Identifier: ourgreatercountr00nort (find matches)
Title: Our greater country; being a standard history of the United States from the discovery of the American continent to the present time ..
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Northrop, Henry Davenport, 1836-1909
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Publisher: Philadelphia, National pub co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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most out of ammunition, and unable tomaintain his position but for a few dayslonger. 1 474 THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. In this strait the British commander re-solved upon the desperate alternative of cross-ing the York to Gloucester, abandoning hissick and wounded and baggage, and endeavor-ing to force his way northward by extraor-dinary marches to New York. It was ahopeless undertaking, but Cornwallis resolvedto make the trial. On the night of the six-teenth of October he crossed a part of hisarmy from Yorktown to Gloucester, but asudden storm delayed the passage of the He sent to Washington an ofifet to surrender, and the terms were soon arranged. Onthe nineteenth of October Cornwallis sur-rendered his army of seven thousand rnei.as prisoners of war to Washington, as commander of the allied army, and his shipping ■seamen and naval stores to the Count deGrasse, as the representative of the king olFrance. Washington despatched one of his aids toPhiladelphia to communicate the good new*
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SURRENDER OF LORD CORNWALLIS. river by the second divisio.^ until after day-light, when it was useless to make theattempt. The first division was with difficulty*brought back to Yorktown, as the boatswere exposed to the fire of the Americanbatteries while crossing th« river. Nothingwas left to Cornwallis now but a capitulation,as his works were in no condition to with-stand an assault, and simple humanity to hismen demanded that the contest should cease. to Congress. The officer pushed forwardwith all speed, and reached Philadelphia atmidnight, and delivered his message. Soonthe peals of the State-house bell roused thecitizens, and the watchmen took up the cry. Cornwallis is taken ! Cornwallis is taken!The people poured out into the streets inthrongs, and no one slept in Philadelphiathat night. The next day Congress proceededin a body to a church and gave thanks forthe great victory, A national thanksgiving THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. 475 was ordered, and throughout the whole landrejoicing

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