On October 19, 1781, the British surrendered to the American Army during the Battle of Yorktown. Our British general Cornwallis had his base at Yorktown, at the peninsula in Chesapeake Bay, so the British could get supplies from ships arriving in New York. This turned out to become a big mistake… General George Washington saw this as a chance for him to trap the British. In August, a huge French fleet helping to fight for the Americans came from the West Indies and blocked Chesapeake bay. The ships that were blocked carried much needed British supplies, which the British were unfortunately unable to get. The huge French fleet blocking the British also did not allow the British to flee. General Washington then came from the north to trap Cornwallis.
