Which 1781 American Revolutionary War siege ended with the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia?

The Siege of Yorktown ended with the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781.

The siege lasted from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces commanded by George Washington joined French troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau, while a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse blocked British access by sea. Together, they surrounded the British army commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis.

The allied forces captured key British outer defenses on October 14 and moved their artillery closer to Yorktown. Facing intense bombardment and no realistic route of escape, Cornwallis opened surrender negotiations on October 17. The formal surrender took place two days later, although Cornwallis did not attend the ceremony and sent Brigadier General Charles O'Hara in his place.

Yorktown was the final major land engagement of the American Revolutionary War. Fighting continued elsewhere, especially at sea, but the surrender encouraged peace negotiations that led to the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Yorktown is therefore often remembered as the battle that effectively secured American victory, rather than as the legal end of the war.