation to be signed by your excellency and if be could be thus unselfish in sharing with an ally the honor of a great moment he could also make another supremely grice tul acs ture in behalf of a subordinate yorktown was one of the greatest moments in his life coming as it did after years of bitter struggle through endless disappointments and quite as many fall arcs as successes how sweet then the taste of victory in his mouth but in the words of hupart his biographer he was unwilling to claim the center of the stage or to strut or even take his manifest rights so he waved aside the british sword of surrender in order that general lincoln who had surrendered his sword to the british might take it it there Is further need of evidence of the simple greatness of the victor at yorktown it Is to be found in the entry in his diary on the day of the surrender it reads as follows lath in the morning early I 1 had them the articles of surrender copied and sent word to lord corn walela that I 1 expected to have them signed at II 11 adlock and that the garrison would march out at two both of which were accord angly done here he stood at the peak of his military career here was an event which to change the course of history and of was it george washington wrote both of which were accordingly done by warn unload |