Yorktown: An Army Surrenders, but the War Is Not Yet a Treaty
On October 19, 1781, most of Lord Cornwallis’s army marched out of Yorktown to lay down its arms.
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The Surrender
On October 19, 1781, most of Lord Cornwallis’s army marched out of Yorktown to lay down its arms. American and French forces had brought the British position under siege.
Negotiation Before Ceremony
Cornwallis sought a ceasefire on October 17. Officers met at the Moore House on October 18 to settle terms before the formal surrender the next day.
An Allied Operation
The outcome depended on cooperation between American and French forces. Treating it as a victory achieved by one commander alone obscures the campaign’s military and naval coordination.
A Decisive Turning Point
Yorktown was the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War. Its consequences were enormous, but the surrender did not itself constitute the later diplomatic peace.
Reading the Sequence
Ceasefire, negotiations, surrender and treaty belong to different dates. Preserving those stages shows how a battlefield outcome became a wider political settlement.
Sources
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