The last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in British surrender and leading directly to the Treaty of Paris.
Key Facts
- Date of surrender ceremony
- October 19, 1781
- British soldiers captured
- More than 7,000 soldiers
- Allied arrival at Yorktown
- September 28, 1781
- Redoubt No. 10 commander
- Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton
- Capitulation terms requested
- October 17, 1781
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following coordination between Washington and Rochambeau, the French fleet under de Grasse sailed from the West Indies to Chesapeake Bay, defeating the British relief fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake in early September 1781. This cut off Cornwallis's ability to receive reinforcements or escape by sea, while combined Franco-American land forces moved south from New York to encircle the British position at Yorktown.
Beginning September 28, 1781, American and French forces besieged Yorktown, constructing parallel trenches and conducting intense artillery bombardment. On October 14, Hamilton's column seized Redoubt No. 10 and a French column took Redoubt No. 9, enabling completion of the second parallel. With his defenses collapsing, Cornwallis requested capitulation terms on October 17, and the formal surrender occurred on October 19.
The capture of over 7,000 British troops at Yorktown effectively ended large-scale military operations in the American Revolutionary War. Cornwallis's defeat prompted the British government to seek a negotiated settlement, leading to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which formally recognized the independence of the United States of America.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Comte de Grasse, Marquis de Lafayette.
Side B
1 belligerent
Charles Cornwallis, Sir Thomas Graves.