Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1781-1783 or 1791

The Surrender of Earl Cornwallis to General Washington and Count De Rochambeau

T. Thornton · 1781-1783 or 1791

A late 18th-century engraving of the British surrender at Yorktown, the victory that the intelligence James Armistead gathered helped make possible.

Depicts the Yorktown surrender, the outcome the intelligence Armistead gathered helped bring about.

Ask James Armistead Lafayette about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Engraving of the surrender at Yorktown: a British officer in a cocked hat hands a sword to an American officer in a tricorn hat, while uniformed soldiers stand in line with flags and tents behind them, barrels in the foreground.
T. Thornton, The Surrender of Earl Cornwallis to General Washington & Count De Rochambeau, 1781-83 or 1791. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This engraving by T. Thornton, made in the early 1780s or possibly 1791, shows the surrender of British forces under Lord Cornwallis to American and French commanders Washington and Rochambeau. It appeared in Barnard's History of England and is now held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The surrender at Yorktown in 1781 effectively ended major fighting in the Revolutionary War. James Armistead, working as a double agent inside British lines, had passed along intelligence about troop movements that helped the American and French forces plan this victory. This print lets students connect spying work to its battlefield results.

Look closer

  • What does the composition of the scene, with soldiers lined up and flags displayed, suggest about how the artist wanted viewers to feel about this moment?
  • Why might this print have been made years after the actual event?
  • What role does an image like this play in shaping how people remember a war?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Armistead Lafayette on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More James Armistead Lafayette sources

Meet the AI James Armistead Lafayette →
Manuscript pen-and-ink and watercolor map titled 'Siege d'York 1781, Plan d'York en Virginie avec les attaques et les campemens de l'Armée combinée de France et d'Amérique.' Shows York, Virginia, with hachured relief, siege trenches and batteries, encampments, and a small inset map at upper right. A scale bar and a handwritten Nota key appear at lower left.Document

Primary source

Siege of York, 1781: Plan of Franco-American Siege Works

Querenet De La Combe · 1781

Engraving of a man's head and shoulders in a high-collared coat and cravat, above a handwritten manuscript certificate signed by Lafayette dated November 21, 1784, attesting to James's service as a spy.Document

Primary source

Certificate for James Armistead Lafayette

Marquis de Lafayette · 21 November 1784

Hand-drawn manuscript map in pen-and-ink and watercolor titled 'York en Virginie 1781' showing the York River, the town of Yorktown and siege lines, with an inset of Gloucester, French title panel and key on the right.Document

Primary source

York en Virginie, 1781: Map of Franco-American Positions at York

1781

Stippled engraving of a middle-aged man with short gray hair, wearing a dark high-collared coat with buttons and a white cravat, against a speckled beige background. A small dark spot appears at lower left.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of James Armistead Lafayette

John B. Martin · c. 1824

Hand-drawn 1781 manuscript map titled Campagne en Virginie, showing rivers, roads, county names and military camp routes across Virginia from Orange County south to Isle of Wight County, with a Chesapeake-area coastline at right.Document

Primary source

Campaign of the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia, 1781

Michel Capitaine Du Chesnoy · 1781

Ready when you are

Start chatting with James Armistead Lafayette now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions