Oct 14, 1066 Battle of Hastings
1944 Erwin Rommel comits suicide to avoid execution for his role in plot to assasinate Hitler

Oct 17, 1777 Gen. Burgoyne surrenders his Army @ Saratoga, NY
1941 Destroyer USS Kearny torpedoed by U-Boat off of Iceland, 11 crew members killed.

Oct 18, 1977 West German Commandos storm a hijacked Lufthansa airliner in Somalia freeing 86 hostages & killing 3 of 4 hijackers.

October 18Th:

1812 - U.S. sloop of war Wasp captures HM brig Frolic.
1859 - U.S. Marines reach Harper's Ferry, VA and assault the arsenal seized by John Brown and his followers.
1867 - USS Ossippee and USS Resaca participate in formal transfer of Alaska to U.S. authority at Sitka and remain to enforce law and order in new territory.

October 19, 1871: British General Cornwallis surrendered to American General Washington at Yorktown. Being a sore loser General Cornwallis, sent his second in command to actually do the formalities. General O'Hara tried to give his sword to the French Commander, Rochambeau. The frenchman shook his head and directed him to Washington. So he tried to give his sword to Washington. Washington shook his head and directed him to his second in command, who finally took the sword.

Undoubtedly, it was the French who should get the lion's share of the credit for Yorktown. They supplied half the troops for the land force and it was the French Navy who prevented the British Navy from simply evacuating the British army by sea to land some place else and continue the fight.

Oct 19, 1864
Confederate Raid on St. Albans, Vt
Battle of Cedar Creek, Va

Oct. 20, 1944 Gen. McArthur "returns" to the Philipines.

The Battle at Trafalgar

Oct 21, 1861 Battle of Ball's Bluff, Va

October 21

1797 - Launching of USS Constitution at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts. The ship is now the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy.
1942 - British submarine lands CAPT Jerauld Wright, USN and four Army officers at Cherchel, French North Africa, to meet with a French military delegation to learn the French attitude toward future Allied landings.