| By the summer of 1781, the American troops managed to force Corwallis and his army to Yorktown, Virginia. The French naval fleet was on its way to Chesapeake Bay to support the American soldiers surrounding Yorktown. The French fleet attacked the British navy in Chesapeake Bay on September 5, 1781. After defeating the British, French Admiral de Grass positioned his fleet and began bombarding the forts with Cornwallis and his troops. Cornwallis found himself trapped between the Americans and French. By mid-October, Cornwallis was running out of food and ammunition. On October 19, 1781, General Cornwallis and 8,000 British troops surrendered.Although this was only one fourth of the British troops in American, this surrender had a huge impact on the British government. They were now concerned that they were losing the war. They were now motivated to negotiate the end of the war, and the Treaty of Paris. |
