The Siege of Yorktown is often called the decisive American victory of the Revolutionary War linked to America250.
In 1781, American forces under George Washington joined French forces commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau to trap the British army led by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. French naval forces also helped prevent British relief by winning the Battle of the Chesapeake.
The siege ended when Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. Fighting did not legally end that day, and the Treaty of Paris was not signed until 1783, but the Yorktown surrender destroyed British political support for continuing the war on a large scale. It is therefore commonly described as the war’s decisive military victory.
Yorktown is sometimes confused with Saratoga, another crucial American victory in 1777. Saratoga persuaded France to enter the war openly, while Yorktown brought the main combat phase toward its conclusion. Both battles were important, but they played different strategic roles.