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Show Bii JOHN D. GRANT t t ( fH) rfl IP if?- - -'.,' ''il ; tJ (If 4,;,;i,-,-v-f.t -"Tfr: -. . i nil -'Fi L... 'frktev, : "M - - ' r.. - 1 jii'-;-:. v :"!!: i'-i ! ' . Fl ""7--- wf ' 4 YOJ?K7VyVf szl V ife3 i' r i v--! - I ! J?OOff Sf AfOOi.r SOIJJT M&fMCrOf .fiftf ...iiiii.MHjA UK great event of the TIT" Hevolutlonary wur, the event that marked the : "1 end of deRotl! ItrltlMh 1 rtil In this country and jikA made Independence day r a ren,lt'- lH ,0 bo r,e' V ilk brated this year with a SWCTif-- greater cltKplny of patrl- fOPSrl ",lc cnthiihlasin than 1h e M usual In the comtnemorR' L-rf tv--r ,1,n "f Kr',ftt nlH,,rlc ViL' j . events In this country, A il Tho 13"th a""lversary 01 "iff the surrender of I'ornwal ' Us will he observed al Yorktown, Va., on October 19 with an Inspiring, naval and military display. The country'! greatest ttalesmen' will participate In the ex erclses In which the lofty spirit of true patriot Ihiu will be the predominating feature. The pretty little city of Yorktown Is en thrlned with many memories of this country"! desperate ttruggle for liberty and of Its final triumph, liulldlngs which figured prominently In the neg.itlatlotis between Washington and CornwalllH, which practically resulted In end lug the wur, are still standing, preserved as n.onuiiients to the patriots who erected on this continent a free and independent common-wealth. common-wealth. The downfall of Cornwallls, which also C'jicilcd the end of HiIiIhIi hopes for retaining 111 . r - '-5' IT 111 ,1 " V Ill - Tm-w-"! fT"1 ""'"- 111 f i HI A' A ) i S t .9 t fSttr CU5TQSf W2S jh u.d -it the colonies under the sway of King George's Jrannlcal power, was brought about by the masterly tactics of General Washington. The American commander led his adversary to believe be-lieve he Intended to make an attack on New York. Cornwallls, completely fooled by the movements of the revolutionary army, was caught In a trap. Ik tnmed In on all sides, securely se-curely bottled up In Yorktown with communl-cituims communl-cituims and food supplies cut off, the Piitlnti commander was forced to surrender. CornwalllV Invasion of Virginia followed a long and unsuccessful campaign In North Carolina. Caro-lina. Tho Uritlsh general made up his mind that his exhausting fibers there would prove unprofitable until Virginia was subjugated. On April 25, 17M, ho started northward from Wilmington, N. C. lie reached Petersburg, Va., May 20, and during the next two weeks attempted at-tempted to capture Lafayette, who was In command com-mand of the small American forces for the defense de-fense of Virginia. Lafayette successfully evaded evad-ed tho Hrlftsh and, June 10. was reinforced by General Anthony Wayne wtth l.nnn Infantry and six guns. The lirltlsh comnmiul.-r o far foiled In his objects, had to march back to Richmond and thence to Williamsburg, near the coast, thus prnctlcally abandoning control over any part of Virginia except where naval forces gave possession. Lafayette effected a Junction with Karon Steuben on June IS, and thus Increased his force to about 4,nno men. The Americans had now become the pursuers Instead of the pursued, and followed the lirltlsh, lirlt-lsh, harassing their rear and flanks. Koon afterward the Prltlsh army concentrated concen-trated at Portsmouth and preparations were under way to transport a considerable portion of It lo New York, when Cornwallls received orders from General Clinton, the Krlttsh commander-in-chief, lo fortify Old Point Comfort at the present Fortress Monroe, and If advisable, advisa-ble, Yorktown. Obeying these Instructions, Cornwallls ordered a survey of Old Point Comfort, Com-fort, but on the advice of his engineers was obliged lo represent to Clinton that It was wholly unfit and Inadequate for a naval station. sta-tion. Then, following what he believed to be the spirit of his orders, Cornwallls, before-heartng before-heartng from Clinton, moved up to Yorktown and began to fortify It In connection with Gloucester, on the opposite shore. Meanwhile Washington and Hochambeau. with the allied French and American forces, were at Ihbs Ferry, N. Y.. menacing New York city and awaiting the arrival of the promised prom-ised Frni h fleet under Admiral de Grasse. That officer wrote that he expected to sail for Chesnpeake Kay on Aegusl 1.1, but that he would remain In American waters only a short time. Washington, who had heretofore resisted entreaties en-treaties to remove the army from New York for operations In the south, determined to cooperate co-operate with Admiral de Grasse In an attack upon Cornwallls. With about 4,oto French and 2.'i continentals he started across New Jersey August 19. and by September 2 had Joined Lafay tie and additional Virginia militia COWWAUJ5' HAOGUAXTK3 1740, was the home of Thomas Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, In-dependence, a governor of Virginia, and finally a major general In the 'J,f ; American army. "$3 This sturdy relic or " i many wars was the oftl- , cidi headquarters of Lord K' J. '' Cornwallls as head of I H- ' t the sb ge of 17S1. After t ' ' 'J thp 0101,0 of ,ho nr U ,v V-y4 marked the renewal not ''' v on,y of a friendship be- i. 