Which British commander surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, a decisive American Revolution victory?

Charles Cornwallis was the British commander who surrendered at Yorktown in 1781.

During the Siege of Yorktown, American forces led by George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau surrounded Cornwallis's army in Virginia. A French fleet also blocked British naval relief, leaving the besieged army with few options.

Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. The victory did not legally end the war, but it made continued British military operations in North America politically and strategically difficult, leading to peace negotiations.

Cornwallis did not personally attend the surrender ceremony; Brigadier General Charles O'Hara represented him. John Burgoyne was associated with the earlier Saratoga surrender, while Henry Clinton was the British commander in chief in North America at the time.