10/19/2025
On this date in history (October 19, 1781 AD), the world truly was turned upside down.
After a long and brutal siege at Yorktown, Virginia, British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered his entire army to American General George Washington.
Over 7,000 British and Hessian troops marched out of their fortifications and laid down their arms. Tradition holds that the British military band played the tune 'The World Turned Upside Down' during the procession, a fitting song for the occasion.
General Cornwallis, claiming to be ill, did not attend the ceremony himself. He sent his second-in-command, General Charles O'Hara, to surrender his sword in his place.
This incredible victory for the Continental Army would not have been possible without the crucial help of our French allies. The French fleet blocked any chance of a British escape or reinforcement by sea, while French soldiers fought bravely alongside the Americans on land. 🇺🇸 🙏
While the war wasn't officially over, the surrender at Yorktown broke the will of the British government and public to continue fighting the costly conflict across the ocean.
It was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. The British defeat paved the way for the signing of the Treaty of Paris two years later, which formally recognized the United States as an independent nation.
This victory at Yorktown was the decisive moment that secured American liberty and cemented the birth of our nation.
