In 1781, General Cornwallis handed over his sword to General Washington at Yorktown. The band played "A World Turned Upside Down" and the first republic of the modern world would soon be born. Last Sunday, the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor unveiled their new exhibit celebrating that historic era. "Revolutionary War: Founding the New Nation" will be on display until March 26.

The exhibit features artists spanning the entire history of the United States. From the founding era itself, there is artwork by John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, John Trumbull and the Peale family.

Such famous portraits of George Washington as those by Gilbert Stuart, James Peale and Rembrandt Peale will be on display as will Emannual Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware, N.C. Wyeth's Paul Revere's Ride and Archibald Willard's The Spirit of '76.

Artists from our time include Mort Kunstler, whose exhibit on the Civil War graced the museum during the first several months of 1998. Other modern-day artists include Don Troiani and Tom Lovell.

Mr. Kunstler's exhibit was enlivened by a re-enactment between Union and Confederate troops on museum grounds. Long Island residents will be treated to another such display next Sunday and in late February. On Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2:30 p.m., museum grounds will once again be lit up by a re-enactment, this one between Colonial and British troops. The re-enactment will include a raid on a British-occupied manor house. The Manor House "Museum" will be occupied by the British as their headquarters. The British will be attacked by the Colonials and in turn, the Brits will defend their position.

On Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m., the museum grounds will be home to an historical encampment and another battle between the Colonials and the British. There will be two encampments on the grounds which will show the kinds of equipment the soldiers used: military army, tents and domestic artifacts will be included. A battle between Colonial and British forces will follow.

March will feature more events to compliment the exhibit. On Saturday, March 4, local thespians will take us back in time, re-creating for us what it was like to live during the American Revolution. Actress Jennifer Hall will bring to life the experience of women and children during that period.

In addition, actor Richard Ryan will appear as a "real-life" Revolutionary War soldier. Dressed from head to foot in period costume, he will demonstrate---piece by piece---the importance of a soldier's uniform and equipment. Storyteller Jonathan Kruk will entertain the audience with a true tale of Revolutionary Long Island: "The Culpepper Spy Ring." The March 4 events will run from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Speaking of Long Island, Andrew Batten, the director of Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay will present a lecture, "Loyalist Long Island" on March 12 at 3 p.m. Roslyn is home to the George Washington Manor, formerly the Onderdonck house, residence of a Roslyn family whose members served as spies for the Colonials during the war. After the war, General Washington, then on his tour of Long Island, stopped by the Onderdonck house to pay his respects. And so, the house eventually became a restaurant named after George Washington. However, not everyone in the thirteen colonies sympathized with the rebels. Historians estimate that 30 percent of the population favored rebellion, 30 percent remained British loyalists, while the rest were fence-sitters, waiting to see how the struggle unfolded.

Long Island was no different. Mr. Batten will explain why the majority of Long Islanders chose to remain Loyalist and what it was like to be left on the wrong side of history. Mr. Batten is an authority on a subject which presents, according to museum officials, a "fascinating and rarely told chapter of Long Island heritage."