Who commanded the Continental Army during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, a major America250 milestone?

George Washington commanded the Continental Army during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, a major America250 milestone.

Washington led the American forces in the combined Franco-American operation that trapped British troops under Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. French land forces under the Comte de Rochambeau and French naval forces under the Comte de Grasse were essential to the victory.

The siege ran from September 28 to October 19, 1781. American and French troops surrounded Yorktown while the French fleet blocked British reinforcement or escape by sea. The allies captured key outer defenses and intensified their artillery bombardment, making Cornwallis's position untenable.

Cornwallis did not personally attend the surrender ceremony, citing illness. His deputy, Charles O'Hara, surrendered the British army on October 19. Yorktown was the last major land engagement of the Revolutionary War, although the Treaty of Paris was still needed to formally end the conflict.