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Follow-up to Cornwallis' surrender... John Hanson elected President...
Follow-up to Cornwallis' surrender... John Hanson elected President...
Item # 687281
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November 07, 1781
THE PENNSYLVANIA JOURNAL & THE WEEKLY ADVERTISER, Philadelphia, Nov. 7, 1781
* Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
* American Revolutionary War ending
A wonderful issue on the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, which essentially ended Revolutionary War efforts by the British.
The front page has an: "Extract of a Letter from General Washington, dated Head Quarters, near York, October 27, 1781" which presents the: "General return of officers and privates surrendered prisoners of war, the 19th of October, 1781, to the allied army under the command of his Excellency General Washington....".
Taking two-thirds of the front page is a list of military personnel by regiment, then a list of "Brass Ordnance" which carries over to page 2 with a list of other ordnance, signed in type: H. Knox, who commanded the artillery of the U.S. Then a list of wagons, horses, stores, clothing, food, and vessels either taken or destroyed.
Page 3 has a report from Philadelphia noting: "On Saturday last was brought to this city & laid at Congress' feet...the colours of the British Southern army, late commanded by Lieut. General Earl Cornwallis, in the following order..." then the list, and then: "HOW ARE THE MIGHTY FALLEN!"
There is also a report that: "...pursuant to the Articles of Confederation...delegates...met...proceeded to the choice of a President for the ensuing year and the ballots being taken, the Honourable JOHN HANSON was elected."
Many have argued that John Hanson, and not George Washington, was the first President of the United States, but this is not quite true. Under the Articles of Confederation, the United States had no executive branch. The President of Congress was a ceremonial position within the Confederation Congress. Although the office required Hanson to deal with correspondence and sign official documents, it wasn't the sort of work that any President of the United States under the Constitution would have done.
There are a few other war-related reports from Poughkeepsie and Fishkill, New York.
Four pages, this issue has been professionally restored with a transparent overlay on pages 2 and 3, with repair work at fold junctures which causes some loss of text. See the photos for particulars.
AI notes: The surrender of British General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781 was the culminating event of the American Revolutionary War, effectively ending major fighting. Trapped on the Yorktown peninsula in Virginia by George Washington’s Continental Army and French troops under Rochambeau, Cornwallis faced an impossible situation as the French fleet under Admiral de Grasse controlled the Chesapeake Bay, cutting off any British escape or reinforcement by sea. After weeks of siege, bombardment, and trench warfare, Cornwallis, claiming illness, refused to attend the surrender ceremony on October 19, sending his second-in-command, General Charles O’Hara, instead. Washington, in turn, directed American General Benjamin Lincoln to accept the British surrender, symbolically receiving the about 8,000 troops who laid down their arms. This dramatic capitulation shattered British hopes of regaining control in the colonies and set the stage for diplomatic negotiations that led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, formally recognizing American independence.
There are a few other war-related reports from Poughkeepsie and Fishkill, New York.
Four pages, this issue has been professionally restored with a transparent overlay on pages 2 and 3, with repair work at fold junctures which causes some loss of text. See the photos for particulars.
AI notes: The surrender of British General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781 was the culminating event of the American Revolutionary War, effectively ending major fighting. Trapped on the Yorktown peninsula in Virginia by George Washington’s Continental Army and French troops under Rochambeau, Cornwallis faced an impossible situation as the French fleet under Admiral de Grasse controlled the Chesapeake Bay, cutting off any British escape or reinforcement by sea. After weeks of siege, bombardment, and trench warfare, Cornwallis, claiming illness, refused to attend the surrender ceremony on October 19, sending his second-in-command, General Charles O’Hara, instead. Washington, in turn, directed American General Benjamin Lincoln to accept the British surrender, symbolically receiving the about 8,000 troops who laid down their arms. This dramatic capitulation shattered British hopes of regaining control in the colonies and set the stage for diplomatic negotiations that led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, formally recognizing American independence.
Category: Revolutionary War
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