The Siege of Yorktown, sometimes also referred to as the Battle of Yorktown or the Surrender of Yorktown, was the closing battle of the American Revolutionary War.
History
Fought between Continental and British forces, the siege took place in and around Yorktown, Virginia. George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette began an assault on the British-held city on 28 September 1781, where the British General Charles Cornwallis had stationed his troops with the intention of trapping the American leaders on the cape.
With the support of the French Navy, Washington and Lafayette laid siege to the city and engaged Cornwallis' troops in the fields around it for the next three weeks. The British were unable to either escape or provide reinforcements due to the success of the French with the Battle of the Chesapeake, allowing for a French naval blockade of the Chesapeake Bay. Aside from Connor's assistance in the blockade, the Colonial Assassins also covertly aided the American command on land, eliminating British threats as the battle went on.
With the American-French army gaining ground after several skirmishes, the British situation began to rapidly deteriorate and Cornwallis offered to negotiate the terms of his surrender on 17 October. Two days later, the British Army formally surrendered.
Aftermath
The British finally recognized the Declaration of Independence and opened negotiations to officially end the war, culminating in the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
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