The Battle of Yorktown led to the British surrender that effectively ended major fighting in the American Revolutionary War, a central conflict in the history commemorated by the United States Semiquincentennial.
The decisive campaign took place in Virginia in 1781. American forces commanded by George Washington joined French troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau, while a French fleet helped prevent British reinforcement or evacuation by sea.
British commander Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. Fighting did not stop everywhere immediately, and the peace treaty came later, but the defeat made continued British efforts to recover the colonies politically and militarily difficult.
Yorktown is sometimes confused with Saratoga, another crucial American victory. Saratoga, in 1777, helped persuade France to enter the war openly on the American side; Yorktown produced the surrender most directly associated with the war’s conclusion.