Yorktown hosted the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, the decisive campaign of the American Revolutionary War. American and French forces surrounded the British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis on Virginia's York River peninsula.
George Washington commanded the Continental Army, while French troops under the Comte de Rochambeau joined the operation. French naval forces also prevented a successful British relief effort. After sustained bombardment and the capture of key defensive positions, Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781.
The surrender did not legally end the war, and fighting continued in other locations. However, it badly weakened political support in Britain for continuing the conflict. Peace negotiations led to the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, which recognized United States independence. Yorktown is therefore remembered as the war's decisive military turning point rather than its formal peace settlement.