Final answer:
Option (1), General Cornwallis was forced to surrender at Yorktown, VA, marking the last major action of the American Revolution that led to the end of the war and the independence of the 13 colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The general who was forced to surrender at Yorktown, VA was General Cornwallis. During the siege of Yorktown, the combined American and French forces, under the command of General George Washington, laid siege to Cornwallis's army. After being effectively trapped and unable to flee due to French Admiral de Grasse's fleet blocking any seaward escape routes, Cornwallis found himself surrounded and outmatched. Faced with the impossibility of a breakout and the failure of promised relief from Lieutenant General Henry Clinton, Cornwallis planned a last breakout which ultimately did not succeed.
On October 19, 1781, he accepted Washington's offer to surrender, marking the last major action of the American Revolution. This event led to the end of the war and two years later to the signing of the Treaty of Paris, with Great Britain recognizing the independence of the original 13 colonies.