By Jeannette Holland Austin
The siege of Yorktown, Virginia commenced on October 17, 1781 when
General George Washington led a force of 17,000 French and Continental
troops against against the British General Lord Charles Cornwallis.
Actually, Lord Cornwallis was out numbered by some 7,000 troops. A
brilliant plan was his order rendered to Marquis de
Lafayette to employ his army of 5,000 troops to block the escape of Lord
Cornwallis. Meanwhile the French naval fleet blocked an escape by sea.
By the end of September, Washington had completely encircled Cornwallis
and Yorktown with the combined forces of Continental and French troops
and after three weeks of non-stop bombardment from cannon and artillery,
Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field at Yorktown on
October 17th. Pleading illness, Cornwallis did not attend the formal
surrender ceremony held two days later. Instead, he employed his second
in command, General Charles O’Hara, to carry the Cornwallis sword to the
American and French commanders. Among those many brave soldiers present
at this occasion was Jesse Bryant of Wake County, North Carolina, who
had originally substituted for another soldier in the 4th Virginia
Regiment. He served under Capt. John Watkins and Lt. Charles Judkins
for sixteen months, later fighting at the battle of Petersburg before
returning home and waiting to be recalled. This time, he marched to
Williamsburg near Little York under General Washington and fought in the
battle of Yorktown. He saw first hand General Muhlenburg, Marquis de
Lafayette, and the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. His rather descriptive
pension application provided sufficient details to put together the part
which Bryant played in helping to win freedom for the American
colonies.
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