Cornwallis Mezzotint

Charles Cornwallis, Earl Cornwallis (1738-1805) is most often remembered as the British general who surrendered his forces to the American and French troops under the command of General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781. Cornwallis was, in fact, an accomplished and active military commander who had led British troops in a number of successful actions against Washington’s army between 1776 and 1781. Even more surprising to many people today, Cornwallis was one of five peers in the House of Lords who had voted against the 1765 Stamp Act, and other harsh measures against the American colonists. This 1793 mezzotint was based on a portrait painted in 1782, following his return to London after the surrender at Yorktown.