Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month October 1781
By Compatriot Andrew Andy Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR
The Virginia military strength at the end of September, 1781, was American Commander-in-Chief General George Washington with a total of 8,845 men and General Rochambeau with 7,800 plus the combined fleets of de Barras and de Grasse blockading the Chesapeake. British General Charles Earl Cornwallis had a round figure of 6,000 men and could possibly be supported by his Commander-in-Chief General Sir Henry Clinton with his 14,000 men plus the Royal Navy in the New York area.
At daybreak on September 28th the French and American forces departed Williamsburg for Yorktown, a march of perhaps 12 miles as the crow flies. There was no interference by the British who remained in their considerable defenses of trenches and redoubts. Nightfall saw the French and Americans in charge of the land area facing the curving British defenses around Yorktown and the French fleet firmly in support of the sea approach.
With an opposing force of almost 17,000, Cornwallis was trapped unless he could escape by land by ferrying his troops to Gloucester Point, then on to New York. He also maintained hope of receiving reinforcements by sea if the Royal Navy could break the French blockade.
With the allied force in place, the digging of trenches and establishment of artillery emplacements was necessary to counter the British defenses. This process was measurably improved by the retirement during the night of September 29th by the British from most of their outer defenses. On September 30th, the allies were surprised to find their enemy retired into the more defensible town allowing them to not only to move forward but to occupy the defenses constructed by Cornwallis. The defenses were improved and made more accessible for the benefit of the offensive force.
Unfortunately, during the occupation of the abandoned British defenses, a reconnaissance team was captured by members of British Colonel Banastre Tarleton’s Legion. After being taken captive the detachment commander, a highly regarded officer, Colonel Alexander Scammell, was executed by a shot in the back, by one of Tarleton’s men. Considering the record of unwarranted brutality and murder of unarmed and captive Americans by Tarleton and his troops, it is easy to understand the hatred that was felt by American troops for both the man and his soldiers and the difficulty officers had to prevent retribution when a member of Tarleton’s Legion was captured.
The reasoning of Cornwallis for withdrawing from the outer defenses came from a message dated September 24th from Clinton informing him that over 5,000 men would be brought by the Royal Navy for his defense. Cornwallis, who was losing men at a greater rate than the allies, withdrew into the town to conserve his men and efforts for the coming relief expedition. Apparently there has been much controversy (after the fact) regarding his decision. It is easy at a later date to second-guess a commander regarding his actions; it is another thing to have to make the decision on the spot and under fire. At any rate, his actions must not have been seen as a mistake by his superiors as there is no indication of his being held accountable or reprimanded for his decision to retire into Yorktown.
There was much hammering of both defensive positions by artillery with the British suffering the most. Two British frigates and three large transports trapped in the York River by the French fleet were bombarded by French shore batteries resulting in the setting fire and burning of one the frigates and two of the transports. There were sallies made on the entrenchments by both sides. While bloody, nothing decisive occurred.
Cornwallis, concerned about his backdoor at Gloucester Point, sent Lt. Colonel Dundas (infantry), Tarleton’s Legion and Simcoe’s Rangers to protect that position. To oppose this force, French General the Marquis de Choisy was chosen to lead a force to contain the British at Gloucester Point. Choisy with Duc de Lauzan and his 300 man Legion of cavalry, 800 French Marines and a brigade of Virginia militia then went by land to fortify and prevent a British breakout. Lauzan’s Legion was unique, consisting of 300 battle hardened and fearsome men, most of whom were Polish Lancers, the remainder being Irishmen armed with a curved sword on the order of the Turkish scimitar.
On October 3rd, British Colonel Dundas with most of his 1,500 man brigade, accompanied by Simcoe’s Rangers and Tarleton’s Legion, embarked on a foraging expedition from Gloucester Point. Returning with wagons loaded, their rear guard was met by de Choisy as he was moving his troops into position near the British fortifications. A hot fight ensued between Tarleton and de Lauzun and their Legions. There was much confusion, and if in the melee Tarleton’s horse had not gone down, the two leaders would have met in combat. Finding a remount Tarleton quickly pulled his men behind a unit of infantry and called for a general retreat to regroup. He then attempted to renew the fight but was checked by a company of the Virginia militia who had arrived on the scene. After the incident Choisy dug in and completed counter fortifications to the British, holding that position and containing the British at Gloucester Point until the surrender of Yorktown.
