General George Washington salutes British column as they pass at the 225th Anniversary of the Victory at Yorktown, a reenactment of the siege of Yorktown, where General George Washington commanded 17,600 American troops and French Comte de Rochambeau lead 5500 French troops, together defeating General Lord Cornwallis, who surrendered his arms on October 19, 1781, ending the Revolutionary War, thus making the 13 Colonies the United States of America, an independent nation. On October 19-22, 2006,