Which French general commanded the French expeditionary force allied with Washington at Yorktown?

Comte de Rochambeau commanded the French expeditionary force allied with Washington at Yorktown.

Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, in July 1780 with several thousand French soldiers. His army joined George Washington’s Continental forces in the campaign that moved south toward Virginia in 1781.

At Yorktown, Rochambeau commanded the French land forces while Washington led the combined American army. French naval operations under Admiral de Grasse were also essential because they prevented a British fleet from relieving Cornwallis. The allied siege ended with the British surrender on October 19, 1781.

Rochambeau is sometimes confused with the Marquis de Lafayette, a French volunteer who served as an American general, or with de Grasse, the naval commander. Rochambeau’s role was specifically leadership of the French expeditionary army, making his title and function distinct from those of the other French allies.