‘When we opened our first line or entrenchment, a lot of cannons were fired at us which did not do great damage to our workers. The work took but three or four days and we already had our fortifications arranged to respond to the first of the enemy, who could respond with but a few bombs and a few small pieces. But one has to admit that our artillery was much superior. We had lots of 24-pounders and an abundance of bombs. Not finding our first siege line close enough to the enemy, our general, Monsieur de Rochambeau, decided that we had to take a position closer to the enemy.

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‘In order to approach closer one had to take two redoubts which the enemies had on our right and left. On 14 October our company of grenadiers, where I have the honor of still serving, received orders to march into our redoubts. Our chasseurs, the grenadiers of the Gatinais regiment and their chasseurs joined us at nightfall. Our colonel-en-second, [Guillaume,] chevalier de Deux-Ponts, received command of this battalion of grenadiers and chasseurs; [Charles du Houx, Baron] de Viomenil, maréchal-de-camp, had the overall command. At 8 o’clock at night we approached the redoubts, always hidden behind our entrenchments. At 8 1/4 we were ordered to march in attack step up to the enemy redoubt and ascend it in an assault, our colonel-en-second at the head. There was a very lively fire from all sides for about 1/4 of an hour, after which the enemy offered to surrender. The garrison of the fort consisted of 160 men, of which we took no more than 40 prisoners without counting the dead; the others saved themselves as best they could. On our side we lost 80 men killed or wounded. Two officers of the French regiment were killed. Of our company three men were killed and five wounded, our chasseurs had ten killed or wounded. [Lieutenant Wilhelm Friedrich] de Lützow has a strong contusion in the lower half of his body; yet he carries himself perfectly well. I and my dear comrades of the grenadier company all behaved at our very best, for that God be thanked. The enemy maintained a continuous fire from his forts on our redoubts which we had taken, they also had the skill to throw during the night five or six bombs in our redoubt which exploded and which killed a few grenadiers and chasseurs. I assure you, my very dear uncle, that one had to crouch on the ground all night to avoid the cannons and the bombs.’

The position assaulted by the French that night was Redoubt No. 9 on the right flank of the siege line. Concurrently Maj. Gen. Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, ordered a force from General George Washington’s Continental Army jointly commanded by Colonels Jean-Joseph de Sourbader, chevalier de Gimat, and Alexander Hamilton to storm and take Redoubt No. 10.

Schwerin’s casualty figures are close to those given in the account of Guillaume de Deux-Ponts, who reported 21 grenadiers and chasseurs of his regiment–compared to the 18 claimed by Schwerin–and 56 of the Gatinais killed or wounded, the same figure given by Schwerin. As the attacking force consisted of 400 troops, the casualty rate can be estimated at about 20 percent. The French assault was led by the Gatinais, hence that regiment’s heavier losses. Only one officer, Lieutenant Augustin Clément de Berthelot, chevalier de Villeneuve, of the Gatinais, was killed at Yorktown. The other, Captain Jean Jarlan de Sireuil of the same regiment, died in Williamsburg on December 20, 1781. His name is inscribed on a stone tablet at the Wren building, which temporarily served as a hospital for the men wounded in the siege. Two other officers, sous-lieutenant Jean François de Sillegue of the Gatinais and a staff officer known as le comte de Lameth, were wounded.

‘During the night 600 of our workers dug a new line behind us; at daybreak the enemy was very surprised to see himself surrounded by our batteries, which did not leave him in a position to resume firing,’ Schwerin’s account continued. ‘On the 16th and 17th our fire was so terrible that the enemy began to make propositions to surrender. Firing ceased forthwith on both sides, and on the 18th the capitulation was signed and Monsieur de Cornwallis was made prisoner of war with his whole army. My very dear uncle, I have the honor to send you a list of the regiments taken prisoner, also of those of the navy. I forgot to tell you that the chevalier de Deux-Ponts, colonel-en-second, was wounded during the capture of our redoubt; a cannon-ball hit the ground before him with such force that pieces of soil hit him in the face and did great damage to his eyes, but he is perfectly well again.’

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