Washington to left of center accepting sword from Cornwallis to right of center. Men identified under print as (left to right): Lincoln, Hamilton, Lafayette, Washington, Cornwallis, Tarleton. O’Hara and Chewton.

On October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia giving up almost 8,000 men and any chance of winning the Revolutionary War. The combined forces of the French and American armies exhausted the British army’s supply of food and ammunition. With no hope for escape, Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the war. Although Cornwallis is identified in this print, he refused to attend the surrender ceremony out of embarrassment, claiming that he was ill.

Object Creator

Currier, Nathaniel (American, 1813-1888)

Object Creation Date

1845

Medium

Hand-colored lithograph

Dimensions

10 1/8 x 14 inches

Credit

Gift of Lenore B. and Sidney A. Alpert supplemented with Museum Acquistions Funds

Accession Number

2004.D03.295

On View?

No

Image Request

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