The Commission was of opinion that, in order to insure the success of the military features of the celebration, the command of the Government and State troops that were expected to participate should be committed to a general officer of the United States Army of high rank and reputation, and therefore requested the Secretary of War to select such an officer for that purpose. In compliance with this request, the Secretary of War designated Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, U. S. A., to take command of the troops and direct all military movements in connection with the celebration. General Hancock immediately entered upon this duty with great zeal, and, assisted by his able and energetic staff, made every disposition for the encampment and comfort of the troops. Although obliged to contend with great difficulties, owing to the distance of Yorktown from the trunk lines of travel, he perfected arrangements for the accommodation of 20,000 men, including the United States and state forces, and a large body of U. S. veterans, Knights Templar and other Masonic bodies. General Hancock, with his staff, took up his headquarters at Yorktown, and remained there during the celebration. To the zeal and ability displayed by him in all these matters, the great success of the military display is largely due. The Commission desire particularly to recognize the services of Lieut. Col. Wm. P. Craighill, United States Engineer Corps, who was for months engaged at Yorktown in making arrangements for the safe and convenient landing of visitors, the laying out of the encampment, the preparation of the grounds for the military exercises, the laying of the corner-stone of the monument, and the construction of the buildings and other structures for the comfort and convenience of those who were to participate in the Centennial ceremonies. His efforts were untiring, and all his dispositions were made with judgment, skill, and economy. The report of Colonel Craighill is herewith submitted. The services of Lieut. Col. H. C. Corbin, Assistant Adjutant-General, United States Army, were also of great value to the Commission. He was engaged for some time prior to the celebration in correspondence with the various military and other organizations, making a roster of those who notified their intention to be present, arranging for transportation, and imparting desired information. The buildings used during the Centennial exercises were furnished and decorated under his supervision. As master of ceremonies he had charge of the details of the celebration and the execution of the programme, and assisted the Commission in the entertainment of the guests. In selecting a site for the monument the Commission found it necessary to have a survey made of Yorktown and its surroundings. General Tidball, commanding at Fortress Monroe in the absence of General Getty, kindly offered to have the survey made under the supervision of the officers of the Artillery School at that place. His offer was accepted, the survey made, and a very accurate map of Yorktown, showing the lines occupied in 1781 by the hostile armies, was prepared from this survey by Lieut. L. V. Caziare, U. S. A., for the use of the Commission. THE MONUMENT. In pursuance of section 2 of the act of June 7, 1880, the Secretary of War appointed R. M. Hunt, esq., of New York, J. Q. A. Ward, esq., of New York, and Henry Van Brunt, esq., of Boston, a commission of artists to recommend a suitable design for the monument. This commission submitted a very appropriate design, which, after some slight modifications, was approved by the Congressional Commission, and the monument will be erected in accordance therewith under the direction of the Secretary of War, who has assigned Lieut. Col. William P. Craighill, U. S. A., to superintend its construction. The following extract from the report of the commission of artists conveys the emblematic significance of the monument: From the point of view of sentiment, this monument is intended to convey, in architectural language, the idea, set forth in the dedicatory inscription, that, by the victory at Yorktown, the independence of the United States of America was achieved, or brought to final accomplishment. The four sides of the base contain, first, an inscription dedicating the monument as a memorial of the victory; second, an inscription presenting a succinct narrative of the siege, prepared in accordance with the original archives in the Department of State; third, the treaty of alliance with the King of France; and, fourth, the treaty of peace with the King of England. In the pediments over these four sides, respectively, are presented, carved in relief, first, emblems of nationality; second, emblems of war; third, emblems of the alliance; and, fourth, emblems of peace. The base is thus devoted to the historical statement; it explains the subsequent incidents of the monumental composition, which are intended solely to appeal to the imagination. The immediate result of the historical events written upon the base was the happy establishment of a national union of thirteen youthful, free, and independent States. To celebrate this joyful union the sculptor has represented upon the circular podium, which arises from the base, a solemn dance of thirteen typical female figures, hand-in-hand, encircling the drum, which bears upon a belt beneath their feet the word "One country, one constitution, one destiny." It is a symbol of the birth of freedom. The column which springs from this podium may be accepted as the symbol of the greatness and prosperity of the nation after a century of various experience, when thirty-eight free and independent States are shining together in mighty constellation. It is the triumphant sign of the fulfilment of the promise-an expression of the strength and beauty of the Union; but the powerful nation does not forget the remote beginning of its prosperity, and, in the midst of its shining stars, bears aloft the shield of Yorktown covering the branch of peace. As the existence of the nation is a proof of the possibility of a government of the people by the people for the people, the column, thus adorned, culminates with Liberty herself, star-crowned, and welcoming the people of all nations to share equally with us the fruits of our peace and prosperity. The inscriptions on the base of the monument are to be as follows: NORTH SIDE. Erected In pursuance of A Resolution of Congress adopted October 29, 1781. By which The Independence of the United States of America SOUTH SIDE. At York on October 19, 1781, After a Siege of nineteen Days, By 5,500 American and 7,000 French Troops of the Line, Commander of the British Forces at York and Gloucester, 7,251 Officers and Men, 840 Seamen, 244 Cannon, and 24 Standards, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Forces of America and France, Commanding the Auxiliary Troops of His Most Christian Majesty in America, WEST SIDE. The Treaty Concluded February 6, 1778, Between the United States of America Declares The Essential and Direct End Of the present Defensive Alliance The Liberty, Sovereignty, and Independence, Of the said United States As well in Matters of Government as of Commerce. EAST SIDE. The Provisional Articles of Peace, Between the United States of America And George III, King of Great Britain and Ireland, Declare His Britannic Majesty Acknowledges the said United States To be Free, Sovereign, and Independent States. |