For America250, the Siege of Yorktown became the final major land engagement of the American Revolutionary War.
The siege took place in Virginia from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces led by George Washington joined French troops commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau, while French naval forces under the Comte de Grasse blocked British relief by sea. Their combined operations surrounded the British army at Yorktown.
British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis requested surrender terms on October 17. The formal surrender ceremony occurred on October 19, after negotiations at the Moore House. Cornwallis did not attend the ceremony, claiming illness; Charles O’Hara represented him and presented the sword to Benjamin Lincoln on Washington’s instructions.
Yorktown did not end every military action immediately, especially at sea, but it made continued British efforts to regain the colonies politically and financially difficult. Peace negotiations followed, and the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, formally ending the war.