Why When Where
Why Monday, October 19, 2026?
October 19 marks the 245th anniversary of the Siege of Yorktown—the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), culminating in the British surrender.
The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It ended officially on September 3, 1783, with the Treaty of Paris, which recognized American independence and national sovereignty. Two years earlier, on October 19, 1781, the British army, under Commander Cornwallis, surrendered to General Washington and French General Rochambeau, effectively ending the war and leading to the treaty.
In summer 1781, Washington’s army was encamped in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. Unable to pay wages and provide food and munitions, Washington feared mutiny. Desperate, he turned to Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris for funds, allegedly ordering him to send for Haym Salomon. Salomon issued personal guarantees to lenders, and in late August 1781, they provided the needed funds to Washington. This crucial financing enabled General Washington and the French to advance hundreds of miles to Virginia to undertake the decisive Battle of Yorktown.
Why Washington Square?
Washington Square in Philadelphia is the nation’s largest Revolutionary War burial ground
Originally known as Potter’s Field, Washington Square is the nation’s largest Revolutionary War burial site. Part of Independence National Historical Park, it occupies one square city block in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, across from Independence Square. It is one of the nation’s most hallowed sites, symbolizing the first bloodshed for American values and self-determination. The soldiers interred there helped turn a Declaration of Independence into a Constitutional Convention.
The British occupied Philadelphia from September 26, 1777, until June 18, 1778. Washington’s soldiers captured in the Battles of Brandywine Creek and Germantown were held in a British prison contiguous to Potter’s Field. Those who died from wounds or illness there or in nearby Pennsylvania Hospital were dumped into unmarked mass graves in Potter’s Field. An estimated 2,000 Revolutionary War soldiers rest in what is now known as Washington Square.
Washington Square Memorial
During the 1950s, a memorial was erected in Washington Square. Today it comprises a statue of General Washington, the Tomb of an Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier, and an eternal flame—all in front of a wall bearing the inscription: “Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Men Have Died In Darkness.” The American flag and the flags of the Thirteen Colonies flank the path leading to the memorial.
Haym Salomon’s Resting Place
In 1917, William Salomon installed a memorial marker for his great-grandfather Haym at Mikveh Israel Cemetery.
Haym Salomon is buried approximately four blocks away in the Mikveh Israel Cemetery. Like the soldiers buried in Washington Square, Salomon died penniless and was interred without a marker. In 1917, Salomon’s great-grandson installed a marble tablet memorializing him.
Why When Where
Why Monday, October 19, 2026?
October 19 marks the 245th anniversary of the Siege of Yorktown—the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), culminating in the British surrender.
The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It ended officially on September 3, 1783, with the Treaty of Paris, which recognized American independence and national sovereignty. Two years earlier, on October 19, 1781, the British army, under Commander Cornwallis, surrendered to General Washington and French General Rochambeau, effectively ending the war and leading to the treaty.
In summer 1781, Washington’s army was encamped in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. Unable to pay wages and provide food and munitions, Washington feared mutiny. Desperate, he turned to Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris for funds, allegedly ordering him to send for Haym Salomon. Salomon issued personal guarantees to lenders, and in late August 1781, they provided the needed funds to Washington. This crucial financing enabled General Washington and the French to advance hundreds of miles to Virginia to undertake the decisive Battle of Yorktown.
Why Washington Square?
Washington Square in Philadelphia is the nation’s largest Revolutionary War burial ground
Originally known as Potter’s Field, Washington Square is the nation’s largest Revolutionary War burial site. Part of Independence National Historical Park, it occupies one square city block in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, across from Independence Square. It is one of the nation’s most hallowed sites, symbolizing the first bloodshed for American values and self-determination. The soldiers interred there helped turn a Declaration of Independence into a Constitutional Convention.
The British occupied Philadelphia from September 26, 1777, until June 18, 1778. Washington’s soldiers captured in the Battles of Brandywine Creek and Germantown were held in a British prison contiguous to Potter’s Field. Those who died from wounds or illness there or in nearby Pennsylvania Hospital were dumped into unmarked mass graves in Potter’s Field. An estimated 2,000 Revolutionary War soldiers rest in what is now known as Washington Square.
Washington Square Memorial
During the 1950s, a memorial was erected in Washington Square. Today it comprises a statue of General Washington, the Tomb of an Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier, and an eternal flame—all in front of a wall bearing the inscription: “Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Men Have Died In Darkness.” The American flag and the flags of the Thirteen Colonies flank the path leading to the memorial.
Haym Salomon’s Resting Place
In 1917, William Salomon installed a memorial marker for his great-grandfather Haym at Mikveh Israel Cemetery.
Haym Salomon is buried approximately four blocks away in the Mikveh Israel Cemetery. Like the soldiers buried in Washington Square, Salomon died penniless and was interred without a marker. In 1917, Salomon’s great-grandson installed a marble tablet memorializing him.