Which 1781 battle is generally regarded as the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battle of Yorktown, also called the Siege of Yorktown, is generally regarded as the last major battle 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. George Washington commanded the American army, while French troops and naval forces played an essential role in trapping Cornwallis.

Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. The defeat badly weakened Britain’s position and encouraged peace negotiations, although fighting continued in other places for some time. Yorktown was therefore a decisive military turning point rather than the exact instant when the war legally ended.

The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, formally ended the war and recognized the independence of the United States. Saratoga, Bunker Hill, and Trenton were also important Revolutionary War battles, but none is generally identified as the conflict’s final major campaign.