Who commanded the Continental Army during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown?

George Washington commanded the Continental Army during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. He directed the American army in cooperation with French land and naval forces.

Washington's army marched south from the New York region after American and French leaders decided to concentrate against Cornwallis in Virginia. The operation depended on coordination among Washington, the French commander Comte de Rochambeau, and the French admiral Comte de Grasse.

At Yorktown, Washington oversaw the siege lines and the assaults that tightened the encirclement. Major General Benjamin Lincoln accepted Cornwallis's surrender on behalf of the allied army, but Washington was the senior American commander directing the campaign.

Washington is sometimes confused with other major Revolutionary War figures. Rochambeau commanded the French army, de Grasse commanded the French fleet, and Cornwallis commanded the British force. Their cooperation and opposition made Yorktown an unusually international operation.