Battle of Yorktown 1781

American and French forces besiege Cornwallis; his surrender effectively ends the War of Independence.

Map showing the location of Battle of Yorktown — Border map for 1700. See the world in 1700.

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Key facts

Date	1781
Type	Battle
Location	37.24° N, 76.51° W
Nearest city on the map	Washington, D.C. (about 190 km)
Territory of (map of 1700)	Virginia

Rulers in 1781

Realm	Ruler	Reign
Spain	Charles III	1759–1788

The world around 1781

Year	Event	Where
1776	The Declaration of Independence	Philadelphia

Other battles and sites nearby

Jamestown · 1607
Battle of Gettysburg · 1863

Who was alive at the time

Lived	Person
1732 – 1799	George Washington	First president of the United States
1743 – 1826	Thomas Jefferson	Third president of the United States
1706 – 1790	Benjamin Franklin	Scientist and statesman

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.