Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-07-27
YORKTOWN.
MANNER or THR SURRENDER,

At noon Of tie 10th OF October, 1881,
YorktOwD changed hands, Two re'
doubts on the left Of the enemy's works
were at that hour taken possession OF
by deiaehments of the allied army, Col,
ilichard Butler commanded the Ameri'
can and the Marquis Laval the French
party, each Of one hundred men, AT
two o'clock We reach the closing scene,
The army Of CORVALLIS marched out ~
prisoners Of war, grounded their arms,
and then marched back. Accounts
agree IN describing tho display and
ceremony on the occasion as quite I'm
posing, The British appeared In new
uniforms. distributed among them few
days before, nd II only required the
flying OF their standards TO give their
march the effect OF q holiday parade,
hut their colors were cased, and they
were prohibited from playing either q
Fren Il or an American tune, This was
the return ola eompliment,a piece OF JUS
iifable and poetic retaliation on tho
part Of the Americans for what the enc
my were pleased to command when Gen,
Lincoln was compelled to surrender at
Charleston the year before, The matter
came up at the meeting OF the commis.
Sioncrs, "This Ia q harsh article" said
Ross TO LauronS,
(Which articlo2" answered the latter,
"rhe troops shall march out, with
color cased, aud drums beating Brit
ish or German march"
"Ycs sir," returned Laurens, with q
touch Of sang iroid, ut Is q harsh arti'
cle."
"Then," said Ross, III that Is your
opinion, why IL II herep'
Whorcupon Laurons, who had been
made prisoner at Charleston with Lin
coins army, proceeded TO remind Ross
that tho Americans on that occasion had
made brave defence, but were ungal'
lantly refused any honors OF surrender
other than to march out with colors
casod and drums not beating British
or q German march.
"But," iejoined Ross, "my Lord
CORVALLIS did not command at Charles
on
"Therc, SIR said Laurens, 'you OK
tort another observation. II is not tho
individual that is here considered 1t is
tho nation. This remains IN article, or
! cease TO be commissioner.
Nothing more was TO be said tho ar.
ticle stood, and tho enemy marched out
with colors cased, while the tune they
chose to follow was an old British
march with the quite appropriate title
OF "The World Turned Upside Down."
As the prisoners moved out OF their
works along the Hampton Road, they
found tho French and American armies
drawn up on either side Of the way, the
Americans on their right, and extending
for more than mile toward the field of
surrender. The French troops presented
brilliant spectacle in their white uni
forms, with plumed and decorated Off
GERS at their head, and gorgeous stand
ards of white silk, embroidered with
golden feur-de-lis, floating along the
line. The Americans were less of an
attraction in outward appearance, but
not the less eagerly eyed by their late
antagonists. Among the war-won Con
tinentals there was variety of dress,
poor at the best, distinguishing the men
of the different lines; but, to compen-
safe for lack of show, there was SOL
dierly bearing about them which com
manded attention. The militia formed
in their rear presented less martial
sight, so far as clothing and order was
concerned. But all these men were con-
querors, and their very appearance
bespoke the. hardships and privation
they and their States had undergone to
win in the struggle. At the head of the
respective lines were the commanding
generals, nobly Washington,
Rochambeau, Lafayette, Lincoln, Steu-
ben, Knox, and the rest. Leading the
British came Gen. O'Hara, instead of
CORVALLIS. The latter pleaded illness,
but he sent his sword by O'Hara to be
given up to Washington. As O'Han
advanced to the chief, he was referred to
Lincoln, who, upon receiving the sword
as token of the enemy's submission,
Immediately returned it to the British
general, whose troops then marched be-
tween the two lines to field on the
right, where they grounded their arms
-Hnper's Magazine.