 Cornwallis returned to Britain with General Arnold , and they were cheered when they landed in England on January 21 , 1782 . In 1782 Henry Laurens , a representative to the Continental Congress , was released from the Tower of London in exchange for a promise to effect the release of Cornwallis from his parole . Laurens was unsuccessful in this , and Cornwallis was not formally freed until a preliminary peace was agreed in 1783 . His tactics in America , especially during the southern campaign , were a frequent subject of criticism by his political enemies in London , especially General Clinton , who sought to blame Cornwallis for the failures . His dispute with Clinton was particularly public ; both men published works critical of the other , and much of their correspondence in 1781 was made public as a result . However Cornwallis retained the confidence of King George III and the British government . 
