What date did the surrender at yorktown end?
The British surrendered on October 19, 1781 on the yorktown peninsula. Cornwallis, the British commander, was too embarrassed to attend the traditional surrender ceremony himself, so he sent his second in command, Charles O’Hara. O’Hara attempted to surrender his leader’s sword to the French Commander Rochambeau. Rochambeau declined and directed O’Hara to General George Washington. Washington also did not accept the sword, and sent O’Hara to his own second in command, Benjamin Lincoln.
