Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-09-29
At YORKTOWN.
Louisville couricf-Journsi.

Louisville courierJouruaL
All patriots should go to Yorktown !;
but all patriots cannot afford the trip
and they must be content with reading
the telegraphc reports of the celebra-
ton of Corvallis surrender next
month.
The difficulty of getting to the old
village is great, for the nearest railroad
station is forty miles off and the his
toric ground can only be reached at
present with any degree of facility by
the steamers of which it is hoped
there will be sufficient number for
the august occasion. As there are
only about forty houses in Yorktown.
and the newly built hotels will accom-
mod~'- II 1900 persons, a large
number OF sat visitors will have 10
sleep on the steamers during the cele-
bratiOn or take their chances in the
800 tents the government is provid.
ing for the soldiers of the regular
army and the militia on the plains
There may not be any trouble OF that
score unless it rains, and we have been
led to believe, during the past four
months, that such an event is not very
probable. The government has made
arrangements for n good supply of
fresh water to be distributed by pipes
through the camp, and the Moore
house, where Charles. first Marquis
CORVALLIS, acceded to the articles of
capitulation, has been repaired and
handsomely fitted up. The Yorktown
people are said to have exhibited no
great excitement over the prepara.
tions. There will probably be 10000
soldiers Of the militia organizations of
the States on the ground. We observe
that an invitation has been extended
to the descendants of CORVALLIS. in
order to show that the last yesiige of
bitterness has departed 4hat the
exploitation of the distinguished Brit.
ish general in the Carulinas and in
Georgia is forgotten.
The Yorktown celebration is in
every sense of the word a national oc.
casion. Its memories are widely sep.
arated from those of the late civil
war They must serve "a n bond to
unite the Northern aud Southern peo.
pie more closely, for they point to
bloody fights aud charges against u
proud foe, in which Northern and
Southern men participated with mu.
tual enthusiasm and marched shoulder
to shoulder against the black -modthed
batteries and walls of shimmering
bayonets.
1t was in the middle of August,
1881, when the American and the
French began their combined move.
ment which terminated in the capture
of CORVALLIS army. This movement
had been substituted for an attack on
New York, which might not have
been successful. Washington ascer.
tained that the great French fleet un.
der the COmte DE Grasse was on the
South Atlantic coast, and having the
COmte De Lochambeau and his army
with him. he saw n tremendous blow
could be struck CORVALLIS by COM
bined naval and land attack. Moth.
ing could have been done without our
French allies.
People may say what they please
about the French motive for helping
us against England. France helped
Us out of bad scrape. That is enough.
If she had not helped us we would
have been subjects of Queen Victoria
to-day very likely. For, even after
the magnificent fighting of Greene
and Morgan in the South, which
weakened CORVALLIS terribly he might
have accomplished bis purpose of sub.
DUNG Virginia, had he not had the
French as well as the Americans to
fight on the peninsula. As il happen
ed, CORVALLIS got into a pocket. Sir
Henry Clinton had not the least idea
where Washington had gone when he
left the vicinity of New York until
that chieftain reached the Delaware
and it was too late. Washington
Knox, the artillerist; Lafayette, Ro.
chambeau and DE Grasse did the bus.
iness for CORVALLIS. The battles of
the revolution ended on October IS.
1881, although year previous there
did not appear very brilliant pros
pect of a triumph for the colonisters
CORVALLIS had been generally success
ful in the South was, In fact, very