Significance of the Battle

The significance of the conflict was that Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington as French and American forces trapped the British at Yorktown. The British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown virtually ended the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. A significant victory for George Washington's colonial army, it disheartened the British, encouraged the Americans and French, and prompted negotiations to end the war. This resulted in the British Government considering a peace treaty.