Although George Washington’s 1781 victory at Yorktown pushed the British into peace talks, hostilities did not end there, with the final showdown taking place over 8,000 miles from Virginia.

Not merely a local struggle, the American Revolution ignited a world war as France and Spain rushed to support the American Patriots against the British Empire. Although small skirmishes continued in the U.S. until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the last major battle of the worldwide conflict broke out off the coast of India.

At the Battle of Cuddalore, a small French fleet under the Command of Admiral Pierre André de Suffren defeated the British Navy on April 20, 1783.

At the time, news had not yet reached India that a ceasefire had already been brokered between the two powers while the terms of the Treaty of Paris were negotiated.