Cornwallis Surrender at Yorktown

[Jim Eshelman]

October 19, 1781, 2:00 PM LAT, Yorktown, VA 37N14'21", 76W30'38"

The militarily decisive Battle of Yorktown ended America's Revolutionary War with Cornwallis' surrender (through agents, not in person) to allied American and French forces.

The process of British surrender began two days earlier. On the morning of October 17 (after bombardment had been going on a while, so presumably not immediately after sunrise - let's say 10 AM), a British drummer with a white flag appeared and opened negotiations. This was discussed all day October 18. A formation to receive the surrender was staged at 2:00 PM on the 19th, just as an exalted Mars (conjunct Pluto) rose in the east and Jupiter conjoined Moon in Midheaven in the constellation of Mars. (Mundanely, Moon-Jupiter squares Mars-Pluto.)

The American offices then invited the British officers to dine with them. A good time, reportedly, was had by all. - Do we, therefore, expect plenty of Venus, both for peace and for festivities?

It was nearly two years later, on September 3, 1783, that the Treaty of Paris officially ended the war. NOTE: On 6/9/22 I updated this with TMSA.

Year: Capsolar {+2}
(I expected marks of victory and get clear marks of defeat. These are always complicated because, sure, somebody lost that day. This chart is consistent with overthrowing someone.)
Neptune on MC 1°53'
Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus more widely foreground
-- Moon-Neptune sq. 0°23' PVP
-- Venus-Saturn conj. 1°25' M
-- Venus-Neptune sq. 1°28' M
-- Saturn-Neptune sq. 2°53' M
-- Mercury-Uranus op. 3°11' M
-- -- Sa/Ur on angles 0°20'
-- -- Ve/Ur on angles 0°54'
Moon-Pluto op. 0°49' mundo

Bridge
CapQ Moon sq. s/p Mars 0°24'
t Neptune conj. Capsolar MC 1°54'
t Uranus sq. Cansolar/ MC 0°10'
t Saturn conj. Cansolar Asc 1°06'

Quarter: Libsolar (Silent.) Moon-Venus Moon-Jupiter Moon-Saturn.
°
Quarter: Cansolar {+3}
(An even stronger restatement of the single strong "dethroning" feature of the Capsolar, with some striking additions!!)
Neptune on MC -1°46'
Saturn on Asc +1°47'
Uranus widely angular
-- Venus-Neptune sq. 0°09' PVP
-- Venus-Pluto op. 1°26' PVP
-- Neptune-Pluto sq. 1°35' PVP
Moon-Sun sq. 0°25' M

Month: Caplunar {+2}
Uranus on Asc 2°33'
Saturn barely angular
-- Uranus sq. non-fore Sun 0°31', Neptune 2°40'

Week: Liblunar {+2}
(The 10/16 ingress shows significant change of conditions, but also the battle that was waged.)
Moon on IC +0°06'
Mars on Dsc -1°52'
Pluto on Dsc -1°57' stationary
Sun on IC -2°22'
-- Ma/Pl on Dsc 0°03'
-- -- Mars-Pluto conj. 2°18'
-- Sun-Mars sq. 0°29' M
-- Moon-Pluto sq. 1°51' M
-- Moon-Mars sq. 1°58' M
-- Moon-Saturn sq. 2°13' PVP
-- Moon-Sun conj. 2°28' M
-- Saturn-Pluto sq. 2°59' PVP

Day: Capsolar Quotidian & Transits {+2}
p Moon-Mars sq. 0°24'
-----------------------------
t Neptune conj. s MC 1°54'

Day: Cansolar Transits {+2?}
t Uranus sq. s MC 0°10'
t Saturn conj. s Asc 1°06'



I think it fair to say that this chart shows not so much an American victory, or even peace, as it does the fall of British imperialism in this continent. I should run the charts separately for Philadelphia and London to see what they signify for each location.

[Jim Eshelman]

On a quick check: London's Capsolar Asc was 23°57' Aquarius. For their surrender, transiting Saturn was 24°39' Scorpio.

[Jim Eshelman]

Something I only now put together in my head - I'd never sorted it out this closely...

Uranus was discovered on March 13, 1781, only seven months before this surrender. I don't think this means anything specific (though some astrologers think its discovery at this juncture shows that the world was newly ready for ideas like freedom).

Here's the real impact of this discovery to me: Historically there has been a lot of discussion about the U.S. horoscope and how some of the founders of the new nation, being esotericists, surely selected the U.S. birth chart to show their ideals. Well... if they did... it didn't include Uranus! All of those alleged Uranus rising and Uranus setting charts people have suggested could not have been understood that way. They didn't know Uranus existed until nearly five years later.

With this in mind, it's an interesting exercise to look at the U.S. natal horoscope with only planets out to Saturn. That's how Ben Franklin would have seen it. For the shortly past noon July 4, 1776 chart, that means the rising Saturn (in the Tropical zodiac he would have used) was an exalted Saturn rising, with Jupiter also exalted and elevated and (with Libra rising) the Ascendant ruler conjunct the exalted Jupiter. This is the kind of chart they would have loved to have had!

[Ethan FM]

some astrologers think its discovery at this juncture shows that the world was newly ready for ideas like freedom

I love this notion, true or not, it did seem like the ideals of freedom came out of nowhere.

I have Ken's book on order and cannot wait to dig into it. I minored in US History as an undergrad and found the sweeps of US history endlessly fascinating. I look forward to further insights

-Ethan

[Jim Eshelman]

Ethan, to digress from astrology for a moment - with your interests, I recommend the following book. After a lifetime of absorbing U.S. history, this book still revolutionized my view of our history, internal cultural structure, and current standing. (The Kindle version is perfectly adequate, though the paperback is a buck cheaper.)

https://www.amazon.com/American-Nations ... KEANF8CQGR

[Ethan FM]

I had heard of American Nations! My major at the time was Anthropology and it came up with one of my then professors, but I had forgotten about it. Funny how the important things come back around to you when needed. Thank you for the recommendation

-Ethan