Equestrian Portrait of Lord Cornwallis

Lord Cornwallis was a British Army general and official who served in a number of important positions during the American Revolutionary War and later in India. He is perhaps best known for his surrender to a combined American and French force at the siege of Yorktown in 1781, which effectively ended significant hostilities in North America.

Charles Cornwallis was born in London, England, on December 31, 1738. He was the second son of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Earl Cornwallis, and Elizabeth Townshend. Cornwallis entered the British Army in 1753, and he saw action in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). After the war, he was appointed governor of the Province of Halifax in Nova Scotia.

In 1775, Cornwallis was sent to America to help suppress the American Revolution. He served in a number of important campaigns, including the Battle of Camden in 1780, where he won a decisive victory over the Americans. However, Cornwallis's later campaigns in the Carolinas were less successful, and he was forced to surrender at Yorktown in 1781.

After the war, Cornwallis returned to England, where he was appointed governor of the Province of Bengal in India. He served in this position from 1786 to 1793, and he is credited with introducing a number of reforms that helped to improve the administration of the province.

Print Type: Hand Colored Wood Engraving
Date: 1859
Dimensions: 9 1/4 x 6"
Subject: American Revolution

Condition Report: Very Good

Subject References: 217F