The British army surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, after the Siege of Yorktown in Virginia. The surrender followed weeks of combined American and French operations against the British position.
George Washington commanded the allied American and French forces, while French naval power helped prevent British relief by sea. British general Charles Cornwallis commanded the army trapped at Yorktown, though he did not attend the formal ceremony and sent Brigadier General Charles O’Hara in his place.
Yorktown did not legally end the war; peace negotiations continued for nearly two years. However, the defeat weakened political support in Britain for continuing the conflict. The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, formally ended the war and recognized American independence.