The Detroit times., 1911-07-04
'DNUMENTsTANDs
|H[R[ [C0RNMAtLIS
5URRENDEHED
Il Stands On Spot Where British
Commander Gave Up His Sword
$50 Years Ago,

u =
YORKTOWN, Va, July 4.--on this
-the day We celebrate It Is well
worth while to visit the spot where
the Declaration of independence
made good--Y -Yorktown--where 1870
years ago the coming Oct IS, Corn
wallis surrendered TO the combined
Lolnnial and French -bssisgsrs.---
a mile southeast OF the town Is the
Moore house. in which Lafayette had
Me headquarters and in which the
articles OF surrender were drawn up.
There still yawns In the chimney n
hole bored by q British shell.
The gncient- foundations OF TORY"
Nelson's house make bumps In the
f road running out 10 the cemetery. IL
Vas there CORVALLIS frst made his
1tadQuarters When Washington,
back IN the trenches a mile west
I14rned where CORVALLIS was, he or
1ortd . concentrated battery fire to
be f0Irected against Tory. Nelson's
house, and the butler was killed while
Eeryfng the British general his break
last one morning. Then CORVALLIS
went into town and quartered himself
IA the homo OF Tom Nelson, governor
of Virginia.
Tom Nelson was a>xery different
sort from his cousin, TOY" Nelson.
Tom was revolutionist Nrom the
start Washington forbade \any shell
Ing OF Tom Nelson's house. \Put Gen.
Tom. out In the river on a French
ehip Of the line, also heard that Corn
wallis was In his house. and he or
derod q gun crew TO fre. They re-
fused TO disobey the commander-in-
chief Then Tom Nelson. aimed the
gun and applied the torch and the ball
<hudded against his own house.
But 1t rested with "Old John
shaw. q veteran OF the Civil war. and
now at peace In Arlington cemetery.
~ md and mark for posterity the ex-
act spot where the British chieftain
vas humbled. the spot where the
Fourth Of July was made perpetual.
old John Shaw was the super
Intendent Of the Yorktown national
cemetery. the three-acre plot where
rest the bones OF the northern sol
dicrp who fell In the York peninsular
campaign during the Civil war.
After having discovered the actual
spot where the surrender was made
shaw set on to Washington. to tell
the government all about IT, The
least. he reasoned. they could do
would be to put up a big, towering
monument. second only to the Wash
ington monument The news OF his
discovery failed to excite the presI-
dent or congress In erecting any
monument. and "Old John" Shaw
vent back to HIS graveyard determ-
ined 70 build one himself.
He was over 20 years old, but he
took pick and shovel cleared away
~. - A.. ~.
render spot, and dug. He had saved
little money. all OF which he In
vested IN brick. lime and sand. With
this he built the foundation Then
hI9 money was gone. and he had TO
walt until he could save more before
he could do any more work.
IN this way. waiting and saving
and working, and doing Il over again,
ID two years he constructed a rough
kaporing shaft of brick and mortar.
Then he flnished the job by plaster
. Ing the whole over with cement, 90
- 70 initiate single piece OF granite.
/ Upon the pedestal he placed imita-
<|on shells and round shot he had
fashioned from cement, and then he
placed beside the structure a zinc
e|kn reading Spot where CORVALLIS
eurrendersd to Washington. Oct. 18th,
n he had carried up the SHAFT on 1
the tapering lines he began with, II
would have been several feet higher.
But when the column was half com
OIe<ed. he suddenly began drawing
the fApcrfng lines In, az though IN a
hurry TO finish the Job.
And he had need to hurry. Perhaps
he knew II. The monument was
scarcely finished when Old Johns
Eounf frame collapsed
Today stands Americas only mon.
unent marking the. spot where Corn
Wallis surrendered and made good the
Declaration OF Independence a dreary
ruin after four years, It's plaster cak-
Ing from its brick core, its imitation
shells Of plaster broken, surrounded
-t1 desolate, rusted barbwire fence,
within whose enclosure riot> a mat.
of berry bushes. Scotch broom and
j|mpson weeds. II is an artistic
crime. an /, architectural nightmare,
perhaps an accusing finger for Amer.
lean forgetfulness, but monument to
to- patriotism Of John Shaw Of York.