TDIH: Victory at Yorktown
For Americans, George Washington was the right man in the right place at the right time.
On this day in 1781, British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrenders to American General George Washington, bringing an end to the Siege of Yorktown and effectively ending the American Revolution. Negotiations for that surrender had begun after Cornwallis first raised a white flag of surrender two days earlier, on October 17.
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. Their revolution was fought against a very powerful British military. Often, the Americans had survived on sheer guts and perseverance. They lacked funds. 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
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Through it all, Washington held the army together. Yes, he made strategic errors, and he has been criticized for it. There are undoubtedly military leaders with better qualifications or better tactical skills. However, few men could have done what Washington did as a leader. Washington held his army together, through all their difficulties, through sheer strength of will. His men loved, revered, and trusted him. For Americans, he was the right man in the right place at the right time.
Washington himself 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 in the several Brigades or Divisions. The Commander in Chief earnestly recommends that the 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 celebrate and defend the freedom that was achieved for us that day.
Sources can always be found on my website, here.
I truly believe that God was on the American side! Providence has magical ways of interfering in Human lives. I have experienced it myself many times in my life and truly trust and believe in it.
Fog on the escape from Brooklyn
The hurricanes in Caribbean that brought the French fleet to Chesapeake.
Many occasions that Washington was in front of his troops and the bullets missed him or the enemy did not fire.
Treacherous generals that wanted his job and had no interest in the country or her well beings had to be humiliated or disgraced by their own actions. In my opinion those are all pointing to the hands of the Providence.
Yes, thank you Tara. We should continue to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the Revolutionary War and the victory that came with it.
The men and women who fought and supported our independence and freedom gave so much to achieve victory. General George Washington asked his troops to attend a worship service to thank the Divine and we should continue to honor his wishes by celebrating the victory over the mighty British Crown.
243 years have passed since the occasion of the outcome of the war was assured when General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington. I agree with General Washington, it was a miracle that we achieved victory and in my opinion, Providence rode the shoulder of the Americans in quest of their independence from the tyrannical British Crown.