The Siege of Yorktown was the final major land engagement of the American Revolution commemorated by America250.
The siege took place in Virginia from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces under George Washington and French forces under the Comte de Rochambeau surrounded the British army commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. French naval forces under the Comte de Grasse helped prevent British relief by controlling access through Chesapeake Bay.
After artillery bombardment and attacks on key defensive positions, Cornwallis’s army surrendered on October 19. More than 7,000 British soldiers became prisoners. The victory did not instantly end every military operation, but it made continued British prosecution of the war increasingly difficult and led to peace negotiations.
Yorktown is sometimes described as the end of the Revolutionary War itself. More precisely, it was the final major land engagement; the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, formally ended the war and recognized American independence.