Yorktown Virginia. On October 19, 1781, in Yorktown, Virginia, the British forces surrendered to George Washington, effectively ending the Revolutionary War and ushering in the early days of the United States. Learn more about the Siege of Yorktown at the Yorktown Victory Center, a museum located at Yorktown Battlefield National Park. Yorktown is part of “America’s Historic Triangle,” along with the nearby colonial towns of Jamestown and Williamsburg, an area aimed at allowing visitors to interact with the past.