| By the summer of 1781, the
American troops managed to force Corwallis and his army
to Yorktown, Virginia. The French naval fleet was on its
way to Chesapeake Bay to support the American soldiers
surrounding Yorktown. On September 5, 1771, the French
fleet attacked the British navy in Chesapeake Bay. After
defeating the British Navy, French Admiral de Grass
positioned his fleet and began bombarding the forts with
Cornwallis and his troops.
Cornwallis was trapped between the American army and
the French navy. By mid-October, Cornwallis was running
out of food and ammunition. On October 19, 1781, General
Cornwallis and 8,000 British troops surrendered.
Although this was only one quarter of the British
troops in America, the surrender has a devastating affect
on the British government, who were now concerned they
were losing the war.
They were now motivated to negotiate the end of the war, and the Treaty
of Paris.
|
 The surrender of General, Lord Cornwallis
at Yorktown (Source: Library of Congress)
|
