The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-10-18
The YorktOwn Centennial.

Tomorrow, the 18th, will be the centen'
NAL Of the British surrender ut Yorktown
This surrender virtually achieved Amerl-
Gun independence. 1t was the most bril-
liant and effective event Of the war, Wasll'
ington showed his great qualities as u mil
itary man more in that capture than in
any occurrence Of the war 1t was blow
well conceived and successfully struck at a
great crisis in our revolutionary history. 1t
compelled the evacuation Of New York and
the abandonment OF the contest by the
British.
So impressed was the Continental Con-
gress with the grandeur and importance Of
the achievement that it passed resolution
n few days after the surrender authorizing
the erection OF monument on the spot to
commemorate the event. The monument,
however, was not then built. Time passed
on and the first flush OF enthusiasm passed
away, and it was not until June 7th, 1880,
that Congress passed tho resolution 0nd
appropriated the money that resulted in
the erection Of the monument that will bc
seen for the first time by thousands OF
American citizens tomorrow.
On the four sides Of the base Of the mon
umcnt are the following inscriptions:
NORTH.
Erected
In pursuance OI
A resolution Oi Congress- hpprOVel oClODtF ~,
md 'nun nnlFUKpu lime I. ISM
TO commemorate the Victory
by which
The Independence Ol the United States VI
America whs achieved.
EOuTII,
At Yorktown, on October ~. 1881,
After Siege Of nineteen days,
ny 900 AmSrlcap; 100 ,l ErSnsh Im@HiY oi
Gov. Thomas Nelson, aud 10 French
Ships Of the l.lnei
Earl COniwallIs,
Commander Oi the british ioHf. ut Yorktown ana
loacS;'cr s0rTGadsSd rS!dST,S !hS 1TmS r1on and
q standards
TO his EXCellrnCy, George washington,
Cnlnmanderin.ChIei 0f the combined forces Of
America aud France,
10 his ExCrlenry the COlntC lie R0ChainlHau. C0Ml'
mandng the Auxiliary troops Ol his
Christian Majesty In America,
And to his EXCrGTcy the COnte dc tirlSe,
Chief the Naval Army Of France In
the Chesapeake.
WET.
The Treaty
Concluded February q, IT'S,
Between the tinted States Oi America
And Louis XVI, King Oi France,
Declares
The essential aud direct end
or the present Defensive Alliance
Is to maintain effectively
Tho Liberty, Sovereignty and Independence,
Absolute nnh Unlimited,
Oi the Mld United States
Az well IN matters Of Government n Of commerce
EAST.
Articles Of Peace,
Concluded November 10, 1852,
aud the
Definite Treaty OI PcaCp,
Concluded scptGmlTr9 l7S.
between the United States Of America
nnd George ILL.,,
King Of Great Britain anu lrGnnu
Declares
Ills RtilannIc Majesty Acknowledges the Mil
'''' United StAtes-ylL:
ErW IIamIEhfC Massachusetts My,
UitDdc Island And irOvindcCc Plantations
Connecticut, New York, New lCrGy.
PENNSYLVANIA, Delaware, MGrylnnd, Virginia,
North Carolina. South CnnIII'" "nu Georgia.
Free and Sovereign and lndCpcndcnl States
The arrangementsat Yorktown for the nc
columodation Of visitors arc said to he yer!
unsatisfactory. There seems to have bcci
neither money enough nor II iudicious eil
ployment Of the means which tho commit
tee did have at its:disposal. There is, how
ever, one ConsOling reflection. The dis
comforts suffered by the visitors ut the eel
ebratiOn will not be nearly us great Hs thoS
suffered by Washington, Lafayette, stetl
ben and all the brave officers and men VIII
Ind to squat III the mud while beseIgin
Lord CORVALLIS Il hundred years age
This reflection Is especially ConSoling I
those who stay ut their comfortable home
while the celebration is going on. Perlap
4he actual visitors ut Yorktown do not nj
n.eri,In II On knnnly.