British surrender at Yorktown
American and French forces under General Lafayette attacked the British at Yorktown, Virginia. It was the last major battle of the Revolution. On October 17, 1781, British general Charles Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington.
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Related Site Content
Essays
- No Way Out: Lord Cornwallis, the Siege of Yorktown, and America’s Victory in the War for Independence
- Advice (Not Taken) for the French Revolution from America
- The Indians’ War of Independence
- The Other Theater: The War for American Independence beyond the Colonies
- The US and Spanish American Revolutions
Featured Primary Sources
- Surrender of the British General Cornwallis to the Americans, October 19, 1781
- A patriot’s letter to his loyalist father, 1778
- Dragging cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, 1775
- George Washington from Valley Forge on the urgent need for men and supplies, 1777
- The British evacuation of Boston, 1776
Recommended Resources
- A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy
- A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence
- Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic
- And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?
- Diplomacy and Revolution: The Franco-American Alliance of 1778
Collection Objects
- Baillie, James S. (fl. 1838-1855), Surrender of Cornwallis
- Dundas, David, Sir, Bart (1749-1826), to James Dundas
- Dundas, David, Sir, Bart (1749-1826), to James Dundas
- Dundas, Ralph (b. 1732), to James Dundas
- Ellery, William (1727-1820), [Journal of William Ellery’s journey from Dighton, Massachusetts, to Yorktown, Pennsylvania]