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[p189] CORRESPONDENCE
BETWEEN
Gen. Sir HENRY CLINTON, K.B.
COMMANDER IN CHIEF,
AND
Lieut. Gen. Earl CORNWALLIS.

P A R T   V.
RELATIVE TO THE DEFENCE OF
YORK, IN VIRGINIA.

N U M B E R   I.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York-town, in Virginia, 31st August, 1781.

[In Cypher.]

[Pg. 189. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note L, p414.]

[p190] N U M B E R   II.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York, 1st September, 1781.

[Written in Cypher on a Congress Note.]

[Pg. 190. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note L, p414.]

N U M B E R   III.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York, in Virginia, 2d September, 1781.

[In Cypher.]

[Pg. 190. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note L, p415.]

[p191] N U M B E R   IV.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York-town, Virginia, 4th September, 1781.

[In Cypher.]

[Pg. 191. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note L, p415.]

N U M B E R   V.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York-town, in Virginia, 8th Sept. 1781.

[In Cypher.]

[Pgs. 191-192. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note L, p415.]

[p193] N U M B E R   VI.

Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. to Earl Cornwallis, dated New-York, Sept. 2, 1781. -- [In Cypher.]

[Triplicate, -- Received 15th September.]

[Pgs. 193-194. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note M, p416.]

[p195] N U M B E R   VII.

Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. to Earl Cornwallis, dated New York, Sept. 6, at Noon, 1781. -- [In Cypher.]

[Received 16th September.]

[Pgs. 195-196. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note M, p418.]

P.S. I have just received your Lordship's dispatch, by the Dundas Galley, from Master Carey.

[p196] N U M B E R   VIII.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York Town, in Virginia, 16th Sept. 1781.

[In Cypher.]

[Pgs. 196-197. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note N, p419.]

[p197] N U M B E R   IX.

Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. to Earl Cornwallis, dated New York, Sept. 24, 1781. -- [In Cypher.]

[Received September 29, 1781.]

[Pgs. 197-198. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note O, p420.]

[p199] N U M B E R   X.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, dated York-Town in Virginia, September 29, 1781. 10 P.M.

[In Cypher.]

Sir,
I have ventured these last two days to look General Washington's whole force in the face in the position on the outside of my works, and I have the pleasure to assure your Excellency, that there was but one wish throughout the whole army, which was, that the enemy would advance.

I have this evening received your letter of the 24th, which has given me the greatest satisfaction. I shall retire this night within the works, and have no doubt, if relief arrives in any reasonable time, York and Gloucester will be both in possession of his Majesty's troops.

I believe your Excellency must depend more on the sound of our cannon than the signal of smokes for information; however, I will attempt it on the Gloucester side. -- Medicines are wanted.

I have the honour to be, &c.
CORNWALLIS.

[p200] N U M B E R   XI.

Sir Henry Clinton to Earl Cornwallis, dated New-York, September 25, 1781.

[Duplicate, -- in Cypher. -- Received October 2.]

[Pgs. 200-201. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note Q, p422.]

[p201] N U M B E R   XII.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, dated York-Town, Virginia, October 3, 1781.

[In Cypher.]

[Pgs. 201-202. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note R, p423.]

[p202] N U M B E R   XIII.

Sir Henry Clinton to Earl Cornwallis, dated New-York, September 30, 1781.

[Duplicate, -- in Cypher.]

[Received October 10, from Major Cockran.]

[Pgs. 202-203. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note S, p424.]

[p204] N U M B E R   XIV.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York-Town, Virginia, October 11, 1781. -- 12 M.

[In Cypher.]

[Pgs. 204-205. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note T, p425.]

[p205] N U M B E R   XV.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York-Town, October 15, 1781.

[In Cypher.]

[Pg. 205. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note V, p426.]

[p206] N U M B E R   XVI.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated York-Town, Virginia, October 20, 1781.

[Pgs. 206-214. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note W, p427.]

[p214] Inclosed in No. XVI.

Copy of Earl Cornwallis's Letter to General Washington, dated York, in Virginia, October 17th, 1781.

[Pg. 214. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note X, p433.]

[p215] Inclosed in No. XVI.

Copy of General Washington's Letter to Earl Cornwallis, dated Camp before York, 17th October, 1781.

[Pg. 215. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note X, p434.]

Inclosed in No. XVI.

