liamsburg, on the 27th of September. On the next day, they marched to the investment of Yorktown, and that memorable siege was begun. Lafayette was no longer the Commander-in-chief of the army of Virginia. Gen. Washington took command in person and directed the siege. Count Rochambeau commanded the French, including the corps of St. Simon. One division of the American forces, including his brave army of Virginia, and two additional battalions of light infantry under Col. Hamilton, were placed under Lafayette, and the other division under Major General Lincoln, who had conducted the army from the north. The progress of the siege is thus stated by Count de Rochambeau in his Memoirs:

"On the 28th of September we left Williamsburg at day-break and advanced to York. I began with the French corps to invest it from York River to the marsh, near the house of Colonel Nelson, taking advantage of the woods, the rideaux, and the marshy creeks, so as to confine the enemy to within pistol-shot of their works. The three French brigades were encamped very near, but covered by the ground from the enemy's cannon. Viomesnil commanded the grenadiers and chasseurs of the vanguard, and our investing was effected without the loss of a single man. The same day Gen. Washington, at the head of the American corps, was obliged to double behind us, and to stop on the marshes, all the bridges over which were broken down. He employed the rest of the day and the night in repairing them. On the 29th the American army passed the marsh on which its left was posted, and its right on York River. The investing of the place was complete and as close as possible. The infantry of Lauzun having landed, marched under its colonel to join its cavalry, which I had sent by way of Tarre on the road to Gloucester, under the command of Brigadier-General Voneden, who commanded a corps of American militia. All the legion was united there on the 28th, the day on which York was invested.

"On the 30th, we had sent M. de Choisy to M. de Grasse to ask of him a detachment of the crews of his ships to re-enforce M. de Lauzun in the county of Gloucester. M. de Grasse gave him eight hundred men. On the 3d of October M. de Choisy went forward to invest Gloucester and take up a nearer position. Tarleton was on the spot with 400 cavalry and 200 infantry to forage. The legion of Lauzun, supported by a corps of American militia, attacked this detachment so impetuously that it broke it and obliged it to return into the place, with some loss. M. de Choisy, after this action, pushed his advanced post within a mile of Gloucester.

"The trenches were opened in the two attacks above and below York River, in the night of the 6th of October. That on the right was six or seven hundred toises in extent, and was flanked by four redoubts. It was made without any loss, because we began the work with that on the left, which, though it was only a false attack, at

tracted all the attention of the enemy. The strength of the English army which was invested, the character of the general who com. manded it, obliged us to conduct all these attacks with great order and precaution. This is the proper place to give due praise to MM. Portail and de Querenet, who conducted this siege at the head of the engineers, and to M. d'Aboville, and to General Knox commanding the artillery of the two nations. The American army took charge of the right of the trenches, the French of the centre and of the left. "I must do the Americans the justice to say, that they behaved with a degree of zeal, courage, and emulation, which never left them behind in all that they had undertaken, though they were unac. quainted with the operations of a siege.

"We set fire by our batteries to one of the enemy's men-of-war and to three transports, which had cast anchor, with the intention of taking our attacks in the rear.

"In the night of the 14th the trenches having been relieved by the regiments of Gatinais and Royal-Deux-Ponts, under the command of Baron Viomesnil, we resolved on the attack of the two redoubts on the enemy's left. General Washington appointed Lafayette to that on the right, and I appointed M. de Viomesnil to that on the left with the French. Four hundred grenadiers debouched at the head of this attack, under the command of Count William de DeuxPonts and of M. de l'Estrapade, lieutenant-colonel of the regiment of Gatinais. MM. de Viomesnil and Lafayette made so impetuous an attack that the redoubts were carried, sword in hand, at the same moment. The greater part of the men in them were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. A lodgement was made by joining these redoubts by a communication to the right of our second parallel, the ground on which they stood affording means of erecting new batteries which completed the blockade of the army of Cornwallis, and threw balls a ricochet into the whole of the interior of the place, at a distance which could not fail to do much damage. The Count de Deux-Ponts was wounded, and also Charles de Lameth, the adjutant-general, and M. de Gimat, aid.de.camp to Lafayette,"

[Lafayette relates, that previous to the assault on the redoubts being commenced, the Baron de Viomesnil had expressed, in a somewhat boastful manner, the opinion he had of the superiority of the French in an attack of that kind; Lafayette, a little piqued at this seeming reflection upon the Americans, replied: "We are but young soldiers, and have but one sort of tactic on such occasions, which is, to discharge our muskets, and push on straight with the bayonet." He then led on the American troops, of whom he gave the command to Colonel Hamilton, with the Colonels Laurens and Gimat under him. The American troops carried the redoubt in a very few minutes at the point of the bayonet. As the enemy's firing continued in the redoubt, assailed by the French, Lafayette sent an aid-de-camp to the

C

CAPITULATION AT YORKTOWN-GEN. O'HARA DELIVERING HIS SWORD TO GEN. WASHINGTON, IN PRESENCE OF GENERALS ROCHAMBEAU AND LAFAYETTE, AND THE STAFF OF THE ALLIED ARMIES.

Baron, to tell him that he (Lafayette,) had carried his redoubt, and to ask, whether, he (Viomesnil,) did not require aid from the Americans? "Tell Lafayette," said Viomesnil, "that I have not yet carried my redoubt, but shall do so in five minutes." He made his words good.]

"In the night of the 15th the enemy made a sally with 800 chosen men. He met with resistance at all our redoubts, and took possession of a battery of the second parallel, where he spiked four guns. The Chevalier de Chastellux marched against the enemy with his reserve, and repulsed this saily. The four guns being badly spiked, were rendered serviceable six hours afterwards by the care of General d'Aboville, commander of our artillery. The Marquis de St. Simon was wounded in the trenches on the following day, and not wishing to be relieved, finished his twenty-four hours of duty.

"At last, on the 17th, the enemy commenced a parley, and the capitulation was signed on the 19th of October, by which Lord Cornwal lis and his army were made prisoners of war. The Americans and French took possession at noon of two bastions. The garrison de filed at two o'clock between the two armies, with drums beating, carrying their arms, which they afterwards piled with twenty pair of colors. Lord Cornwallis being ill, General O'Hara defiled at the head of the garrison. When he came up he presented his sword to me. I pointed to General Washington, who was opposite me at the head of the American army, and told him that the French army be. ing auxiliaries on the continent, it was the American general who was to signify his orders to him.

"Colonel Laurens, Viscount Noailles, and M. de Granchain had been appointed by their respective generals to draw up the articles of this capitulation, together with some superior officers of the army of Lord Cornwallis. It was signed by General Washington, the Count de Rochambeau, and M. de Barras, as representative of Count de Grasse, and immediately carried into execution. We found 8,000 prisoners, of whom 7,000 were regular troops, and 1,000 sailors; 214 pieces of cannon, of which 75 were of brass, and 22 pair of colors. Among the prisoners, there were at least 2,000 in the hospitals, of whom the greatest care was taken. All the rest were sent into the interior of the country."

Count Dumas, who conducted the capitulation on the part of the French general, states: "The garrison defiled between the two lines, beyond which I caused them to form in order of battle, and pile their arms. The English officers manifested the most bitter mortification, and I remember that Colonel Abercrombie, of the English guards, (the same who afterwards perished in Egypt, on the field of battle, where he had just triumphed.) at the moment when his troops laid down their arms, withdrew rapidly, covering his face and biting his sword." It was indeed a result hu