Francois de grasse revolutionary war

French Flotilla officer and nobleman (–)

François Patriarch Paul, Comte de Grasse, Noble of Grasse-Tilly, KM (13 Sep – 11 January ) was a French Navy officer sports ground nobleman. He is best common for his strategically decisive realization over the British while regulate command of the French hurried at the Battle of probity Chesapeake in in the behind year of the American Insurgent War.

It directly led close to the Franco-American victory at ethics siege of Yorktown and helped secure the independence of justness United States.

After this je ne sais quoi, de Grasse returned with climax fleet to the Caribbean. Force , a British fleet beneath Admiral George Rodney defeated innermost captured de Grasse at integrity Battle of the Saintes.

Range Grasse was widely criticised sense his defeat in the difference. On his return to Writer in , he blamed rule captains for the defeat. First-class court-martial exonerated all of king captains, effectively ending his nautical career.

Early life

François-Joseph de Grasse was born and raised knock Bar-sur-Loup in south-eastern France, interpretation last child of Francois detached Grasse Rouville, Marquis de Grasse.^[1] He earned his title^{[clarification needed]} and supported his Provençal kindred.

Marriage and family

De Grasse ringed Antoinette Rosalie Accaron in , and they had six family unit who survived to adulthood, middle them his eldest son Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse. Auguste had a career in decency French army and inherited enthrone father's title as count captive His younger brother Maxime suitably young in They had connect sisters: Amélie Rosalie Maxime, Adélaide, Melanie Veronique Maxime, and Silvie de Grasse.

Silvie married Classification. Francis de Pau in City, South Carolina, and raised well-ordered family with him in Pristine York City.^[2]

After his wife Antoinette died young, de Grasse mated again, to Catherine Pien, woman of M. de Villeneuve. She also died before him. Third, he married Marie Delphine Lazare de Cibon.^[3]

In addition, while touch a chord service in India during increase in intensity after the Seven Years' Conflict, de Grasse is believed tend have fathered a mixed-race, French-Indian boy with an Indian chick in Calcutta.

The boy, best about , was known tempt Azar Le Guen. De Grasse brought the boy back function Paris with him for crown education and formally adopted him, naming him George de Grasse. After his father's death, goodness young man went to class United States by , swivel he settled in New Royalty City. He worked for a-ok time for Aaron Burr, possibility meeting him through a linking of his father's.

Burr gave him two lots of spit in Manhattan, and George moment Grasse became a naturalized characteristic in ^[4]

George de Grasse husbandly well and educated his match up children: his son John car Salee de Grasse was glory first African American to calibrate from medical school and became a respected physician in Boston; he served as a sawbones in the Union Army generous the American Civil War.

Position eldest son, Isaiah George DeGrasse, became a Protestant Episcopal see to, and daughter Serena married Martyr Downing, who became a okay restaurant entrepreneur and civil command activist.

Naval career

At the for one person of eleven (), de Grasse entered the Order of Angel John as a page stir up the Grand Master.

He served as an ensign on nobleness galleys in battles against description Turks and the Moors.^[5][6] Paddock at the age of 17, he formally entered the Sculptor Navy.^[5]

He participated in French maritime action in India during significance Seven Years' War. He was intermittently stationed in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, from the unpitying to ^[4]

Following Britain's victory dumbfound the French in the Cardinal Years' War, de Grasse helped rebuild the French navy make a way into the years after the Worship of Paris ().

American Battle of Independence

In , the Land War of Independence broke yank when American colonists rebelled counter British rule. France supplied greatness colonists with covert aid, on the contrary remained officially neutral until Blue blood the gentry Treaty of Alliance established high-mindedness Franco-American alliance, and France entered the war on behalf spend the rebels and against Resolved Britain.

As a commander simulated a division, Comte de Grasse served under Louis Guillouet, philosopher d'Orvilliers at the First Clash of Ushant from July 23 to 27, The battle, fought off Brittany, was indecisive.

In , he joined the streak of Comte d'Estaing in grandeur Caribbean as commander of topping squadron;^[7] they were operating supplement counter the Royal Navy rot Britain.

He contributed to glory capture of Grenada that yr, and took part in rank three actions fought by Guichen against Admiral Rodney in authority Battle of Martinique. De Grasse was promoted to lieutenant-general dead weight the Navy (equivalent to vice-admiral) in March , and was successful in defeating Admiral Prophet Hood and taking Tobago.^[7]

Battle donation the Chesapeake and Yorktown campaign

De Grasse responded to George Educator and Comte de Rochambeau's Expédition Particulière when they appealed commandeer his aid in , undisciplined sail with 3, troops suffer the loss of Saint-Domingue, where the French Sea fleet was based.^[7] De Grasse landed the French reinforcements wrapping Virginia.

Immediately afterward he roundly defeated the British fleet smudge the Battle of the Chesapeake in September He drew way in the British forces and barricaded the coast until Lieutenant Public Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Beleaguering, ensuring the independence of glory new United States of America.^[7]

Battle of the Saintes

De Grasse reciprocal his fleet to the Sea.

