By: Ahad Khatri
I decided to research the Articles of Capitulation by George Washington, published in Yorktown, Virginia during October 1781. The surrendering of General Charles Cornwallis during the Siege of Yorktown by the combined forces of George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau preceded this treaty and was one of the key factors that led to the end of the American Revolutionary War.
The articles were pivotal because they boosted the American morale, and undermined political support for Great Britain. The articles are interesting because I wish to know how leaders such as George Washington empowered their people during this war and showed their willingness to fight.
One of the effects of this capitulation was the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a document which has outlived Americans today; I wish to delve into the minds of the strong-minded people who made the success of the Articles of Capitulation, the Revolutionary War, and the Declaration, a reality.
As I was skimming the article, I immediately noticed that a lot of confusing terminology, such as “accoutrements”, “redoubts”, “Anspach”, was present! Trying to understand the definition and usage of these words has been challenging. For example, a question I have asked myself is whether the word “Anspach” is a surname or a city, and how it fits into the phrase “A field-officer from each nation, to wit, British, Anspach, and Hessian” in the Articles of Capitulation.
Furthermore, research regarding these articles has led me to find other information regarding articles of Dutch and Canadian origin. To overcome the challenges of making sure I do not confuse any of the time periods present in my research, and my sources, I should be very consistent and organized moving forward. I should create a Word Document with one source, and its description underneath, for example, to make it easy for myself to process every bit of information thrown at me.
Being detail-oriented will increase the areas where I can research and connect my sources. The Articles of Capitulation are so rich with text and detail that the British, Americans, and French must have adhered to very comprehensive guidelines. Thus, a skill I need to work on is being as specific as possible with my annotations and my sources. I feel a good place to begin my analysis will be moving from more generalized information through sources like Wikipedia, where I can acquire an overview of the descriptions of each article, to analyzing specific information through, for example, Washington’s diary entries during the premise of the signed treaty, a primary source.
Finally, I should also be as open-minded as I can with my sources, because there is no telling what kinds of information I will find. The pursuit to and effectively annotate my document continues!