Rec . May 17, 1850. Gift of Prof. Simon Greenleaf, LL.D.

THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN

LITERARY MESSENGER AND REVIEW.

DECEMBER, 1847.

HISTORY OF THE COLONY AND ANCIENT DOMINION OF VIRGINIA.

On the 31st his advanced ships blocked up
the mouth of the York.* [September 5th.]
A partial engagement occurred between him
and the English admiral Graves. On the
10th Count de Barras joined de Grasse with
a naval force from Rhode Island. Lafayette
now made his head-quarters at Williamsburg.
Washington attended by Count de Rocham-
beau, commander-in-chief of the French army

[August 2nd, 1781.] Cornwallis occupied Yorktown and Gloucester Point and fortified and the Chevalier de Chastellux, reached that them. He concentrated the whole British force in Virginia, at those posts, by the 22nd place on the 14th, and repairing on board the of August. Gloucester Point opposite York-Ville de Paris, the French admiral's ship, artown was held by the 80th regiment and the ranged the plan of the siege of York. By the 25th, the combined army, amounting to Hessian regiment of Prince Hereditaire and 12,000 men, together with 5,000 militia unthe Queen's rangers,-the whole under command of the brave and energetic Lieutenant der General Nelson, were concentrated at Colonel Dundas of the artillery. Tarleton Williamsburg. [September 28th,] the allies with his cavalry afterwards passed over to advanced upon York and invested it, the Gloucester Point, and Dundas, during the Americans forming the right below the town, siege that ensued, being ordered over to Yorktown, the command at Gloucester Pointing from the borders of the river, so as to devolved on Simcoe, who being incapable of holding it on account of feeble health was succeeded by Tarleton.

Lafayette hearing of the movements of the eny now broke up his camp on the banks of the Pamunkey and drew nearer to YorkIn the meantime Washington relinquishing his efforts to dislodge Sir Henry Clinton from New York, concerted with the

town.

French naval and military commanders a plan of operations against Cornwallis, and with

the combined American and French armies marched for Virginia. August 30th, Count de Grasse with a fleet arrived from the West Indies and entered the Chesapeake Bay.

VOL. XIII-89

the French the left above it, and each extend

hem in the town by a semicircle. General
De Choisy invested Gloucester Point with
3,000 men. The enemy's communication,
by water, was entirely cut off by the French
ships, stationed at the mouth of the York
river. Cornwallis some time before this, find-

ing his situation growing so critical, had
anxiously solicited aid from Sir Henry Clin-
ton. Aid was promised but it never arrived.
Washington was assisted by Lincoln, Steuben,
The French were
Lafayette, Knox, &c.
commanded by General the Count Rocham-
beau.

On the 29th the British commenced a can

* Simcoe, p. 248.