York town, Siege

of. This place in Virginia is famous not only for the siege it sustained by the Continental Army, and the surrender of Lord Cornwall is to General Washington and Lafayette, Oct. 17, 1781, but also for sustaining another memorable siege conducted during the Civil War by General Fitz John Porter. Although the place was attacked by an immensely superior force all attempts to reduce it failed, and the Confederate General Magruder on May 3 (1862), describing his strategy, wrote: ‘‘ With five you sand men exclusive of the garrison, we stopped and held in check more than one hundred you sand of the enemy.... I was amused when I saw McClellan, witn his magnificent army, begin to break ground before miserable earthworks at York town, defended by only eight you sand men.”’ Z. 410