Virginia was destined to be a theatre of still more decisive operations. Lord Cornwallis reached Petersburg, without much opposition, on the 20th May; and, forming a junction with Major-General Phillips, was now at the head of a very powerful army. The defensive operations, in opposition to this hostile force, were principally entrusted to the Marquis de la Fayette.* The Marquis advanced to Richmond; but such was the superiority of numbers on the side of the British, that he retired with his little army, which consisted of about one thousand regulars, two thousand militia, and sixty dragoons. Lord Cornwallis advanced from Petersburg to James River, which he crossed at Westown; and, marching through Hanover county, crossed the Pamunkey River. The young Marquis followed his motions, but at a guarded distance; and his judg ment in the selection of posts, with the vigour of his movements, would have reflected honour on a veteran commander. In the course of these marches and countermarches, immense quantities of property were destroyed by the British troops, and several unimportant skirmishes took place. Earl Cornwallis, who had marched with his army to Portsmouth, was at length instructed, by an express from Sir Henry Clinton, to secure Old Point Comfort, or Hampton Road, as a station for line of battle ships; and was allowed to detain any part, or the whole of the forces under his command, for completing that service. A strong and permanent place of arms in the Chesapeake, for the security of both the army and navy, being a principal object of the campaign, and Portsmouth and Hampton Road having been pronounced unfit for that purpose, Portsmouth was evacuated, and the British troops, amounting to seven thousand men, were transferred to Yorktown. Lord Cornwallis assiduously applied himself to fortify his new posts. While the officers of the British navy were expecting to be joined by their fleet in the WestIndies, preparatory to vigorous operations in Virginia, Count de Grasse, with a French fleet of twenty-eight sail of the line, entered the Chesapeake; and, having blocked up York River with three large ships and some frigates, moored the principal part of his fleet in Lynnhaven Bay. Three thousand two hundred French troops, on board this fleet, commanded by the Marquis de St. Simon, were disembarked, and soon after formed a junction with the continental troops under the Marquis de la Fayette; and the whole combined army took post at Williamsburg. Admiral Graves, with twenty sail of the line, attempted the relief of Lord Cornwallis; but, when he appeared off the Capes of Virginia, M. de Grasse went out to meet him, and an indecisive engagement took place. While the two admirals were manoeuvring near the mouth of the Chesapeake, Count de Barras, with a French fleet of eight line of battle ships from RhodeIsland, passed the British fleet in the night, and got within the Capes

The Marquis had been detached, early in the year, from the main army, to Virginia, to co-operate with the French fleet in attempting the capture of Arnold.

of Virginia; and by this combination the French had a decided superiority. Admiral Graves soon took his departure; and M. de Grasse re-entered the Chesapeake.

In the mean time, the combined forces of France and America, by an effectual but unsuspected plan of operations, were tending, as to a central point, to Virginia. As early as the month of May, a plan of the whole campaign had been fixed on by General Washington, in consultation with General Knox and Du Portrail on the part of the Americans, and Count de Rochambeau and the Chevalier Chastellux on the part of the French, in an interview at Wethersfield. The project was, to lay siege to New-York in concert with a French fleet, which was to arrive on the coast in the month of August. In prosecution of this plan, the northern states were called on to fill up their battalions, and to have their quotas of militia in readiness, on a week's notice. The French troops marched from Rhode-Island, and joined the American army early in July. About the same time, General Washington marched his army from its winter encampment, near Peek's Kill, to the vicinity of King's Bridge; General Lincoln fell down North River, and took possession of the ground where Fort Independence formerly stood; and the British, with almost the whole of their force, retired to York Island. General Washington was diligent in preparing to commence operations against New-York. Flat bottomed boats, sufficient to transport five thousand men, were built near Albany, and brought down Hudson's River to the neighbourhood of the American army; ovens were built opposite to Staten Island for the use of the French troops; and every movement was made for the commencement of a siege. About the middle of August, General Washington was induced to make a total change of the plan of the campaign. The tardiness of the states in filling up their battalions and embodying their militia; the peculiar situation of Lord Cornwallis in Virginia; the arrival of a re-enforcement of three thousand Germans from Europe to NewYork; the strength of the garrison in that city; and especially intelligence from Count de Grasse, that his destination was fixed to the Chesapeake; determined the General to direct the operations of the combined arms against Lord Cornwallis. Having resolved to lead the expedition in person, he committed the defence of the posts on Hudson's River to Major-General Heath, and proceeded on the grand enterprise. While, with consummate address, he kept up appearance of an intention to attack New-York; the allied army, amounting collectively to twelve thousand men, crossed the North River, and passed on by the way of Philadelphia to Yorktown. General Washington and Count Rochambeau reached Williamsburg on the fourteenth of September; and with Generals Chastellux, Du Portrail, and Knox, visited Count de Grasse on board his ship, and agreed on a plan of operations.

