Watch on HDtoday. In this video, visit Yorktown, Virginia, scene of the culminating battle of the American Revolution. Relive the dramatic events leading to the capture of General Lord Cornwallis and the British defeat in the autumn of 1781. As the narrator relates the historical significance, strategy, and tactics of this intense siege, regiments in period costume re-enact scenes of the battle between the British Army, and the combined American and French forces led by General George Washington.