'j ' i V'' Jween soldiers, but the -,, ')' ' friendship of nations, . .'i.." i, t The French and tho ' 1 United States wereclose- " f-y, v.l I y cemented together ' through the visit of Gen- tVZPOV eral Lafayette to bis old- iXWWfi time war friend. Major I General Nelson. 1S81 a centennial celebration of the victory f'ornwalUs was held M Yorktown and the cornerstone of the national monument was laid with elaborate ceremonies In the presence of a great concourse of people. On the bnse of the monument the following Inscription la engraved: ",M York on October 19, 1781. after a siege of ' nineteen days, by 5,500 Americans and 7,000 French troops of the line, 3.500 Virginia mllltla under command of General Thomas Nelson and 38 French ships of war, Karl Cornwallls, com-ninnder com-ninnder of the lirltlsh force at York and Gloucester, Glou-cester, surrendered his army, 7,251 ofllcers and men, 840 Beamen, 241 cannon and 24 standards, to his excellency, George Washington, commander-in-chief of the combined forces or American Amer-ican and France; to his excellency, the Comte de Hochambeau, commanding the auxiliary troops of bis most Christian majesty In America and to his excellency, the Comte de Grasse, commanding com-manding In chief the naval army of France In Chesnpeake." Grace church, which figured prominently In the historic events Just related, Is still used at a place of worship. The edifice Is of marl roc construction and was built In 1700. The obi bet was a gilt from Queen Anne in 1725. The orlg inal communion service is still In use. Curioiislj carved designs of a head and a lion are easllj dlscernnble, but the emblems on the service nr Indistinct. On the quaint tombstones In th churchyard are the names of many of the famoui Nelson family. The oldest custom house In the I'nlted State U situated at Yorktown and Is one or the most Interesting of the historic buildings. It was built In 17S1 nnd was the prt of entry for New Y'ork, Philadelphia and many other of our great cities when they were In their Infancy. Yorktown was also the scene of considerable nctlvlty at one pi rlod during the Civil war. When General McClellan began the Peninsular campaign April 4, 1M'(2. he found Yorktown fortified for-tified and a line drawn from the town across the peninsula to the mouth of the Warwick river. Gen. J. II. Magruder, In command of the Confederate forces, had hardly more than 11.000 men In all. of whom 5,0ti0 were at Y'orktown General McClellan. who very much overestimated overesti-mated the Confederate forces, awaited reinforcements rein-forcements and began sege alteration. At the end of the month McClellan had In position 115,-000 115,-000 men while (Jen. Joseph H. Johnston, who had assumed command of the Confederate forces on April 17. had hardly more than So.OoO men on the peninsula. Just aa McClellan was ready to open fire. General Johnston withdrew May 3. Ilia rear guard was overtaken near Williamsburg Williams-burg on May 5. and an Indecisive battle was fought. Yorktown Is the county seat of York county. Virginia, and Is situated about "0 miles southeast south-east of Klrhmond. on the Y'ork river. Although one of the oldest and most historic tow ns in the country, Y'orktown has never attained the prominence prom-inence and importance commercially that Its founders had prophesied for It. and today It has a population of but a few hundred. Cfew Ponds In Great Britain. Among the most singular archaeological remains re-mains found In Great Krltaln are the ancient dew ponds, the construction of which It as-scribed as-scribed to the neoMtble age- The purpose ol these ponds was to furnish drinking water for cattle. An exposed position where springs were absent was selected and a bror'd. hollowed surface sur-face was formed and covered over with straw or aome other r.on conducting material. Above was spread a thl-k. laver of c!sy trert with stones. During the right the crM r .t-e ' th" cisy caused an at-unfarc of m-1 condent-e from'lower !aves if t e ,.l of thee anclet dew wd are H I v V c under Governor Nelson at Williamsburg. The French fleet, September ft. defeated the Itrlttsh under Admiral Graves, and then held tho Chesapeake Ches-apeake to prevent Krltlsh reinforcements. Washington took position before Yorktown September 2. and the night of the 21Mb Cornwallls Corn-wallls abandoned his outer works before the town. TUe first of October finds our engineers reconnolterlng