Which British general surrendered at Yorktown in 1781?

British general Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in 1781.

Cornwallis commanded the British forces trapped at Yorktown, Virginia, during the final major campaign of the American Revolutionary War. George Washington’s Continental Army joined French forces commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau, while French naval victory in the Chesapeake helped prevent British relief.

The allied army surrounded Yorktown and began siege operations in late September. After American and French troops captured key outer redoubts and tightened the bombardment, Cornwallis opened negotiations. The surrender terms were agreed on October 19, 1781, and more than 7,000 British soldiers became prisoners of war.

Yorktown did not legally end the war immediately, and fighting continued elsewhere. However, the defeat badly damaged political support for continuing the conflict in Britain. Peace negotiations led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally recognized American independence.