It’s common knowledge that Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ended the Revolutionary War — but what happened to the British general after that humiliating defeat?
According to the Library of Virginia, the Siege of Yorktown — which turned out to be the final major military engagement of the Revolutionary War — took place in the autumn of 1781.
‘He refused, however, to surrender in person and delegated the humiliating duty to his second in command.’
The British Army and its commanding general, Charles Cornwallis, were headquartered in the coastal Virginia town.
However, a French fleet under the command of Admiral François-Joseph-Paul de Grasse drove a British fleet from the Capes of Virginia, which made it impossible for Cornwallis to receive supplies and reinforcements, the Library of Virginia said.
American Gen. George Washington led his army from New York to Virginia, and — along with a large French and American army under Comte de Rochambeau — Washington laid siege to the British at Yorktown, the Library of Virginia said, adding that those forces joined the Marquis de Lafayette, who was commanding an American army that had been fighting the British in Virginia for six months.
More from the Library of Virginia:
The siege began on October 6, 1781, as the Americans and French formed a semicircle outside of the town and began an artillery bombardment. A successful storming of two British redoubts, or small temporary defensive enclosures, convinced Cornwallis that his position was untenable, and he surrendered his army to the combined American and French forces on October 19. He refused, however, to surrender in person and delegated the humiliating duty to his second in command. Washington consequently directed his second in command to receive the surrender.
Below is one of several famed clips from Mel Gibson’s starring Hollywood turn in “The Patriot” depicting Cornwallis’ disbelief that an army of “peasants” actually had defeated him:
RELATED: BREAKING: Cornwallis surrenders in Yorktown; end of war may be in sight
Nine days after his surrender, Cornwallis signed a parole document, the Library of Virginia said; under its terms, Cornwallis was allowed to leave Virginia and return to Great Britain on the condition that he would engage in no further military action against the United States.
However, Cornwallis’ army remained in the U.S. as prisoners of war until they were exchanged or paroled, the Library of Virginia said, adding that Cornwallis — “an able military commander” — was “received warmly in England and served as governor-general of India from 1786 until his death in 1805.”
The Library of Virginia noted that a formal peace treaty ended the Revolutionary War nearly two years after Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, and King George III recognized the independence of the United States of America.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
