Battle of the Chesapeake
Part of the American Revolutionary War
The French battleships Ville de Paris and Auguste, in the "Second Battle of the Virginia Capes", September 1781.
Date September 5, 1781 Location Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Result Decisive French victory
Combatants
France	Great Britain
Commanders
Comte de Grasse	Sir Thomas Graves
Strength
24 ships	19 ships
Casualties
none	some ships damaged

The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as Battle of the Virginia Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on September 5, 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Graves and a French fleet led by Rear-Admiral Comte de Grasse. It was a major defeat for the Royal Navy. Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, Dutch Republic, Spain, American Indians Kingdom of Great Britain, German mercenaries, Loyalists, American Indians Commanders George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Nathanael Greene, Bernardo de Gálvez Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis (more commanders) The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the... Image File history File links BattleOfVirginiaCapes. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Chesapeake Bay - Landsat photo The Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna River empties into it. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Image File history File links Pavillon_royal_de_France. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Pavillon_royal_de_France. ... François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse (1722 - Paris, 14th of January 1788), French admiral, was born at Bar, in the present départment of the Alpes-Maritimes. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Thomas Graves, 1st Baron Graves (ca. ... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Colonel Francis McLean General Solomon Lovell and Captain Dudley Saltonstall Strength 600 regulars 1,000 regulars, 43 warships Casualties 13 killed and wounded 474 killed, wounded, and captured; all ships lost The Penobscot Expedition was the largest American naval expedition of the American Revolutionary War... Combatants Great Britain France Commanders Marriott Arbuthnot Des Touches Strength 8 ships of the line 7 ships of the line & 1 frigate The Battle of Cape Henry was naval battle in the American War of Independence which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 16 March 1781 between... Combatants American Revolutionaries, France, Dutch Republic, Spain, American Indians Kingdom of Great Britain, German mercenaries, Loyalists, American Indians Commanders George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, Nathanael Greene, Bernardo de Gálvez Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis (more commanders) The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the... The Chesapeake Bay - Landsat photo The Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna River empties into it. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Thomas Graves, 1st Baron Graves (ca. ... François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse (1722 - Paris, 14th of January 1788), French admiral, was born at Bar, in the present départment of the Alpes-Maritimes. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

The victory by the French fleet prevented the Royal Navy from resupplying the forces of General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. It also prevented interference with the supply of troops and provisions from New York to the armies of George Washington through Chesapeake Bay. As a result, Cornwallis surrendered after the siege of Yorktown, and Great Britain later recognized the independence of the United States of America. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marques Cornwallis (31 December 1738 - 5 October 1805 in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh) was an English(England) military commander and colonial governor. ... York Hall is a government building on Yorktowns historic Main Street. ... NY redirects here. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732–December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was later elected the first President of the United States. ... The Chesapeake Bay - Landsat photo The Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna River empties into it. ... Combatants France United States Great Britain German mercenaries Commanders Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau François de Grasse Gilbert de La Fayette George Washington Nathanael Greene Charles Cornwallis # Charles O’Hara # Banastre Tarleton # (stationed at Gloucester, Virginia) Strength 10,800 French, 8,845 Americans 7,500 Casualties 62 dead 190 wounded...

Background

After a strategically indecisive campaign in the southern states, British troops under Lord Cornwallis headed north in the summer of 1781 in order to rejoin Sir Henry Clinton's army in New York City, which was under threat of attack from American and French forces led by George Washington and the comte de Rochambeau. Rather than taking an overland route, Cornwallis led his troops to the coast at Yorktown, Virginia, to await naval transport to New York. The presence of the British troops at Yorktown made control of the Chesapeake Bay an essential naval objective. The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War became the central area of operations on land after France entered the war on the side of the United States. ... General Sir Henry Clinton K.B. Commander-in-Chief of British troops in America. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... York Hall is a government building on Yorktowns historic Main Street. ...

Cornwallis was expecting to be met by ships of the British West Indian fleet, which in any case would be heading north to escape hurricane season in the Caribbean. At the same time, the French fleet in the Caribbean had been urgently petitioned to come north by Washington, who realized the strategic importance of the Chesapeake. This article is about weather phenomena. ... West Indian redirects here. ...

The British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood arrived off the entrance to the Chesapeake on August 25, but finding no French ships there and perhaps underestimating the urgency of the situation, Hood proceeded to take his entire fleet of 14 ships of the line to New York to join with Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves's fleet. However, upon arriving in New York, he found that Graves had only 5 additional ships of the line that were fit for battle. Admiral Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, 1724–1816 by James Northcote, painted 1784. ... August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining. ... Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ... Thomas Graves, 1st Baron Graves (ca. ...