By October 6th, the allies were fully in control. Cornwallis was locked into Yorktown and Gloucester Point. However, he still maintained control of the York River in the area between Yorktown and Gloucester point. Big siege guns were brought overland from the James River and pounded Cornwallis even more. It was an uneven cannon duel between the two forces until October 14th when the allied cannon fire ceased to allow an assault by both American and French troops on two British redoubts which they carried by a bayonet charge. The next day Cornwallis wrote to Clinton that the situation was so perilous that he doubted that it would be possible for any reinforcements to succor them. The lines were pushed ever closer by the infantry, followed by the big guns who continued to pound Yorktown into rubble. There were no decisive engagements at Gloucester Point, but the siege at that location was so tight that horses were being put down due to starvation.
On the morning of the 17th, at least a hundred allied cannon were making the ground tremble with little or no return fire from the British. At about 10 a.m., a British drummer boy appeared on a high point drumming out a call to parley. His message was followed by the appearance of an officer with a white flag. General Washington was in Williamsburg writing letters when an aide brought him a message from Cornwallis proposing a stand-down for 24 hours to arrange terms for the surrender of Yorktown and Gloucester point.
Washington’s reply was instantaneous. There would be no discussion of the terms of the surrender. They would be precisely the same as those so haughtily inflicted on the Americans at Charleston. Acceptance of the terms must be made prior to the end of the 24 hour cease fire or the bombardment would resume without further notice.
The terms were accepted. There was no alternative other than complete destruction of Yorktown and all within it. On October 18th, representatives of the two forces met and went through the formality of drawing up the terms of surrender. On the morning of October 19th, the Articles of Surrender were signed. At 2 p.m. the British force marched out between two lines formed by the French on one side and the Americans on the other. In compliance with the terms of surrender and just as humiliating as had been the surrender to Cornwallis at Charleston; the units had their colors furled and the band playing an old tune "The World Turned Upside Down."
Unlike American General Benjamin Lincoln who at Charleston was required to personally surrender his sword, Cornwallis pleaded sickness and sent General O’Hara as his proxy. O’Hara, avoiding surrendering his sword to Washington first offered his sword to the French but was refused, next he offered it to American officers who also refused to accept it as the formality of surrender. Finally he offered it to Washington who also refused to accept it.
If Cornwallis did not have the decency to personally accept responsibility as the commanding officer and submit his sword in person, then Washington could not receive the sword of a subordinate. He then authorized General Lincoln who had been submitted to the insult of handing over his sword at Charleston to receive O’Hara’s sword as acknowledgement of surrender. Once the transfer was made and the surrender formalized, Lincoln immediately returned O’Hara’s sword. The British prisoners were returned to Yorktown prior to some being sent to Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley; others were sent to Frederick, Maryland. The only Briton to enjoy his evening meal that night was General O’Hara who as a military courtesy was invited to dine with Washington, Rochambeau, and their staff officers. The entire assembly was impressed by General O'Hara for his poise and dignity despite downfall of the British army.
While it was a great victory yielding more than 7,000 soldiers, over 800 seamen along with many cannon, rifles, ammunition and all the supplies of the defeated enemy, it was not greeted with much acclaim. Today, we see it as being the end of the war; to the Americans it meant only a continuation with thousands of British soldiers garrisoned from Canada to Savannah. With the surrender, De Grasse embarked his soldiers and sailed for the West Indies. Britain was again the master of the sea.
While nothing actually occurred from it, Clinton considered a strike to take Philadelphia. Generals Washington and Rochambeau, on the best of terms and collaborating closely since the arrival of the French army in the New York area were now concerned with the subjection of the remaining British held cities. Fortunately, Clinton was replaced by Sir Guy Carlton who gave up Charleston and Savannah. Even though the military threat remained, efforts were under way to effect a peace treaty. It was April of 1783 before the peace treaty became a reality. Still, Carlton remained in New York, it would be December of that year before the last British soldier and last British warship would leave the city and an American army commanded by Henry Knox would invest the city. On the 4th of December, hard on the heels of the departing British, Washington’s officers gathered at Fraunce’s Tavern in New York City to hear their commander give his farewell address. His military duties over, he would for a short time return to Mount Vernon and the life of a country gentlemen until he was called upon to become the first president of the new republic of the United States.
References: Christopher Ward's "The War of the Revolution"; Bruce Lancaster's "The American Revolution"; Dan Higginbotham’s "The War of American Independence"; Arthur Meier Schlesinger's"The Almanac of American History"; James Thomas Lender"George Washington, The Indispensable Man"; Encyclopedia Britannica; "The Revolutionary Years".
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