"Ben, stay with me," Stephen patted Ben's cheeks to wake him up. Ben's eyes fluttered open.
"It . . . hurts," Ben explained weakly.
"I know son," Stephen said with a weak smile while placing pressure on Ben's shoulder to stop the bleeding, "just stay with me." Looking up, Stephen called over to Nathaniel, "Cover me!"
Nathaniel's eyes grew wide as saucers "Ben!" he gasped and rushed to his friend's aid, thinking little of what was happening around him. Stephen tenderly picked Ben up and hugged him close to his chest as he rushed back to the encampment.
"Stephen! This is crazy!" Nathaniel called after him as he followed at Stephen's heels, "We are going to get killed." Nathaniel swatted off a bayonet that came a little too close for comfort.
"Do you want to save our friend or what?" Stephen called over his shoulder, picking up speed. As soon as they reach the encampment one of the surgeon's took Ben from Stephen's arms and shooed him and Nathaniel back into battle.
Ben lay in the hospital tent for days, drifting in and out of consciousness. His chest burned with every breath he took and the pain seemed too much to bear. In his delirium his parched lips formed one word, "Felicity." How he wanted to see her one last time, he had too.
On October 14, the Franco-American forces captured 2 major British redoubts. Cornwallis' options were running out. In a desperate attempt, he tried sending blacks infected with smallpox over enemy lines in an attempt to infect the American and French troops. Things were looking bleak for the British troops. Cornwallis saw that he was alone; aid from New York would come too late, if it did.
"Lord Cornwallis, I beseech you, you must consider a surrender, this is suicidal." Officer O'Hara implored as they stood in Cornwallis' damaged headquarters surveying the scene. The Patriots had recently taken to firing upon the headquarters, Nelson House, by order of the previous owner, Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson had been a signer of the Declaration of Independence and in attempt to press Cornwallis into submission, urged General Washington to fire upon his home.
"I would rather have my house perish in an attempt for independence than stand for a thousand years under tyranny." Nelson told Washington.
"Has it come to this?" Cornwallis said dismally. "An army of rabble, of peasants . . . everything will change. Everything has changed."
"Welcome to the New World." O'Hara concluded grimly.
On October 19, Cornwallis finally surrendered.
"Ben! Ben! We did it! We won!" Nathaniel raced to the hospital tent to tell Ben of the wonderful news.
Propped up on the pillows, Ben smiled at his friend, "Tell me all about it."
"Blast, you know already, don't you?" Nathaniel said, sitting down at the edge of the bed, "You look good, you know?"
"Thanks, wish I could say I feel as good as I looked—but tell me all about it. You tell good stories; it will be like I was there."
Nathaniel smiled and began his tale as Ben sunk back into the pillows and closed his eyes, picturing the moment that would live in his mind forever:
"It was about noon and our forces and the French lined up along the road—the French stood on the left side of the road and we stood on the right and Washington was at the head atop his horse looking as proud and as noble as a god. The light radiated around him. There was this anxious excitement in the air; you could just feel it in your bones. Also at the head was Rochambeau and the French were playing music. We stood for about two hours—two hours man!" Nathaniel shook Ben to grab his attention, "Two hours we had to wait!" He let Ben sink back into the pillows. "Two hours we waited to see that scoundrel Cornwallis surrender, but he disappointed our anxious expectations. Pretending indisposition, he made General O'Hara his substitute as the leader of his army. Solemnly, as though on a funeral march, O'Hara entered, followed his troops. With shouldered arms, colors cased and drums beating a British march they came and, having arrived at the head of the line, General O'Hara, elegantly mounted, advanced to the commander-in-chief, taking off his hat, and apologized for the non-appearance of Cornwallis. Washington showed great dignity and politeness and directed O'Hara to Major-General Lincoln for directions. Lincoln graciously directed them lobster backs to a field where they were to ground their arms. Well, the look of disgust when given the order to 'ground arms' was unanimous—you would have thought we told them to strip and do the Virginia reel! Let me tell you, they performed this duty in a very un-gentlemanly-like manner—some threw their arms into the pile with such violence that I am sure they were trying to destroy them. This irregularity, however, was checked by the authority of General Lincoln. Then, after having grounded their arms and divested themselves of their accoutrements, the captive troops were conducted back to Yorktown and guarded by our troops till they could be removed to the place of their destination. And during the ceremony, the British played 'The World Turned Upside Down,' but we won! It's over!"
Eyes closed, Ben grinned, picturing the Stars and Strips waving triumphantly in the air.