The Siege of Yorktown was the final major land engagement of the American Revolutionary War, fought in Virginia in 1781.
The siege lasted from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces under George Washington joined French troops commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau, while a French naval force under the Comte de Grasse blocked British relief by sea. Their combined operations surrounded the British army commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis.
American and French troops captured key outer defenses, established closer siege lines, and subjected Yorktown to sustained artillery fire. Cornwallis requested terms on October 17, and the surrender ceremony took place on October 19. More than 7,000 British and German troops became prisoners.
Yorktown did not instantly end every military operation. Fighting continued at sea, and the peace treaty formally ending the war came later. However, the defeat made continued British efforts to suppress American independence politically and militarily impractical.