The battle was going bad for the Patriots. Then Cornwallis decided to move to Yorktown because the Continental Army in the Carolinas was harassing him. Washington saw that he could siege the army in Yorktown. The Patriots and the French were able to surround Cornwallis. Washington started to prepare an attack on the weakened British army and wipe them out. However, Cornwallis sent a message of surrender.
In 1781, the war was not going so well for the Patriots. Their morale was lowering, especially when Benedict Arnold betrayed them. Meanwhile, in North and South Carolinas, General Charles Cornwallis was being bothered by the continental army. So he moved his army to Yorktown in Virginia. General Washington decided to trap Cornwallis in Yorktown. He got Lafayette to block the escape routes by land. Then he and the French quickly marched over to Virginia and blocked the other escape routes. While the Patriots surrounded Cornwallis and his army, the French navel fleet prevented British ships from rescuing Cornwallis and his army. Then the siege began. The Americans beat down at the British. Finally, as Washington was going to unleash a major attack, the British surrendered.
I think that the battle of Yorktown was a smart move. However, the smart move couldn't have been made if General Cornwallis had made a mistake. Then again, Cornwallis was pressured into moving to Yorktown because of the pestering army in the Carolinas. This shows that you will never know the outcome of your move in war.
