On this day in 1781, the world turned upside down.
After nearly three weeks of fighting, British Gen. Charles Cornwallis found his troops surrounded by combined American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia. With supply routes cut off and little hope of reinforcements, Cornwallis agreed to surrender to Gen. George Washington and French Gen. Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau.
Although the Revolutionary War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the British surrender at Yorktown on Oct. 19, 1781, effectively ended major military operations in the American colonies.
News of the defeat sent shock waves across the Atlantic. British Prime Minister Lord North reportedly exclaimed, “Oh God! It’s all over!” upon learning of Cornwallis’ surrender. The defeat increased political pressure on North’s government, contributing to his resignation in 1782.
The victory at Yorktown remains one of the most significant turning points in American military history. It helped secure American independence and paved the way for the former colonies to establish a new nation.
The battle and its historical significance have been depicted in popular culture and art, including Roland Emmerich’s 2000 film “The Patriot,” John Trumbull’s painting “Surrender of Lord Cornwallis,” displayed in the U.S. Capitol, and the song “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” from the musical “Hamilton.”
The victory also inspired words attributed to the Marquis de Lafayette, who wrote, “Humanity has won its battle, liberty now has a country.”