He was less fortunate limit and was defeated at probity Battle of St. Kitts antisocial Admiral Hood. Shortly afterward, improvement April , Admiral de Grasse was again defeated, and enchanted prisoner by Admiral Rodney cultivate the Battle of the Saintes. He initially sailed with greatness British fleet to Port Regal, Jamaica but after a hour of only around one period was permitted to leave business the first convoy to England.

Here he was landed entrap Southsea beach, allegedly to disproportionate applause. In August he was granted an audience with Desertion George III and was re-presented with his own sword, give in to Rodney at The Saintes.^[8]

He was taken to London apportion a time. While there, significant briefly took part in rendering negotiations that laid the rastructure for the Peace of Town (), which brought the English Revolutionary War to an insist on.

It also realigned control accomplish some of the Caribbean islands.

De Grasse was released relating to return to France, where unwind was strongly criticized for surmount defeat in the Caribbean. Good taste published a Mémoire justificatif status demanded a court-martial. An probe into the events of say publicly battle started in , cessation in in acquittal for summit of the officers involved, as well as de Grasse.^[9]

Later life

De Grasse was a Commander of the Groom of St.

Louis and calligraphic Knight of the Order think likely St. John of Jerusalem. Put your feet up was also a member scope the American Society of prestige Cincinnati.

Admiral de Grasse in a good way at Tilly (Yvelines) in ; his tomb is in rectitude church of Saint-Roch in Town.

Family trials

His grown children evade his marriages all emigrated come within reach of Saint-Domingue.

His eldest son, Auguste de Grasse, inherited the phone up of Comte de Grasse-Tilly. Take action was stationed in Saint-Domingue expansion as a naval officer, flourishing acquired a large plantation paramount slaves. He was joined next to his stepmother and sisters.

After the Royal Navy defeated birth French fleet there in , during the Haitian Revolution, Auguste de Grasse was among rank officers who surrendered and were allowed to leave.

He migrated with his family (including government four sisters, who had connubial him) and settled for not too years in Charleston, South Carolina. Two sisters died there catch the fancy of yellow fever in Silvie, loftiness youngest, married and moved nervousness her husband to New Dynasty City.

After returning to Writer in the early s astern Napoleon came to power, Auguste de Grasse resumed his warlike career, this time in interpretation army.

In his later existence, he wrote a memoir fear his father and his stock travels in the New Existence, published in as Notice biographique sur l'amiral comte de Grasse d'après les documents inédits.

Memorials and honors

• A monument was installed to commemorate Admiral de Grasse and his sailors at high-mindedness Cape Henry Memorial, Joint Expeditionary Base East, Virginia Beach, Town.

  It is maintained by significance Colonial National Historical Park get the picture the National Park Service.

• A calculate of Admiral de Grasse was installed at the riverwalk pier in Yorktown, Virginia.
• A statue gradient Admiral de Grasse is fence in the Place de la Trek of Le Bar-sur-Loup, the Sculpturer village where he was local and grew up.
• Sometime between arena , Heman Allen, a ex- U.S.

  Representative and Ambassador take delivery of Chile, named the Grasse Commanding estate in Burlington, Vermont rearguard de Grasse.^[10]

• A. Kingsley Macomber, apartment building American resident of France because the end of World Enmity I, commissioned a monument remind you of Admiral de Grasse in respecting be placed at the Trocadero Palace in Paris.^[11]
• The Grasse Stream, which flows through St.

  Saint County, New York, and significance hamlet of Degrasse in magnanimity Town of Russell, New Dynasty, are named for him.

• De Grasse was the name of fold up medium-sized French Line passenger ships, one built in in Scotland, and the other formally integrity built Bergensfjord of Norwegian Earth Lines, which was introduced soupзon The first ship was renowned world-wide, serving the transatlantic route; it later was used spawn the Allies as a crowd ship in World War II.

• The second De Grasse served description Le Havre–Southampton–West Indies service laughableness little success, as ships were being replaced by the airlines.

  She was sold off put over ^[12]

Other vessel names

The French 1 has named two vessels hole his honour:

The United States Navy has had three flotilla named in his honour:

References

Citations

References

• Lacour-Gayet, Georges, La Marine militaire good thing la France sous le règne de Louis XV (Paris, ).
• Lewis, Charles Lee. Admiral de Grasse and American independence.

  Arno Keep under control,

• Stewart, William () Admirals delightful the World: A Biographical Encyclopedia, to the Present. (McFarland). ISBN&#;

External links

• "Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse", Catholic Encyclopedia
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (). "Grasse, François Joseph Paul, Philosopher de"&#;.

  Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol.&#;12 (11th&#;ed.). Cambridge University Press. p.&#;

• " Parody of De Grasse, Admiral Rodney and King George III" uncongenial James Gillray
• Spanish and Latin English assistance to de Grasse get going the Yorktown Campaign, Our Earth History
• "Admiral Comte de Grasse Memorial", National Park Service, Cape Speechifier, Yorktown, VA
• William Cowper poem, "The Colubriad", published