Yorktown Battlefield

Yorktown Battlefield preserves the landscape of the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. After a coordinated campaign brought American and French armies to Virginia, General George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau surrounded British General Charles Cornwallis's position at Yorktown while the French fleet under Admiral de Grasse controlled access to the Chesapeake. Allied siege operations steadily tightened around the British defenses until Cornwallis agreed to surrender on October 19, 1781.

The battlefield is part of Colonial National Historical Park and is administered by the National Park Service. Visitors typically begin at the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center, where an orientation film, exhibits, maps, and ranger information provide context for exploring the larger landscape. Battlefield tour roads lead to surviving earthworks, siege positions, encampment areas, Surrender Field, the Moore House grounds where surrender terms were negotiated, and other locations connected to the campaign. Historic structures in the village and the Yorktown Victory Monument add further context to the battlefield story.

For travelers interested in the Revolution, Yorktown Battlefield offers the opportunity to move beyond museum displays and see the actual terrain that shaped the siege. Walking trails, driving routes, interpretive signs, and ranger programs help explain how artillery, fortifications, logistics, French naval power, and the combined American-French army brought the campaign to its decisive conclusion.