The second of the series of paintings representing important events of the revolution which were ordered by the government of the U.S. is finished & placed in the capitol : autograph essay : Washington, D.C., 1820 Nov. 12.

Being a detailed essay on the composition of the painting "Surrender of the British Troops commanded by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in Virginia on the 19th of Oct. 1781;"summarizing the 3rd and 4th Articles of Capitulation and referring to them as he explains how he composed the painting; explaining that by "choosing the moment when the principal British Officers conducted by Gen'l Lincoln are passing the groups of American & French Generals; the principal characters of the three nations are brought together and sufficiently near to admit their being portraits - accordingly these are faithful portraits of Washington and Twenty American Generals & Colonels; & of Fourteen French Admirals, Generals & Colonels. - all of which were copies from the living heroes partly in America partly in France. The British Officers are not portraits : - Lord Cornwallis it is well known was ill; - & of Gen'l O'Hara on whom devolved the Duty of leading out the Garrison, no portrait was found." continuing, "The 4th Article of the Capitulation has these Words. "Officers shall retain their Side Arms.' - The ceremony of giving up a Sword, is therefore omitted : and there is the best authority that is the assurance of the late Col. Humphrey, then an A.D.C. of the Commander in Chief & near his person at the time, that no such ceremony did take place : - The entire Army grounding their Arms, & marching back disarmed to York - between the lines of their Victors, was the proud substitute for an idle ceremony - the Essence not the Emblem of Surrender. We regard this work as more pleasing to the Eye than the declaration of Independence : the Splendor of Military dresses, Flags, Horses and all the pomp of glorious War, affords more scope to the Artists powers then the Silence & Solemnity of a civil Assembly. - and it is highly interesting to us, and will be much more so to posterity to see thus rescued from Oblivion, the personal resemblance of so many of those illustrious heroes; to whose persevering fortitude & Courage the Nation owes so much : and but for which the celebrated declaration of our Sages & patriots on the 4th of July would have been 'vox at preterea [sic] nihil : a vain display of words & phrases."