Charles Cornwallis commanded the British forces that surrendered at the Siege of Yorktown.
Cornwallis established his army at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, expecting British naval and military support. Instead, a Franco-American force led by George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau surrounded the position, while the French fleet helped block escape and reinforcement by sea.
The siege lasted from September 28 to October 19, 1781. Allied artillery and infantry operations steadily tightened the encirclement. Cornwallis requested capitulation terms on October 17, and the articles of surrender were signed two days later. More than 7,000 British and German troops became prisoners.
Cornwallis did not personally attend the surrender ceremony, reportedly citing illness. Brigadier General Charles O’Hara represented him and ultimately offered the sword to Benjamin Lincoln after Washington and Rochambeau declined to receive it directly. Yorktown was the final major land engagement of the Revolutionary War, although fighting at sea continued afterward.