Which 1781 battle is commonly regarded as the decisive victory of the American Revolutionary War?

The Siege of Yorktown is commonly regarded as the decisive victory of the American Revolutionary War.

American and French forces surrounded the British army commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, in September and October 1781. General George Washington commanded the allied American forces, while French troops and naval power played a crucial role.

Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. Fighting continued in other places afterward, but the defeat badly weakened Britain’s ability and political willingness to continue the war on the same scale.

The Siege of Yorktown did not immediately create an independent United States. The conflict formally concluded with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, when Britain recognized American independence. Yorktown is remembered as decisive because it effectively ended major combat.