Siege of Yorktown

The siege of Yorktown is a decisive victory for American and French forces, with General Cornwallis's surrender marking the effective end of the American War of Independence.

Relying on French control of Chesapeake Bay, Allied forces besiege the last major British position in Virginia. The siege seals success of the American rebellion.

Combination of effective Franco-American land cooperation and French naval blockade preventing any British reinforcement. Use of trenches and siege artillery to break British defenses.

British capitulation leads to the Peace of Paris negotiations (1783) and official recognition of the United States of America. The war ends with victory for the insurgents.