Washington sent his French aide, the Marquis de Lafayette, to Virginia in the spring of 1781 with a few Continental troops, and these were reinforced from time to time until in June when Cornwallis pulled back down the Yorktown Peninsula. Henry Clinton told Cornwallis to send all his men to New York to help attack Philadelphia. However, Cornwallis kept all of his troops, which was about 7,500 , and began fortifying Yorktown and Gloucester, across the York River.
Within five days Washington's plans were abandoned and Washington and French General Rochambeau with 2,500 Continental and 4,000 French troops started their march to Philadelphia when Clinton realized they hadn't planned on attacking New York. Admiral de Grasse with the French fleet arrived at the Chesapeake Bay on August 30, and the British fleet from New York arrived off the bay on September 5.
Following this was an decisive naval battle with the French navy driving off the British fleet. After waiting a few days while the British admirals Graves and Hood went back to New York, Cornwallis was then besieged by a Franco-American force of 16,000 troops. Back in New York the British admirals were deciding on how and when to rescue Cornwallis. Then on October 17th a British fleet finally set out of New York to rescue Cornwallis, but it was too late. Cornwallis was outnumbered, outgunned and was running out of food. He surrendered his army of 7,157 on October 19, 1781.
The surrender of Yorktown ended the fighting in the War for American Independence (American Revolution) in the Americas except for some minor fights in the south. But other battles still went on overseas.
Losses on both sides were light: British and Hessian 156 killed and 326 wounded; French, 52 killed and 134 wounded; American, 20 killed and 56 wounded.
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