On what date did British forces surrender at the Battle of Yorktown?

British forces surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

The Yorktown surrender followed a siege in Virginia led by American forces under George Washington and French forces under the Comte de Rochambeau. British troops were commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, whose army had been trapped on the York River peninsula.

French naval control of the Chesapeake Bay prevented effective British evacuation or resupply. American and French troops tightened the siege by constructing trenches and artillery positions, forcing Cornwallis to seek terms. The surrender effectively ended major fighting in the American Revolutionary War, although the peace treaty was signed later.

Yorktown is sometimes called the final battle of the Revolution, but smaller military actions continued after the surrender. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the war and recognized American independence.