The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-06-02
YORKTOWN May
Be MADE SHRINE
Scene Of CORVALLIS Surrender
to Be Preserved as One Of
Nations Historic Spots.
SECRET BASE IN WORLD WAR
Harbor Sheltered Greater Part Of At
Iantic Fleet, the Anchorage Being
Alluded to in Official Commune
cations as Bare e."

WashingtOn.-The historic battl,
field Of Yorktown, Va, where the Bri'
t ish general, CORVALLIS, SURRENDERED
r and where for all practical purpose
, the American Revolution was brough
to a victorious conclusion, may 500,
} be made into a shrine to share pOpu
larity with Bunker Hill, Valley Forg
and Mt. Vernon.
The little village and its surround
ings form the subject Of the following
bulletin issued from the Washington
headquarters of the National Geo
graphic society:
Though Yorktown was not a thriv
ing community nor a place noted TO
It's accessibility during Revolutionar,
days, it was relatively much more i'm
portant and much less remote from
the daily life Of the country than II
has been at any time since. Most 9th
err American towns were small in those
days, ports were few, and railroads
were u%nthOught of. As cities have
sprung up where there were only ham
lets or patches of wilderness before,
anu as ldiAxVAQb udNC OIOuSuL CvGM
the two ocean relatively closer to-
gether, Yorktown, at 4 point where
little N has been developed,
and without rail connections, has be-
come In effect more and more remote,
and its character al 4 sleepy village
has become more and more empha-
sized.
Site q Surrender 4 Tiny Village.
1.-The Yorktown Of today is a con-
munity Of less than $50 Inhabitants
with q few fine old colonial homes
and a number Of less ~pretentiess
dwellings. The Rearest railroad Hes
eight miles to tie south. IN the town
is a monument erected in 1881 On the
one %hHndredth anniversary Of the sur
reader Of the British. As a reminder
Of the early Importance of Yorktown
there still exists the first customs
house in the United States. Near the
village are remains Of the forts and
redoubts whose capture by the Reeve
~lutionary soldiers and their Fxeocb
allies marked the real birth OF the
United States. The scene If Corn
wallis surFender-which Wa by proxy
through his General O'Hara-is be-
lieved to be in the open country just
south of the village.
"Yosktown " Oh 4 narrow peninsula
lying between the wide estuaries of
the James and York rivers, and is
where the latter meets Chesapeake
bay. CORVALLIS, after Acourging vir- |
ginia, burning homes, killing and driv- |
ing of stock, and capturing large
numbers Of sleeves, retired down the
peninsula to Yorktown. Lafayette,
with a handful of American soldiers,
followed at a distance. 1t was when
this situation was pointed out to
Washington that he was persuaded to
abandon his plan to attack New York
and instead to take his own forces
division from Providence, r. l., to
all en- 4 battle In the south. The
arrival of De Grasse with a French
1eet in the Chesapeake, blocking the
to that bay and preventing
re-enforcements reaching CORVALLIS,
the defeat Of the latter inevi-
able.
Harbor Used In World War.
ut Is not strange that CORVALLIS
considered yorktown a good location
military headquarters in spite of
he ease with which the peninsula
be blocked. 1t possesses a truly
emarkable water harbOr, and Corn
wallis counted on the maintenance Of
communication by water with the
leavy British forces In New York.
"Yorktown's harbor was put to good
during the World war and so for
he second time played ar important
art in the country's martial history.
n the mouth Of the York river oppo-
lite the famous village the greater
art Of the Atlantic fleet at times rode
t anchor. There, behind the defenses
t the entrance to the Chesapeake and .
protected by mes and patrols
cross the mouth Of the York, dread
.ughts and lesser vessels were safe
ON m~olestation by enemy subma-
ines. Thousands OF msa we're in
snsively trained for naval duty ut
lis anchorage while the whereabouts
Z the fleet was kept 4 profound Sc
ct. The Yorktown anchorage was
luded to in official communications
lroughout the war only as Base ~"