The Siege of Yorktown was the final major land engagement of the American Revolutionary War.
The siege took place in Virginia from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces led by George Washington joined French troops under the Comte de Rochambeau, while a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse helped prevent British relief by sea. British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis commanded the force trapped at Yorktown.
The Franco-American victory forced Cornwallis to surrender. Fighting continued in other places afterward, and the Treaty of Paris was not signed until 1783, so Yorktown did not instantly end the war. It did, however, convinced many British leaders that continuing the conflict was too costly.
Yorktown’s importance makes it a frequent companion to Declaration-era history. The battle demonstrated the value of the French alliance and helped turn the political independence announced in 1776 into a military and diplomatic reality.