What was the last major battle of the American Revolution?

• A. The Battle of Bunker Hill
• B. The Battle of Saratoga
• C. The Siege of Yorktown
• D. The Battle of Lexington

Answer: (C)

Yorktown shows why this is considered the last major battle because it produced a decisive surrender that ended the main fighting in the colonies. In 1781, American and French forces cornered British General Cornwallis on the Virginia coast, and after a weeks-long siege he surrendered on October 19, 1781. The victory, helped by a French fleet blocking British relief, made it clear that Britain could not win the war in North America, so peace negotiations began, eventually leading to the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Earlier battles like Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga were crucial turning points, but none ended the war the way Yorktown did. There were some small skirmishes after Yorktown, but no large-scale battles followed.