Yorktown gave its name to the 1781 siege that led to the British surrender in the American Revolutionary War.
The Siege of Yorktown took place in Virginia from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American forces commanded by George Washington joined French troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau, while the French fleet helped prevent British relief by sea. Their combined army surrounded the British position commanded by General Charles Cornwallis.
Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. The victory did not legally end the war, but it became the decisive military event that made continued British operations politically and strategically difficult. Peace negotiations followed and culminated in the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
Yorktown should not be confused with Jamestown, Williamsburg, or Richmond, all important Virginia places with different historical roles. The siege occurred near the small port town of Yorktown on the York River, not at Virginia’s later capital, Richmond.