Final answer:
At the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, American forces led by General George Washington and French allies under Rochambeau and Lafayette verse British troops commanded by Lord William Cornwallis, culminating in a decisive American victory and Cornwallis's surrender.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Battle of Yorktown 1781
The participants in the Battle of Yorktown, which took place from September 28 to October 19, 1781, included American and French forces against the British troops. The American forces were led by General George Washington, while the French forces aligned with the Americas were commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau and the Marquis de Lafayette. The British forces, totaling 8,885 men, were under the command of Lieutenant General Lord William Cornwallis. As a result of this decisive encounter, Cornwallis was forced to surrender, marking a significant American Victory and signaling the end of major combat operations in the American Revolution.
After the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Cornwallis moved his troops to Yorktown and Gloucester Point in Virginia with the goal of using it as a port for evacuation by the British Navy. The besieging American and French force, with approximately 19,000 soldiers combined, effectively trapped the British on the peninsula, preventing escape and reinforcement. On October 19, when all hope for a breakout faded, Cornwallis was compelled to offer his surrender, concluding the pivotal siege that bolstered the path to American independence.