Copy of Earl Cornwallis's Letter to General Washington, dated York, in Virginia, 17th Oct. 1781. Half past Four, P.M.

[Pgs. 215-216. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note X, p434.]

[p217] Inclosed in No. XVI.

Copy of General Washington's Letter to Earl Cornwallis, dated, Camp before York, 18th October, 1781.

[Pgs. 217-218. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note X, p435.]

[p218] Inclosed in No. XVI.

Copy of Earl Cornwallis's Letter to General Washington, dated York in Virginia, 18th October, 1781.

[Pgs. 218-219. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note X, p437.]

[p220] Inclosed in No. XVI.

COPY
OF THE
ARTICLES OF CAPITULATION.

[Pgs. 220-226. See Tarleton's Campaigns, Chapter 6, Note Y, p438.]

[p227] N U M B E R   XVII.

Sir Henry Clinton, to Earl Cornwallis, dated New-York, November 30th, 1781.

My Lord,
After the conversation I had with your Lordship (before I sent your letter to be published) in which we seemed so perfectly to agree, I must beg your Lordship's pardon for again troubling you on the subject; but being informed, perhaps officiously, that some people here suppose there are passages in that letter which convey an idea, that you had been compelled by my orders to take the post of York, though it was not your own preference; that you had represented the defects of the ground, and were detained there contrary to your own judgment; and likewise that I had promised the exertions of the navy before my letter of the 24th of September: I am persuaded your Lordship will readily excuse my requesting a more formal avowal of your sentiments, lest I should have then mistaken them; because if that should unfortunately be the case, I may perhaps be under the necessity of taking measures to obviate your letter being viewed in the same light in England.

I have the honour to be, &c.
H. CLINTON

[p228] N U M B E R   XVIII.

Earl Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. dated New-York, 2d December, 1781.

Sir,
Yesterday afternoon I was honoured with your Excellency's letter dated the 30th of November.

I do not recollect that any conversation passed between us the other day, before the publication of my letter, relative to my reasons for taking possession of the posts of York and Gloucester; but in my answer to your dispatches, dated the 8th and 11th July, directing me so positively to possess a harbour in the Chesapeak for line of battle ships, your Excellency will see, that after finding that works on Point Comfort could not protect a naval force in Hampton Road, I thought that I acted in strict obedience to your orders by taking possession of these posts. I thought it unnecessary to enter into a minute detail of the disadvantages of the ground, either on my first examination of it in the month of June, or on my return to it in August; because on the first occasion, as I have already had the honour of explaining to your Excellency, I did not, after seeing it, entertain, for a moment, an idea of occupying it, not thinking myself at liberty, by the instructions under which I then acted, to detain the greatest part of the force in Virginia for the purpose of securing a harbour [p229] for ships of the line; and on my return to it in August I thought it then became my duty to make the best of it I could, having no other harbour to propose in its place.

In regard to the promise of the exertions of the navy previous to your letter of the 24th of September, I can only repeat what I had the honour of saying to your Excellency in the conversation to which you allude, that without any particular engagements for the navy before that date, all your letters held out uniformly hopes of relief, and that I had no reason from any of them to suppose that you had lost sight of the possibility of effecting it; and that under these hopes, after serious reflection, I did not think that it would have been justifiable in me to abandon these posts with our numerous sick, artillery, stores, and shipping; or to risk an action which, in all probability, would, in its consequences, have precipitated the loss of them.

My letter from York, dated the 20th of October, was written under great agitation of mind, and in great hurry, being constantly interrupted by numbers of people coming upon business or ceremony; but my intention in writing that letter was to explain the motives that influenced my own conduct, and to narrate the incidents that preceded the extremity that forced us to surrender.

I have the honour to be, &c.
CORNWALLIS.

[p230] N U M B E R   XIX.

Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. to Earl Cornwallis, dated New-York, December 2, 1781.

[See Clinton's Narrative, p71. There are the usual minor variations in punctuation and capitalization, but Clinton's version and Cornwallis's differ significantly only in a date given in one sentence. Cornwallis's version reads, "December 10. -- I had wrote thus far, my Lord, immediately after the receipt of your Lordship's letter of the 2d instant."]

[p236a] N U M B E R   XX.

State of the TROOPS in VIRGINIA,
Under the Command of Lieutenant-General Earl Cornwallis.

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