George Washington letter to go on display in London for first time
A letter signed by George Washington accepting the British surrender after the defeat at Yorktown is set to go on public display in London for the first time, marking a rare opportunity to view a defining document from the American Revolutionary War.
Written in October 1781 following the British defeat at Yorktown in Virginia, the letter will feature in a new exhibition at The National Archives in Kew. It captures a pivotal moment in the closing stages of the conflict, when British forces faced the reality of a decisive shift in the war and the beginning of negotiations that would ultimately lead to peace.
The document forms a central part of Revolution 250: America’s Independence Story, 1763–1783, an exhibition tracing the events that led to the formation of the United States and the end of British rule across the 13 colonies.
Dr Sean Cunningham, curator of the exhibition, said the letter reflects the moment Britain recognised the scale of its defeat at Yorktown and the likelihood that it would lose control of the colonies that would become the United States.
He said it also marks the point at which Britain began to accept the consequences of the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the irreversible shift in the relationship between the two sides.
The letter was addressed to British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis following the surrender. After the war, it remained within the Cornwallis family archive at Audley End in Essex before being transferred to the Public Record Office in 1880.
According to The National Archives, the document helped set in motion the negotiations that led to the 1783 Treaty of Paris, under which Britain formally recognised American independence.
The exhibition brings together documents from both sides of the Atlantic, including the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, accounts of the Boston Tea Party, and a copy of the Declaration of Independence, offering a wider view of the political and social pressures that shaped the conflict.
The display also examines how the war affected people on both sides of the Atlantic, presenting a broader historical context beyond the battlefield.
The exhibition opens on Wednesday and runs until 29 November at The National Archives in Kew.
Discover more stories exploring London’s history, archives, and cultural exhibitions at EyeOnLondon.
Follow us on:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!
We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!
