O34 
ing been accordingly effected, by means 
ef Simcoe-and Tarleton, both of whom 
have fince become general officers, it was 
hoped that they would be able, with their 
joint forees, to capture the Marquis de 
la Fayette, who had untheathed the 
maiden {word of a French noble in behalf 
ef Americzn liberty. . But this being 
found impofiible, in confequence of his 
fudden retreat, Lord Cornwallis with- 
drew, and foon unhappily found that this 
wery fate was referved for himfelf and che 
tmoops-under his command. It is almoft 
2s unneteffary as painful to relate, that 
Generals W afhington and Rochambesu, 
with a large portion of the allied army of 
fimerica and France, detcrmined, at this 
riod, on furrounding the brave Earl 
andali his forces. By an unfortunate fe- 
ries of events, fupplics having failed, and 
a retreat being confidered as impofible, 
this gallant commander was at length 
ebliged to capitulate ac York Town* 
* Copy of aletter from Earl Cornwallis to 
Sir Henry Clintoa:— 
York Town, Virginia, 
‘¢ OGcber 20, 1781. 
e« Sur, 
¢¢ T have the mortificat ion to. inform your 
Excellency, that I have been forced to give 
wp the pofts of York and Gloucefter, and to 
furrender the troops under my command, by 
capitulaticn, on the rgth initant, as prifoners 
ef war, to the combined forces of America 
and France. 
«¢ | never faw this poft in any very favour- 
able light: but when I found | was to he at- 
tacked in itin fo unprepared a ftate, by fo 
powerful an army ahd artillery, nothing but 
the hopes of relief would have inducea me 
to attempt its defence; for I would either 
have attempted to efcape to New York by 
rapid marches from the Gloucefter fide, im- 
mediately on the arrival of General Wath- 
ington’s troops at Williamfburgh, or I would, 
notwithftanding the difparity of numbers, 
have attacked them in the cpen field, where 
it might have been juf poffible that fortune 
would have favoured the gallantry of the 
handful of troops under my command: but 
being aifured by your Excellency’s letters, 
that every pofiible means would be tried by 
the navy and army to relieve us, I could not 
think myfelf at liberty to venture upon ei- 
ther of thefe defperate attempts ; therefore, 
after remaining for two Gays in a dirong pofi- 
tion, in front of this piace, in hopes of be- 
ing attacked, upon obierying thatthe enemy 
were taking meafures which couid not fail of 
turning my left flank in a fhort time, and re- 
ceiving onthe feconc evening your letter of 
the 12th of September, informing me that 
the relief wouic fail about the sth of Odo- 
ber, L withdrew within the works on the 
4 
Memuairs of the late Marquis Cornwallis. 
[ April I 9 
But the capture of a fecond army did 
not put an end to the conteft; and it 
might 
night of the zoth of September, hoping, by 
the labour and firmnefs of the foldiers, to 
protra& the defence until you could arrive, 
Every thing was to & expected from the firm- 
nefs of the troops; but every difadvantage 
attended their Wasers as the work was to be 
continued under the enemy’s fire, and our 
ftock of- entrenching tools, which did not 
much exceed four hundred when we began . 
to work, in the latter end of Auguft, was 
now much diminifhed. 
‘¢ The army broke ground on the night of 
the 30th, and conftru€ted on that night and _ 
the two following days and nights, which, with 
fome works that had belonged to our out- 
ward pefition, occupied a gorge between two - 
ae or rayines, which came from the river 
each fide of the town. On the night of 
ee 6th of October they made their firf pa- 
rallel, extending from its right on the river 
to a deep ravine on the left, nearly oppofite 
to the centre of this place, and embracing 
our whele left, at the diftance of fix huadred 
yards. Having perfeNed this parallel, their 
batteries opened on the evening of the gth, 
againft our left; and other batteries fired at 
the fame time againft-a redoubt, over a creek, 
on our right, and defended by about one hun 
cred and twenty men of the 234 regiment 
and marines, who maintained that place with’ 
uncommon gallantry. Fhe fire continued 
inceflant, from heavy cannon, and from mor- 
tars and howitzers, throwing fhel!s from 
eight to fixteen inches, unti! all our guns ea 
the left were filenced, our work much da- 
maged, and cur lofs of men confiderable. 
‘* On the night of the 11th they began 
their fecond parallel, about three hundred 
yards nearer to us,” &c. &c. &c. 
{ After détailing the particulars of an at~ 
tempt to efcape, by means of fixteen boats, 
to the Gioucetter fide, in confequence of the _ 
progrefs of the ecemy, 
ceeds as follows:, 
*¢ Our works in the mean time were go- 
ing to ruin, and not being able to ftrengthen 
them by abbatis, nor in any other manner 
than by a flight fraizing, which the ene- 
my’s artillery were demolifhing whenever 
they fired, we opinion entirely coincided 
with that of the engineer and principal offi- 
ers of the army, that they were in many 
places atfailable in the forenoon, and that by 
the continuance of the fame fire for a few 
hours longer they would be in fuich a ftate ‘as 
to render it defperate, with our numbers, to 
attempt to maintainthem, 
“© We at that time could not fire a fingle 
gun; enly one eightinch, and a little more 
than a hundred cohorn fhells remained ; a di- 
verfion by the French thips of war that lay at 
the mouth of York river was alfo to be ex= 
pected. 
Lord Cornwallis pro- 
‘ 
‘ 
if 