the position and works or the enemy. Th 2d witnessed the gallantry ot tho Duke de Lauzuti and bis legion In driving back Tarleton, whose raids so long hud been the terror or Virginia and the Carolina. On the fith. the allied armies broke ground for their final parallel, and proceeded to mount their batteries on the 7th and Mh. On the Sth, two batteries were opened Washington himself applying the torch to the first gun; and on the 10th three or four more were In play, silencing the enemy's works. On the 11th, the Indefatigable Inde-fatigable Steuben was breaking the ground for our second parallel, within less than 4uo yards of tho enemy, which was flnlsf ed the next morning, and more batteries were mounted on the 1.1th and 14th, Itut the great achievement of the siege still awaits Its accomplishment Two advanced Krltlsh rcdoubta are blocking the way lo any further approach, and they must be stormed. The allied troop divide the danger dan-ger and the glory between them, and emulate each other In the assault. One of the redoubts Is assigned to the French grenadiers and chasseurs chas-seurs under de Vlomesnll. The other is assigned as-signed to the American light Infantry under Lafayette. Koth redoubts were soon captured and the fate of Cornwallls waa sealed. "A small and precipitate sortie," as Washington rails It. was made by the Krltlsh on the following fol-lowing evening, resulting In noftlng. The next day a vain attempt to evacuate their works and to escape by crossing over to Gloucester was defeated by a violent storm. At ten o'clock on the morning of the 17th of October. 17S1, the Krltlsh beat a parley, and lxtrd Cornwalli proposed a cessation of hostilities hos-tilities for twenty four hour that commissioners commission-ers might meet at the house of a Mr. Moore In the rear of the first American parallel. Washington Wash-ington replied with a grant of two hours' cessation, cessa-tion, that term might be protosed In writing. Finding their general tenor admissible, hostilities hos-tilities were suspended for 'he night, and Washington proponed his own term. Commissioners Commis-sioners were appointed. Colonel Lauren, the Vlcomie de Nnatlles, and M. do Grandchain on the part of Washington: Lieutenant Colonel Ihindas and Major Koss on that of Cornwallls. The 1Mb Was consumed In negotiation, wbich Washington brought to a close by having the draft of the agreement copied, sending It on the morning of the 19th, and demanding that It should be signed by eleven, and the garrison march out at two o'clock. Hochambeau describes the surrender: "The American and French took possession of the two batteries at noon. The garrison mnrched out at two o'clock between the two armies, drums beating, carrying their arms, which were stacked, with about twenty flags. Lord Cornwallls Corn-wallls being III. General O'llara marched out at the head of the garrison. When, he approached ap-proached me (Hochambeau) he presented his sword. I pointed to General Washington opposite op-posite to tne as the head of the American army, and said to him that as the French army was an auxiliary on this roniinent. that It was now from the American general that he muBt take orders." The manner of the capitulation was modeled on the harsh terms Cornwallls had Imposed on General Lincoln at the siege of Charleston, the previous year. The colors were cased. The defeated army was not permitted to play an American or French tune, and it was to Lincoln Lin-coln himself that the formal surrender waa made. In hi general orders of the 2nth SVashlngton congratulated the army on the glorloua events of the day previous, and expressed his warm gratitude to. the French king and his officers, naming each in his order with suitable phrase and commendation, and requested the Count de Hochambeau "to present In his name to the regiments of Agenols and Deux Pont tho two piece of bras ordnance captured by them (as a testimony of their gallantry) in storming the enemy's redoubt on the night of the 14th Inst., when officers and men ao universally vied with each other In the exercise of every eoldlerly virtue." The victor found the little town of York, w hich at that time contained about sixty houses In a state of absolute dilapidation. They were HteraPy honeycombed by balls. The Krltlsh officers complimented the French on the precision pre-cision of their Bre. and confessed that they were the first artillerist In Kurope, while the French were equally amaied at the wonderful p-oflclency the Americans had acquired with their limited exp-rlence. The house of Secretary Secre-tary Nelson of Virginia, which bad served as Cornwallls" headquarter, and the most stately building in the town, remained for year a significant sig-nificant witnes cf the accuracy of the Bre of the al'lp. This rare specimen of architecture, built In |