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Comte de Grasse had arrived at the Chesapeake on August 29 with a French fleet that included 27 ships of the line and also carried three regiments of regular troops under General Marquis de Saint-Simon. Thus, the British had already made two fatal mistakes: they had failed to track the movements of the French fleet, and they had badly underestimated its strength and sent an inadequate force to deal with the threat. August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ...

Battle

When the British fleet of 19 ships, now under Graves's command, arrived back at the Chesapeake on the morning of September 5, they found 24 French ships at anchor behind Cape Henry. The remaining 3 ships of de Grasse's fleet had been detached to blockade the York and James Rivers farther up the bay, and many of the ships at anchor were missing officers, men, and boats who were busy landing the French troops. September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia. ... The York River is a navigable estuary, approximately 40 mi (64 km) long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. ... The James River at Cartersville The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is 547. ...

With the wind and tide in their favor as well as the element of surprise in finding the French ships at anchor in a state of unpreparedness for battle, the British might have been able to inflict severe losses by sailing into the bay and striking quickly in a general attack. However, it is unlikely that such an idea ever occurred to Graves. Conventional naval tactics of the time called for the fleets to each form up in line of battle and then maneuver within gun shot range of each other, each ship attacking its opposite in the enemy line. Naval tactics in the Age of Sail were used from the early 1600s when sailing ships replaced oared galleys to the 1860s when steam-powered ironclad warships rendered sailing line of battle ships obsolete. ...

Forming up the British line took so much time that the French were able to cut their anchors, sail out of Chesapeake Bay, and form their own line of battle. It was after 4 p.m., over 6 hours since the two fleets had first sighted each other, by the time the British—who still had the weather gage, and therefore the initiative—were ready to open their attack. The phrase to have the weather gage (or gauge) describes the favorable position of a sailing vessel relative to another with respect to the wind. ...

At this point, both fleets were sailing generally east, away from the bay. The two lines were approaching at an angle so that the leading ships of the vans of both lines were within range of each other, but the ships behind them were still attempting to close the gap. A shift in wind direction during the battle made it even harder for the ships in the rear to engage. Thus the ships in the van on both sides were engaged in heavy and continuous firing from the beginning of the action, while several of the ships in the rear never got into action at all. There was also confusion in the British fleet's maneuvers caused by apparently contradictory signals issued by Graves during the battle.

Around 6:30 p.m., at dusk, firing ended. Graves gave a general signal to keep to windward so that the heads of the two fleets separated. By this time, the British ships in the van division that had borne the brunt of the battle were very badly damaged and unable to continue to fight effectively in any case. Many of the British ships had been leaking badly and were in need of refitting even before the battle, and the French gunnery had been particularly destructive of the ships' rigging and masts.

Aftermath

The actual battle ended at sunset on September 5, but for several days afterwards the two fleets continued to maneuver within sight of each other, as ships on both sides carried out repairs and waited for an opportunity to resume the fight. In the meantime, both fleets were sailing farther and farther away from Chesapeake Bay, their strategic objective. Finally, on the evening of September 9, de Grasse recognized the futility of continuing the stalemate, and the French fleet turned around. When they arrived back at Cape Henry the following day, they found that in their absence, Comte de Barras had arrived from Newport, Rhode Island with 7 more ships of the line. Thus Chesapeake Bay was indisputably under French control. September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... Newport as seen from the International Space Station. ...

Although the actual naval battle was inconclusive, the Battle of the Chesapeake was a major strategic victory for the French because of its consequences for the land campaign. Cornwallis was cut off from rescue or resupply, while the French were reinforced by the troops brought by de Grasse, and Washington's army converged from the north. This led to the siege of Yorktown, the surrender of Cornwallis' army, and the ultimate defeat of the British forces in America.

Memorial

At the Cape Henry Memorial located at Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia, there is monument maintained by the Colonial National Historical Park of the National Park Service which commemorates Admiral de Grasse and his sailors who helped the United States achieve its independence from Great Britain. Old Cape Henry Lighthouse Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia. ... Fort Story is a facility of the U.S. Army located in the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia at Cape Henry. ... Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... Colonial National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the southeastern part of Virginia, near Williamsburg and Newport News. ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ...

Ships involved

External links

• War for Independence—Battle of the Capes on u-s-history.com
• Center of Military History, Battle of the Virginia Capes
• Role of the Spanish in the Battle of Yorktown