Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, a decisive Revolutionary War victory remembered by America250.
The Siege of Yorktown took place in Virginia from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces commanded by George Washington and French troops commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau surrounded Cornwallis’s army, while the French fleet blocked British relief by sea.
American and French forces gradually tightened the siege with trenches and artillery positions. Cornwallis’s position became untenable after the British failed to break the encirclement. On October 19, his army formally surrendered, although Cornwallis did not attend the ceremony and sent Brigadier General Charles O’Hara in his place.
Yorktown did not legally end the war immediately. Fighting and diplomatic negotiations continued until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. Nevertheless, the surrender destroyed Britain’s strongest position in the colonies and led to peace negotiations that recognized American independence.