Corn·wal·lis 
(kôrn-wŏlĭs, -wôlĭs), Charles First Marquis Cornwallis. 1738-1805.
(kôrn-wŏlĭs, -wôlĭs), Charles First Marquis Cornwallis. 1738-1805. British military leader who commanded forces in the Carolinas and Virginia during the American Revolution. His surrender at Yorktown in 1781 signaled the eventual defeat of Britain.