the

Yorktown is a small village on the south side of York River, whose southern banks are high, and in whose waters a ship of the

line may ride with safety. Gloucester Point is a piece of land oi the opposite shore, projecting deeply into the river. Both these posts were occupied by Lord Cornwallis; and a communication between them was commanded by his batteries, and by some ships of war. The main body of his army was encamped on the open grounds about Yorktown, within a range of outer redoubts and field works; and Lieutenant-Colonel Tarleton, with a detachment of six or seven hundred men, held the post at Gloucester Point. The legion of the Duke de Lauzun, and a brigade of militia under General Weedon, the whole commanded by the French General de Choise', were directed to watch and restrain the enemy on the side of Gloucester; and the grand combined army, on the thirtieth of September, moved down to the investiture of Yorktown. In the evening, the troops halted about two miles from York, and lay all night on their arms. Causeways having been constructed in the night over a morass in front of the British works, the continental infantry marched the next morning in columns to the right of the combined forces. A few cannon shot were fired from the British work on the Hampton Road, and some riflemen skirmished with the pickets of the Anspach battalions on the left. The two armies cautiously observed each other; but nothing material occurred until evening, when an express boat arrived at Yorktown with a letter from Sir Henry Clinton to Earl Cornwallis, giving him assurance that joint exertions of the army and navy would be made for his relief. To this letter is attributed an order for the British troops to quit the outward and retire to the inner position; in compliance with which, that movement was effected before day-break. The next morning, Colonel Scammel, with a reconnoitering party, falling in with a detachment of picked dragoons, was driven back, and in attempting a retreat was mortally wounded, and taken prisoner. He was an officer of great merit, and his death was deeply lamented. In the course of the forenoon, the allies took possession of the ground that had been abandoned by the British."*

"On the 6th, Washington's heavy ordnance and other implements for the seige arrived, and the first parallel was immediately com menced, under a constant, but ineffectual fire from Cornwallis' batteries. By the 10th, our batteries and redoubts were ready to open along the whole fosse, and their effect upon the defences of the town was so immediately destructive, that Cornwallis would no doubt have sought the means of safety, either by offering instant battle, or capitulation, but for the arrival of another messenger from Sir Henry Clinton on this day, who brought assurances that an armament of 7000 men was on its way for his releif. This reanimated his confidence, and determined him to hold out to the last moment, repairing with great assiduity during the night the breaches and dilapidations of the day. But so powerful was even our first parallel,

* Holmes' American Annals, vol. ii. p. 439-55.

that our shells and red hot balls reached the enemy's ships in the harbour, and one of their best frigates was destroyed.

On the night of the 11th, Washington commenced his second parallel within three hundred yards of the enemy's lines, and so expeditiously and secretly was the work carried on, that the trench was nearly completed before the dawn of day. Upon perceiving this extraordinary despatch of his beseigers, Cornwallis redoubled his exertions to strengthen his defence, still trusting to the promised aid of the British commander in chief. All his batteries were opened to stop the progress of this second parallel; but though his fire was considerably destructive, particularly from two redoubts on his left, our work was continued without intermission. At this moment Washington determined to carry these two redoubts by a coup de main. The detachment ordered against that on our right was entrusted to the Marquis de la Fayette, who conducted it in person, the other to the French under the Baron de Viomenil. Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton, assisted by Lieutenant Colonel Laurens, led the van of la Fayette, and so vigorously was the assault conducted, that they soon forced their way into the redoubt, and made the whole party consisting of 60 men, under Major Campbell, prisoners, only five of their number being killed. The detachment had been ordered in the assault to remember the recent massacre at New-London after fort Griswold had surrendered; but Hamilton upon being questioned why he had spared the lives of his prisoners, answered, that his detachment could not imitate deeds of barbarity upon men who begged for quarters.

