The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-10-20
YORKTOWN
fFnIm pAILY or Octoher lath

YORKTOWN.
Prom DAILY OF October 18th
To-day the president and members Of |
his cabinet, accompanied iy prOmi- |
nent officials from France and Ger |
many. as we'll az members Of both
branches OF congress. hundreds Of state
officials and Thousands Of citizens are
celebrating the hundredth anniversary Of
the surrender OF Yorktown. As mill
iary feat ofIo-day, that surrender would
be small affair, hut as insignificant a.
IL may seem IN Us now. Il was then an
event that decided The fate of independ-
ent selEgovernment for America. De
feat and encouragement had been the
fate Of the struggling cOlonjsts to such
an extent thai the cause of indie
Tendence looked almost hopeless.
The surrender OF CORVALLIS ~
Yorktown on the 18th day of DC
tober, 1881, proved To I've the break of
sunshine upon the cause which had seen
its darkest hour. Yorktown was the
death struggle between the contending
forces and marked the epoch which made
America an independent nation.
II may be of interest 10 the public 10
know that YORKTOWN has OnlJ about
1000 population. II is situated on York
river 10 miles from its mouth and 90
miles from Richmond. II Is chiefly
noted for the event described below. It
has n white and colored school, an Epis-
eobal and two cOIored Baptist churches.
Just previous TO the surrender Viz
GINA had been swept by two iavasions
from the British, and CORVALLIS
with his victorious army lad
marched triumphantly through her
borders. De Grasse. with his feet was
anchored in Chesapeake bay. Corn
wallis had In vain tried to enirap
@the boy" commander, and al length,
having utterly failded in his de-
signs. retired TO York and en-
trenched himself and awaited re-
Inducements from the north. aust at
this time." says wri'er in Scribner
for October. Providence directed the
French admiral to the Virginia coast.
and the American general, dnding him.
self suddenly possessed OF force such
rs lac had not hoped for in his widest
dreams, and knowing that he could
count on the new reinforcements for
only few weeks, determined to put his
fate 10 the test, and win if pos
sible, by q coup de main. With this
end in view, he withdrew from New
York and came down 10 Jersey, as If TO
get near his ovens, a move which mis-
led the British commander, who knew
that good meal was q sufficient induce
ment to carry the hungry American
troops farther than that. and did not
suspect the ultimate object until he
learned that Washington was well on
his way TO Virginia. In the last days of
September the colonial general arrived
fore the end of three weeks, the British
troops marched out with cased cOlors,
prisoners Of war. The details of the
surrender included an act of poetic retri-
button. When General LIncOln had,
not long before, surrendered at Charles
ton to CORVALLIS, the British marquis
appointed an inferior officer to receive
his sword; this affront General Wash
ington now properly avenged by ap-
pointing General Lincoln to receive
Corvallis sword"
Ia his intrenched position CORVALLIS
had about 4 600 soldiers. He was sup
ported by several frigates and smaller
vessels which were anchored in York
river. lie fortified the place by re-
doubts and batteries on the land side,
connected by line of intrenchments ex-
tending completely around the village,
and by a line CT Batteries along the
river. The place was further defended
by series of outworks, with redoubts
strengthened by abatis and field works
mounted with cannon. Gloucester Point.
ON the other side Of the river, was also
strongly fortified. In the latter part of
September the combined American and
French forces effected q junction with
Lafayette at Williamsburg, whence, I'M
der the command of Washington, they
marched, ON the 2Sth, to the investment
of Yorktown. The whole beseiging
force amounted to about 10000 men, of
whom 1000 were French and
the remainder continentals and
militia. The British abandoned
their bulwarks at the approach of the
allies and on the 30th the investment of
the town was completed. On October
9th the first parallel was established and
several heavy batteries opened with
great effect upon the enemy, dismOuni-
ing number of guns, and destroying on
the night of the 10Th irigate and three
large transports. On the 11th the sec
ond parallel was opened, but as the
working parties were greatly annoyed
by AN enfilading fire from two redOubts,
n bold and successful attack was made
upon them on the night of the 14th by
two detachments, one American and one
French, and the captured works were
included in the parallel. The French
loss in killed and wounded was nearly
| 100, that of the Americans was much
less. The position of CORVALLIS now
became exceedingly critical. Cut of
from receiving reinforcements, or nom
escaping by sea, by the presence OF the
French fleet of 81 ships under DeGrasse
in Chesapeak hay, he made a sOrtie on
the 10th which proved complete fail.
ure. On the 18th he proposed to capt.
ulate and the terms having been arrang-
cd, he surrendered ON the 18th his whole.
force, consisting of 7,247 regular troCps,
$40 sailors and 100 guns. The. total
British loss during the siege amounted
to more than $50.
when the British priEss Iaiptster re
ceived the intelligence g sAs, surrender,
he threw up his hAnasS exclaiming, My
God, il is all overN~ aqd it was all over,
for the crushing victory won by the par
~ OF freedose. practically settled the
struggle. America was tree. A hun,
dred yeaER have passed since that time,
and with natural pride the people Of
these United Stales are celebrating the
cePtennial anniversary of the grsaI event
which secured their independence Once
more The little sleepy Virginia town
which has for q century lain as is under
= spell, awakes with n staXA he, find itself
the center of interest"
In its session at Topeka the other
day, member of Ia GEand Lodge of I.
D. o. F. moved ~. wipe out the words
worthy" and sright worthy" when