The Siege of Yorktown ended major fighting in the American Revolutionary War when General Charles Cornwallis surrendered in 1781.
American and French forces trapped the British army at Yorktown, Virginia, in a combined land and naval campaign. George Washington commanded the American army, while French troops under the Comte de Rochambeau supported the siege. A French fleet blocked British naval relief in the Chesapeake Bay.
Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. The victory did not immediately produce a peace treaty, and smaller military actions continued afterward. However, the defeat made continued British prosecution of the war politically difficult and led to serious peace negotiations.
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, formally recognizing American independence. Yorktown is therefore remembered as the decisive military climax, while the treaty represents the diplomatic conclusion.