Clinton could help by attacking Philadelphia, which was
almost defenseless.
As it was, a storm prevented the crossing to Gloucester. The
defenses of Yorktown were weakening and in face of this new
discouragement the British leader made up his mind that the end
was near. Tarleton and other officers condemned Cornwallis
sharply for not persisting in the effort to get away. Cornwallis
was a considerate man. "I thought it would have been wanton and
inhuman," he reported later, "to sacrifice the lives of this
small body of gallant soldiers." He had already written to
Clinton to say that there would be great risk in trying to send a
fleet and army to rescue him. On the 19th of October came the
climax. Cornwallis surrendered with some hundreds of sailors and
about seven thousand soldiers, of whom two thousand were in
hospital. The terms were similar to those which the British had
granted at Charleston to General Lincoln, who was now charged
with carrying out the surrender. Such is the play of human
fortune. At two o'clock in the afternoon the British marched out
between two lines, the French on the one side, the Americans on
the other, the French in full dress uniform, the Americans in
some cases half naked and barefoot.
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