 Following the British surrender , Hazen and his unit were given prisoner guard duty at Lancaster , Pennsylvania . While on this duty , a misstep by Hazen caused a minor diplomatic incident , known as the " Asgill Affair " . The British accused an American soldier of spying , and were threatening to hang him . George Washington threatened to hang a British soldier if this happened , and instructed Hazen to choose an officer whose rank was similar to that of the accused American . The man he chose by lot , Charles Asgill , should have been ineligible for selection due to the terms of the Yorktown surrender . The accused American was eventually acquitted , but Asgill 's plight drew the attention of Marie Antoinette ; Washington received a letter from the French foreign minister asking for a pardon . 
