1781.

Sept.

30.

York Town juft before fun fet.

The officers and fol

diers were ordered to lie on their arms the whole night. On the 30th, col. Scammell (being officer of the day) in approaching the enemy's outer works, to fee if they had really left them, was mortally wounded and taken prifoner by a party of the enemy's horfe, which lay fecreted. This day lord Cornwallis was closely invested in York Town. The French extended from the river above the town to a morafs in the centre, where they were met by the Americans, who occupied the oppofite fide from the river to that spot. The poft at Gloucester Point was, at the fame time, invested by the duke de Lauzun with his legion, and a number of Virginia militia under gen. Weedon.

Before the troops left Williamsburgh, Washington received a letter from de Graffe, informing him, that in cafe of the appearance of a British fleet, the count conceived it to be his duty to go out and meet them at fea, instead of fighting in a confined fituation. This information exceedingly alarmed the general, who inftantly faw the probability of the British fleet's manoeuvring in fuch manner, as to reinforce or withdraw lord Cornwallis. To prevent a meafure pregnant with fo much evil, his excellency wrote to the count on the 26th I am unable to defcribe the painful anxiety. under which I have labored fince the reception of your letter of the 23d inftant. It obliges me warmly to urge a perfeverance in the plan agreed upon. The attempt upoh York, under the protection of your shipping, is as certain of fuccefs as a fuperior force and a fuperiority of measures can render any military operation. The capture of the British army is a matter fo important in

itself and in its confequences, that it must greatly tend
to bring an end to the war.-If your excellency quits
the Bay, an accefs is open to relieve York, of which
the enemy will inftantly avail themfelves. The confe-
quence of this will be, not only the difgrace, but the
probable disbanding of the whole army; for the prefent
feat of war being fuch, as abfolutely precludes the use
of
waggons, from the great number of large rivers.
which interfect the country, there will be a total want of
provifions. This province has been fo exhaufted, that
fubfiftence must be drawn from a diftance, and that can
only be done by a fuperior fleet in the Bay. I earnestly
beg your excellency to confider, that if by moving your
fleet from the fituation agreed upon, we lose the present
opportunity, we shall never hereafter have it in our
power to strike fo decifive a stroke, and the period of an
honorable peace will be further diftant than ever.-
Suppofing the force, faid to have arrived under adm ̧
Digby, to be true, their whole force united cannot be
fuch as to give them any hope of fuccefs in the attack-
ing your fleet.—I am to prefs your excellency to perfe-
vere in the scheme fo happily concerted between us.
Permit me to add, that the abfence of your fleet from
the Bay may fruftrate our defign upon the garrifon at
York. For, in the prefent fituation, lord Cornwallis
might evacuate the place with the lofs of his artillery,
baggage, and a few men-facrifices, which would be
highly justifiable, from the defire of faving the body of
the army. The marquis de la Fayette carries this. He
is not to pass the Cape for fear of accident, in case you
fhould be at fea." This letter, with the marquis's per-
fuafions, had the defired effect; and the fame hour

when

1781.

1781. when the combined army appeared before York Town, the French fleet was brought to the mouth of York river, and by their position effectually covered all fubsequent military operations, and prevented either the retreat or fuccour of lord Cornwallis's army by water. The posts of York and Gloucester were the most favorable of any in the country for befieging the British, and preventing their efcape, when the fiege was fupported by a fuperior land and naval force.

Lord Cornwallis was fufficiently ftrong for fighting the marquis de la Fayette, even after he had been joined by St. Simon; and is thought to have been mistaken in not engaging them either feparately or together. The moment he heard that the allied troops were at the Head of Elk, and that de Graffe was arrived with fo powerful a fleet at the Chesapeak, his lordship should have pushed off for Charlestown. Therefore it was that gen. Greene wrote to baron Steuben on the 17th"Nothing can fave Cornwallis but a rapid retreat through North Carolina to Charlestown." His lordship's conduct was influenced by an expectation of a reinforcement from Sir Henry Clinton, and a full perfuafion that thofe exertions would be made at New York, and fuch a naval ftrength would arrive from thence in time, as would effectually relieve him. This may be gathered from his writing on the 16th-" If I had no hopes of relief, I would rather risk an action than defend my half-finished works. But as you say, adm. Digby is hourly expected, and have promifed exertions to affift me, I do not think myself justifiable in putting the fate of the war upon fo defperate an attempt." He must have meant that of fighting Fayette and St. Simon, for

the

the troops of Washington and Rochambeau did not 1781. arrive till afterward. Fayette had taken a strong pofition: but the attempt would not have appeared so defperate to his lordship, had he known the real number of the enemy.

6.

The trenches were opened by the combined armies on Qa. the 6th of October, at 600 yards diftance from Cornwallis's works. The night being dark and rainy was well adapted to the fervice, in which there was not a man hurt. In the afternoon of the 9th, the redoubts and batteries being completed, a general discharge of 24 and 18 pounders and of 10 inch mortars commenced by the Americans on the right, and continued all night without intermiffion. The next morning, the French opened their batteries on the left, and a tremendous roar of cannon and mortars was continued for 6 or 8 hours without ceafing. There was an inceffant fire through the fucceeding night. By one of the French fhells, the Charon of 44 guns and a tranfport fhip were fet on fire and burnt. The following morning, the enemy's other guard fhip was fired by one of the American fhells and confumed. At night, the befiegers opened their fecond parallel, 200 yards from the works of the befieged. The Americans had 3 men killed and I wounded by a French cannon, which fired too low. On the 14th in the evening, an American battalion was ordered into the second parallel, and to begin a large battery in advance on the right. A few minutes before they began to break ground, the enemy kept a conftant fire upon them: one of their fhells burft in the centre of the battalion, and killed a captain and I private, and wounded a fecond. The fire of the befieged was very great

II.

1781, through the night; and it was thought that the besiegers loft as many men within 24 hours at this period, as they had done nearly the whole fiege before.

Two redoubts, which were advanced about 200 yards on the left of the British, greatly impeded the progrefs of the combined armies. An attack on these was therefore proposed.-To excite a spirit of emulation the re duction of the one was committed to the French, of the other to the Americans. The light infantry of the latter were commanded by the marquis de la Fayette; and the fervice was allotted to a felect corps. The marquis faid to gen. Washington-" The troops fhould retaliate on the British, for the cruelties they have practised." The general answered-" You have full command, and 14. may order as you pleafe." The marquis ordered the party to remember New London, and to retaliate, by putting the men in the redoubt to the fword after having carried it. The men marched to the affault with unloaded arms, at dark on the night of the 14th, paffed the abbatis and palifades, and attacking on all fides carried the redoubt in a few minutes, with the lofs of 8 killed and 28 wounded*. Lieut. col. Laurens perfonally took the commanding officer. The colonel's humanity and that of the Americans fo overcame their refentments, that they spared the British. When bringing them off as prifoners, they faid among themselves

"Why! how is this? We were ordered to put them to death." Being afked by others why they had not

*

Major Gibbs, the commander of the men that formed the guards for Washington's perfon, received a small contufion in his leg by a grape fhot. His manufcripts of the tranfactions before, at and after the fiege, are often used in this narrative.

:

done