Battle Description

The Siege of Yorktown was the final major military engagement of the American Revolutionary War. Beginning on September 28, 1781, combined American and French forces encircled British troops under General Cornwallis, who had fortified Yorktown on the Virginia coast. With the French fleet blocking escape by sea and Washington’s army closing in by land, the siege tightened over three weeks.

American and French troops dug trenches, advanced artillery positions, and bombarded British defenses. On October 14, a daring nighttime assault captured key redoubts, accelerating the collapse of British resistance. Cornwallis, unable to escape or receive reinforcements, surrendered on October 19.

Outcome

• Outcome: Decisive Franco-American victory; British army surrendered.
• Casualties:
  • American/French: ~88 killed, ~301 wounded
  • British: ~156 killed, ~326 wounded, ~7,000 surrendered

Significance on the Revolution

Yorktown marked the end of major combat in the Revolutionary War. The surrender of Cornwallis shocked Britain and led to peace negotiations that culminated in the Treaty of Paris (1783). The victory validated the Franco-American alliance and demonstrated the effectiveness of joint operations. Yorktown also cemented Washington’s reputation as a strategic leader and symbolized the triumph of the Patriot cause.