The National tribune., 1881-10-22

out any incident worth noting. At night the
troops encamped within mile and a half of the
enemy's position, and the following morning they
advanced still nearer and had several skirmishes
CORVALLIS now evacuated his outworks, much to
! the surprise of the allies, but as he claimed, in
consequence of information from Sir Henry Gin
ton that renforcements would be sent on October
5-intormation which determined him to save all
his strength until they arrived.
! The allied army now began q regular siege.
The French took possession on the left from the
| river, and the Americans on the right thus form
| ing semi-circle. The American wing consisted
of three divisions of two brigades each of CONT
nentals-abOut 5000 men altogether of
| 1000 Virginia militia. The division command
ers were Lincoln, Lafayette, and Steuben La
| fayette's division held the extreme right of the
| line. General Muhlenberg commanded the first
! brigade, General Hazen the second. Steuben's
| Brigadiers We're wayne and Gist, and Lincoln's
James Clinton and Dayton. The French cOntin-
gent consisted of seven regiments called by the
names of Bourbonnaise, Deuxponts, Soissonais
Saitogne, Agenos, Touraine, and Gatenois, di-
vided into three brigades commanded by Baron
Viomenil, Viscount Viomenl, and Marquis St
beseging force numbering all told about Is 900
men-7,0OO French and 5000 American. The
French fleet lying in the harbor numbered thirty
seven sail.
| Washington established his headquarters about
| the middle of the investing line two and a half
miles back from the intrenchments The first
week of October was taken up entirely with the
making of the necessary appliances used in siege
works. One the evening of the 9th of the month
! operations began in earnest, however Digging
was kept up all night and by daylight good
| sized trench had been excavated. From this time
on the life of the heseged was not pleasan one
The fire of the besiegers was so we'll directed that
by the 18th the British guns were nearly all 81
fenced. CORVALLIS had established his head
quarters in the fine mansion of Mr.. Nelson, for
merly secretary of Virginia, but he left it on the
10th, and the story goes that he sought refuge in
what is still called "COrnwallis's cave Latay-
cites headquarters were on the left of his line
and not far from the road to Hampton
The most heroic fighting Of the siege was seen
on the night of October Il. There were two outer
redOubts held by the British near the river and
these it decided to take by storm About
400 men were told off from Latayette's division
to take one OF these, and an equal number from
the French regiments of Gatenois and DeuXponts
to take the other. twas bravely done on both sides
| In less than half an hour, and now the British
position was practically untenable. 4 sortie was
made for the purposesof destroying some unfin-
ished batteries, but it failed of its objects and
CORVALLIS realized his extreme danger He
tried on the night Of the 10Th to gain the oppo-
site side of the river, but storm which came on
at midnight frustrated his design
At last, at ten o'clock on the morning of the
18th, relocated drummer sounded parley, and
an officer who accompanied him waved q white
handkerchief. The officer was met and blind
folded and conducted to the rear of the American
lines. His message from CORVALLIS was that
hostilities be suspended for twenty-four hours,
and commissioners appointed to arrange the terms
OF surrender. WashingtOn's reply was that he
would rather have the British commanders pro-
posas in writing first, and 70 secure them agreed
to cease firing for two hours. Before the two
hours had expired CORVALLIS had offered to ca
ptulate on condition that his troops be sent back
TO England under parole not to serve again dur
ing the war against either France or America
unless they were regularly exchanged. This was
rejected at once and the messenger sent back
with Washington's ultimatum that the British
army be surrendered as prisoners of war on the
same terms as the Americans surrendered at
Charleston, in the previous year CORVALLIS ac-
ceded to this, and the next day, the 18th, the
commissioners met TO formally ratity the terms.
The meeting was held in the Moore House, on
the bank OF the York river, short distance be
hind the American lines. The articles of surren-
der were fourteen in number and were submitted
to CORVALLIS at daylight, on the 18th, accompa-
MED by a note from Washington, intimating that
he expected them to be signed before eleven
o'clock, and that the troops would march out and
Law down their arms at two III the afternoon.
Washingtons request was complied with At
two O'Clock sharp the army of CORVALLIS march
ed cut. The. march was along the Hampton road.
on the right OF which they found the americans
drawn mp III their buff and blue uniforms rather
the verse ioT wear, and On the left were the
French in the clean white affected by the armies
of the Bourbon kings. The British had dOnned
their best scarlet, and their band played an old
march called The World Turned Upside Down"
The next step was the groundfug.of arms by
the surrendered troops. They marched the entire
length OF the Franco-AmeriCan lines-abOnt u
meto a field the right, where 81 squadron
each regiment marched and deposited their guns