On this day in 1781, British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrenders to American General George Washington, effectively ending the American Revolution.
On this day in 1781, British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrenders to American General George Washington, effectively ending the American Revolution. Americans had won an impossible victory! They had been fighting for 6.5 long years—ever since the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. They'd survived on sheer guts and perseverance. They lacked military supplies. They suffered through long, cold winters. They lost soldiers to smallpox. Sometimes, even their basic needs—food, shoes and clothes—went unmet. Washington viewed the victory as a miracle. The day after Cornwallis's surrender, he issued the following general orders to his troops: "Divine Service is to be performed tomorrow . . . . troops not on duty should universally attend with that seriousness of Deportment and gratitude of Heart which the recognition of such reiterated and astonishing interpositions of Providence demand of us." Today, then, is the anniversary of a miracle. Let's celebra...