Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did the French navy help trap British forces at Yorktown?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

American Revolution *The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis* (at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781), oil on canvas by John Trumbull, completed in 1820; in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C. The painting captures the moment when major fighting during the American Revolution ended and the colonies achieved independence.

The French navy played a decisive role in trapping British forces at Yorktown by establishing naval supremacy, which prevented the British from resupplying or evacuating Lord Cornwallis by sea.123

Admiral François-Joseph-Paul, comte de Grasse, arrived from the West Indies with a powerful fleet and effectively blockaded the Chesapeake Bay. When a British fleet under Admiral Thomas Graves attempted to break this blockade, it was defeated in the Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes. Following this engagement, the British fleet was forced to return to New York, leaving Cornwallis isolated.431

Furthermore, the French fleet provided essential logistical support by transporting General George Washington’s troops down the Chesapeake Bay to Williamsburg, where they joined forces with the marquis de Lafayette to lay siege to Yorktown. With the French navy controlling the waters and the combined Franco-American army surrounding him on land, Cornwallis was unable to escape, ultimately leading to his surrender on October 19, 1781.134