The Americans formed a line more than a mile long on one side of the road, and the French stood facing them on the other side.  The French had on gay clothes, and looked very handsome; the clothes of Washington’s men were patched and faded, but their eyes shone with a wonderful light—­the light of victory.  The British marched out slowly, between the two lines:  somehow they found it pleasanter to look at the bright uniforms of the French, than to look at the eyes of the Americans.

[Illustration:  THE FLAGS OF THE REVOLUTION.[34]]

[Footnote 34:  The flag with the large crosses on it, on the left, is the English flag at the time of the American Revolution.  The flag on the right is that which Washington raised at Cambridge, Massachusetts, January 2d, 1776.  He simply took the English flag, and added thirteen stripes to represent the union of the thirteen English colonies.  The flag in the centre, with its thirteen stars and thirteen stripes representing the thirteen states, is the first American national flag.  It was adopted by Congress June 14th, 1777, not quite a year after we had declared ourselves independent of Great Britain.  Beneath this flag is Washington’s coat of arms with a Latin motto, meaning “The event justifies the deed.”  It is possible that the stars and stripes on our national flag came from the stars and stripes (or bars) on this ancient coat of arms, which may be seen on the tombstone of one of the Washington family, buried in 1583, in the parish church at Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, England.]

143.  How the news of the taking of Yorktown was carried to Philadelphia; Lord Fairfax.—­People at a distance noticed that the cannon had suddenly stopped firing.  They looked at each other, and asked, “What does it mean?” All at once a man appears on horseback.  He is riding with all his might toward Philadelphia, where Congress is.  As he dashes past, he rises in his stirrups, swings his cap, and shouts with all his might, “Cornwallis is taken!  Cornwallis is taken!” Then it was the people’s turn to shout; and they made the hills ring with, “Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Hurrah!”

[Illustration:  “CORNWALLIS IS TAKEN!”]

Poor Lord Fairfax,[35] Washington’s old friend, had always stood by the king.  He was now over ninety.  When he heard the cry, “Cornwallis is taken!” it was too much for the old man.  He said to his negro servant, “Come, Joe; carry me to bed, for I’m sure it’s high time for me to die.”

[Footnote 35:  See paragraph 126.]

144.  Tearing down the British flag at New York; Washington goes back to Mount Vernon; he is elected President; his death; Lafayette visits his tomb.—­The Revolutionary War had lasted seven years,—­terrible years they were, years of sorrow, suffering, and death,—­but now the end had come, and America was free.  When the British left New York City, they nailed the British flag to a high pole on the wharf; but a Yankee sailor soon climbed the pole, tore down the flag of England, and hoisted the stars and stripes in its place.  That was more than a hundred years ago.  Now the English and the Americans have become good friends, and the English people see that the Revolution ended in the way that was best for both of us.