British forces surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, a decisive date in the history commemorated by America250.
The Siege of Yorktown was the final major land engagement of the American Revolutionary War. American and French forces surrounded the British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia. French naval forces also helped prevent British relief or escape by sea.
Cornwallis requested capitulation terms on October 17. Negotiations followed, and the surrender ceremony took place two days later. More than 7,000 British soldiers were captured, making the defeat strategically devastating for Britain.
Yorktown did not itself legally end the war. Fighting and negotiations continued, and the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783. That treaty formally recognized the United States as independent. Yorktown is nevertheless remembered as the campaign that effectively ended major fighting on the North American mainland.