The enterprise against the other redoubt conducted by the Baron Viomenil, was equally successful, though more difficult, the number of the enemy here being double that of the other, and the resistance proportionately formidable. The commandant of the redoubt with half his force, escaped, leaving the other half, of whom 18 were killed, to fall into the hands of the Baron. The loss of the latter was very severe, having 100 men killed and wounded. Our loss in the other affair was 9 killed and 32 wounded. These two redoubts were soon added to our second parallel, and the equal honours acquired by the French and Americans in the enterprise, infused a mutual confidence in the allies, and added more vigour to the further prosecution of the seige.

Lord Cornwallis in the mean time, more and more straitened in his position, and still without the expected reinforcements, though ten days had elapsed since it was said they were to sail from NewYork, projected a sally against two of our redoubts, which were not yet completed. Lieutenant Colonel Abercrombie conducted the enterprise with 400 men, of the guards and light infantry; and before day light on the morning of the 16th he advanced upon our lines. His party were divided into two detachments, the first of the guards under Lieutenant Colonel Luke, the second of the light infantry under Major Armstrong. Both officers succeeded in driving out

the French who occupied these redoubts, and in spiking eleven pieces of cannon, besides killing a number of men; but this success was of little benefit to the besieged, for being unable to hold possession of the redoubts, the party was compelled to retire on the approach of the assailants; and the redoubts were soon made ready and the cannon unspiked.

This completed the second parallel of the besiegers, who now displayed a front of nearly one hundred pieces of heavy ordnance, while the defences of the town were so much demolished that scarcely a gun could be shown. In this situation Cornwallis was reduced to the alternative of attempting his escape, or of offering terms of capitulation; the latter was too humiliating to his proud military spirit, and a plan was instantly conceived for carrying the former into effect. He determined to pass his whole army over in the night to Gloucester Point, and by falling upon General Choise to possess himself of all his horses, by which the greater part of his army would be mounted, and his further movements were to depend on contingent occurrences. The attempt was equally bold and desperate; but whatever might have been its ultimate issue, fortune had prepared another fate for Cornwallis. After the first division of his army had actually crossed, and while he was waiting for the return of the boats to embark the remainder, a violent storm arose, which dispersed the boats and drove them down the river considerably below the town; so that day light approached before they could be brought up to the place of embarkation. It was now too late; and his lordship was compelled to employ the forenoon in reuniting his divided force, by recalling the division which had crossed the river.

After

which

The last hope of his lordship being thus disconcerted by a destiny beyond his control, he considered any further resistance as an useless expenditure of the lives of his men, and having beat a parley, sent a messenger to Washington, with a proposition for a cessation of hostilities for the space of twenty-four hours, with a view of settling by commissioners, terms for the surrender of his two posts. requiring from his lordship a previous avowal of the basis upon he meant to propose the surrender, the request for a cessation of hostilities was granted, and commissioners were mutually appointed. On the part of the allied armies, the Viscount de Noailles, and Lieutenant Colonel Laurens, aid de camp to Washington; and on the part of the British, Lieutenant Colonel Dundas, and Major Ross, aid de camp to his lordship, met on the 18th, but not being able to agree upon definitive terms, rough drafts of their proceedings were submitted to the respective commanders. Washington, perceiving that Cornwallis insisted upon terms unwarranted by the situation of the two armies, and unwilling to lose a moment's time in fruitless negociation, transmitted to his lordship on the morning of the 19th, his ultimatum, declaring that hostilities should recommence at 11 o'clock, unless the terms were previously ratified. Cornwallis strenuous as had been his efforts to procure certain advantageois