The Russellville Democrat., 1881-10-27

 saint.simon occupying the trenches as the works advanced
 At five o'clock on the afternoon of October 9th the American battery on the right of the line opened fire General Washington himself firing the first gun at the enemys works The can non ade was kept up steadily all night long. Early the next morning the French battery on the left began hnrllng missiles into the Deleagured town. As the day wore on two more batteries on each wing of the army joined. The fire became SO eX- cessivcly heavy that Cornwallis drew in his can non from his embrasures, and virtually ceased to reply to the terrible cannonade of his allies. The shot and shell tore through the works and carried desOlation through the town. They even went be- yond, and q red-hot shot OF shell set fire to the ffigate CharOn and three transports that lay in the river, and, in spite of all efforts to save them they lit up the scene with their flames till naught remained but floating fragments The other British vessels sought in haste the Glouces- ter shore to get out of range of the French guns more, fired even there. That night was clear and bright and the spectacle was a sublime one, that few who witnessed it ever forgot
 on the night of the llth the combined armies ran second parallel within three hundred yards ol the British lines. As before the work was done so skillully and silently thatthe English, uncon- sciOus of their operations, made no attack on the working parties. To complete these works 1t was now necessary to capture the two advanced English redoubts which commanded the new line The artillery played upon them incoSsantly, and breaches were at last made. The moment was come for real fighting, and the greatest emulation existed i'll the French and American armies it'A'N~'N allies.
 The redoubt on the right near York River, was garrisoned by forty-nve men, and the capture of this was assigned to General Lafayette, who or dered Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton to take it. That on the left. manaed by about hundred and fifty men, was assigned 10 Count William de Deux Fonts.
 six shells gave the signal. Colonel Hamilton, with his own and Lieutenant Colonel Gimat's battalion, dashed forward without firing gun, while Colonel Laurens struck for the rear to in, tercept the euemys retreat Almost smultan- eOusy the troops entered the redoubtS from diff ferent sides. Lieutenant Mansfield as he entered in front m the van, received a bayonet wound: Captain O,nCy, gaining the parRpet over palisadc and abatis, was twice wounded by bayonet thrusts, but formed hi, men; Laurens not only entered the works, but received the sword of the British Major Campbell, who surrendered as a prisoner. The garrison yielded with a loss of only eight, and the triumph of the Americans was stained by no cruelty.
 As the French pressed on to assault the redoubt before them, a German sentry hailed A brisk fire followed, but the disciplined soldiers pushed on to the palisades and abatis where they halted like statues till the axes had opened a way, with a rush they were up the works Charles de lNmeth in the van fecelNed musket ball in each knee Rs he mounted the parapCt With shout of "Nivc lc Roi,' Count de DeuN Fonts bounded into the redOubts his men beside him re-eehoing his shout. Captain de Sireuill, as he uttered the expression of fidelity To his sovereign, receiving q third wound and falling dead. In six minutes the rcdOubt was captured and manned, but one hundred of the gallant stormiug party were killed or wounded This splendid fcat of arms won a proud honor for the Gatiuoi, Regiment which received the designation of "Royal Auvergne'
 These redoubts were at once included in the sieee-works COrnwHllis made one effort against the hesiegers, who had scarcely anticipated any operation Of an onenslYe character but just be- fore break of day on the l6,h a British sortie of three hundred and fifty men, led by Lord Aber- crombic carried part of the second parallel. They hastily spiked six guns, but retrea ed before the besiegers could open on them. The spikes were soon extracted and the second line of the siege
 Ia 1n safT..a Nelson pointed one Of the heaviest guns against his own house which formed a strong position in the English lines, and which stands to our day in spite of the baterlug it received from ts patT otic owner. Cgrnwalltss position was now a desperate one His hastily erected works were crumbling away, his guns dismountedNpr sicuccd, and his ammunition noarlyeXhausted. Clintuus folly in advising him 10 abandon Portsmouth for Yorktown now became apparent only one bold resource was lelt To cross silently to Gloucester, cvRcuating Yorktown while keeping up show Of resiStcnce oyerpOWer the force under General Choisv and abandoning his sick and wounded with an baggage, uuistrip the allied armies by 8 forced march northw8rd, living on the country uu Clinton could send out tO meet and save him. He acted promptly, and threw one detachment across the river but such a violent storm came on that the soldiers could not land. COrnWalus bowed his head to fate, When day came he re called the few troops who had reached tilOuCes- fer a nd at ten o'clock while the allied guns were still brisky served, he beat barley aud a cessa- ion of hOstilitcs Co negotiate the equalization of the posts of York and Gloucester, the English 
 names thus familiar in English history. After am exchange of letters NiscOunt NOailes and Lieu teuantC5l5nel John Laurens met Colonel Dundas and Major Ross 2t Mrs M0ores house, on the right 0fthe American lines, in order to settle the terms The could moi agree, Then Washington drafted terms which he sent to Lord Cornwallls, reuucsting that they should be signed by eleven o'clock on the 10th, aud that the garrison should be ready to mRrCh within three hours Lord Cornwalis seeing it useless to hope for better terms yielded. The articles were tue same as those which Clinton bad imposed on General Lincoln at Charleston. All the troops were to be prisoners of war all public property was Co be delivered up. Runaway slaves and the plunder talked by officers and soldiers as they marched through the country might be reclaimed by their owners and under this clause FarletOn had Co dis mount from D splendid horse hc had taken from a Virginia gentleman stable. The private prop er.y oi the British officers and soldiers was to De respected Lord C0rnwHllis was allowed Co send off packet with dispatches and secretly put on board persons who would be most obnoxious Co the outraged people of the south,
 Lord COrnwuilis had lost three hundred and fifty men during the siege, Seven thousand two hundred and tortyseyen the very flower of the Bhhsh regular troops with eight hundred and forty sailors thus surrendered
 The last act of the drama was enacted at four o'clock on the afternoon Of tho 10th Of October