The Siege of Yorktown prompted Britain to begin peace negotiations that ended the American Revolutionary War.
American and French forces trapped the British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, in September and October 1781. General George Washington led the Continental Army, while French troops and a French fleet played decisive supporting roles.
Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. The defeat did not instantly end every military operation, but it made continued British efforts politically and financially difficult. Britain soon opened peace talks with the United States.
The conflict formally ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Yorktown is sometimes called the last major battle of the war, although smaller military actions continued afterward.