Cornwallis Offers Surrender: Yorktown Victory Sealed
Cornwallis sent a white flag to Washington's lines on October 17, 1781, requesting terms for surrender. The British army at Yorktown had been under siege for three weeks. French and American artillery had reduced their fortifications to rubble. The Royal Navy had been defeated offshore at the Battle of the Chesapeake, cutting off any hope of relief or evacuation. Cornwallis's 7,000 troops were out of food, ammunition, and options. The formal surrender ceremony took place on October 19. Cornwallis didn't attend, claiming illness, and sent his second-in-command, General Charles O'Hara, to hand over the sword. British musicians reportedly played 'The World Turned Upside Down.' The war continued for another two years in scattered engagements, but both sides understood Yorktown had decided the outcome.
October 17, 1781
245 years ago
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