Lord Charles Cornwallis document signed ("Cornwallis"). One page, 7.5" x 9", Culford, [England]; August 20, 1782. British Major General Cornwallis signs certificate of service for a British seaman wounded in the American Revolutionary War. Cornwallis signs this certificate of service for a British seaman who lost his leg at the Battle of Yorktown and claims the seaman is entitled to a government allowance. The manuscript reads, in full: "Mr. William Farrer Master of the Brig Transport Mackrel, having represented to me, that Thomas Maslin Seaman on board the said Brig, lost his Leg by a Cannon Shot, in the Boat on York River on the Morning of the 17th October 1781, & not having obtained a Certificate from the Surgeon. I do hereby certify that I believe the said representation to be true, & that Tho:' Maslin is entitled to the usual allowance from Government in such cases." Signed, "Cornwallis". Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738-1805), is best remembered as one of the leading British generals in the American Revolutionary War. In 1781, Cornwallis, threatened by a sizeable Continental force under the command of General Lafayette, retreated through Virginia, first to Richmond and, finally, near the end of July, to Yorktown, which he proceeded to fortify. Lafayette's forces, now numbering 8,000 troops, blocked any possible escape route by land. Cornwallis' army, totaling 7,000, waited in vain for rescue or reinforcements from the British Navy. Instead, a French fleet of twenty-four ships under the Comte de Grasse assumed control of the strategic waters of Chesapeake Bay. Under this naval umbrella, in late August and early September, General George Washington led 7,000 additional Franco-American troops from New York to Virginia in hopes of entrapping Cornwallis on the Yorktown Peninsula. On October 17, a British rescue fleet only two-thirds the size of the French fleet, set out for Virginia - but it was too late. Bombarded by the French fleet and 16,000 allied troops on land, Cornwallis surrendered his entire army on October 17, 1781. This is generally considered the end of the war, as the bulk of British troops surrendered with Cornwallis (although minor skirmishes continued for two more years). Following the defeat and subsequent blow to his reputation, Cornwallis returned to England in 1782. He was later appointed governor-general and commander in chief in India in 1789, where his service did much to restore his reputation, and he was awarded the title of Marquis in 1792. The document is accompanied by an engraved portrait of Cornwallis by A.H. Ritchie. Condition: 2" separation at center of one horizontal fold. Soiled and foxed. HID03101062020 © 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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