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COMMANDER // 1738–1805

Charles Cornwallis

major generalUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandGreat Britain11 battles2 wars

Lifespan

1738 – 1805

1740175017601770178017901800Seven Years' War · 1756-1763American Revolution · 1775–1783Battle of Minden — August 1, 1759 · Great Britain · Seven Years' WarBattle of Long Island — August 27, 1776 · Great Britain · American RevolutionNew York and New Jersey Campaign — July 1, 1776 · Great Britain · American RevolutionBattle of Bound Brook — April 13, 1777 · Great Britain · American RevolutionBattle of Brandywine — September 11, 1777 · Great Britain · American RevolutionBattle of Princeton — January 3, 1777 · Great Britain · American RevolutionBattle of the Assunpink Creek — January 2, 1777 · Great Britain · American RevolutionSiege of Charleston — March 29, 1780 · Great Britain · American RevolutionBattle of Guilford Court House — March 15, 1781 · Great Britain · American RevolutionYorktown — Sep–Oct 1781 · Great Britain · American RevolutionYorktown campaign — January 1, 1781 · Great Britain · American Revolution

Active service 1759–1781 — 11 battles across 2 wars; first command at age 21.

Profile

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis was a British Army officer, Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best known as one of the leading British general officers in the American War of Independence. His surrender in 1781 to a combined Franco-American force at the siege of Yorktown ended significant hostilities in North America. Cornwallis later served as a civil and military governor in Ireland, where he helped to bring about the Act of Union; and in India, where he helped to enact the Cornwallis Code and the Permanent Settlement.

Source · Wikipedia · Q164723

Battles (11)

Last verified June 2026
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