The British army surrendered at Yorktown in 1781.
The Siege of Yorktown took place in Virginia from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces under George Washington and French forces under the Comte de Rochambeau surrounded the British army commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. French naval control of the Chesapeake Bay prevented Cornwallis from receiving effective relief or escape by sea.
American and French troops built siege lines, brought artillery forward, and captured key defensive positions. On October 19, Cornwallis surrendered his army. He did not attend the formal ceremony, sending Brigadier General Charles O’Hara in his place.
Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War, but it did not legally end the conflict. Peace negotiations continued, and the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. Yorktown’s importance came from combining American land forces with French military and naval support.