The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or Battle of the Capes, was a naval battle in the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place near Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, and saw the combined forces of the Assassin vessel Aquila and the French Navy under François-Joseph Paul de Grasse fight against a British fleet under Sir Thomas Graves. When the Battle of Chesapeake Bay began, General Marquis de Lafayette requested the Aquila give support in the battle. The French Admiral de Grasse believed that he would receive a large fleet and experienced captains, but instead he received only the Aquila and her captain Connor.
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| - The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or Battle of the Capes, was a naval battle in the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place near Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, and saw the combined forces of the Assassin vessel Aquila and the French Navy under François-Joseph Paul de Grasse fight against a British fleet under Sir Thomas Graves. When the Battle of Chesapeake Bay began, General Marquis de Lafayette requested the Aquila give support in the battle. The French Admiral de Grasse believed that he would receive a large fleet and experienced captains, but instead he received only the Aquila and her captain Connor.
- The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves and a French fleet led by Rear Admiral Francois Joseph Paul, the Comte de Grasse. The battle was tactically inconclusive but strategically a major defeat for the British, since it prevented the Royal Navy from reinforcing or evacuating the blockaded forces of Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. When the French were able to achieve temporary control of the sea lanes against the British, the result was the reinforcement of the American army with siege artillery and Fre
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*Assassins
- *Royal Navy
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- 24(xsd:integer)
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| Casual
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- 2(xsd:integer)
- 5(xsd:integer)
- 90(xsd:integer)
- 220(xsd:integer)
- 246(xsd:integer)
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| - the American War of Independence
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| Commander
| - Comte de Grasse
- Sir Thomas Graves
Sir Samuel Hood
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| - The French line and British line do battle
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- *Ratonhnhaké:ton
*Comte de Grasse
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| Casualties
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- 2(xsd:integer)
- 5(xsd:integer)
- 90(xsd:integer)
- 220(xsd:integer)
- 246(xsd:integer)
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| Forces
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- The Aquila plus 24 ships of the line with 1,542 guns including the 104 gun Man O' War, Ville de Paris
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| Place
| - off the Virginia Capes, Atlantic Ocean, United States
- Near Chesapeake Bay, Virginia,
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| - The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or Battle of the Capes, was a naval battle in the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place near Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, and saw the combined forces of the Assassin vessel Aquila and the French Navy under François-Joseph Paul de Grasse fight against a British fleet under Sir Thomas Graves. When the Battle of Chesapeake Bay began, General Marquis de Lafayette requested the Aquila give support in the battle. The French Admiral de Grasse believed that he would receive a large fleet and experienced captains, but instead he received only the Aquila and her captain Connor. While irritated at the concept, de Grasse gave Connor two frigates for assistance, the Marsellois and the Saint Espirit, and asked them to engage the encroaching fleet while he and the main armada of French ships led by the Man O' War, Ville de Paris, attacked the bulk of the British force. During the battle, the trio of ships sank several gunboats and at least four English frigates, before the Marsellois was destroyed by an English vessel midway through the battle. Once all the English frigates had been destroyed, HMS Barfleur sailed into the battle and sank the Saint Espirit, before she managed to disable the Aquila's guns. Due to lacking any other means of attack, Connor decided to destroy HMS Barfleur by ramming her, getting on board in hand-to-hand combat, and killing her captain. Ultimately proving successful, the battle ended with the French as the victors. Often considered the war's most decisive battle, it not only broke the British blockade of the Colonies, but also reversed Cornwallis' plan to trap Washington and Lafayette at Yorktown. His reinforcements never arrived due to the French victory in the Chesapeake, and as such, Washington was victorious at Yorktown, capturing Cornwallis and ending major conflict in the Colonies up until the Treaty of Paris. The Battle also acted as a huge bolster to French naval pride, leading to a brief string of decisive French naval victories during the French Revolutionary Wars.
- The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Graves and a French fleet led by Rear Admiral Francois Joseph Paul, the Comte de Grasse. The battle was tactically inconclusive but strategically a major defeat for the British, since it prevented the Royal Navy from reinforcing or evacuating the blockaded forces of Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. When the French were able to achieve temporary control of the sea lanes against the British, the result was the reinforcement of the American army with siege artillery and French troops—all of which proved decisive in the Siege of Yorktown, effectively securing American independence. Presented in July 1781 with the options of attacking British forces in either New York or Virginia, Admiral de Grasse opted for the latter, arriving at the Chesapeake at the end of August. Upon learning that de Grasse had sailed from the West Indies for North America, and that French Admiral de Barras had also sailed from Newport, Rhode Island, Admiral Graves concluded that they were going to join forces at the Chesapeake. Sailing south from New York with 19 ships of the line, Graves arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake early on 5 September to see de Grasse's fleet at anchor in the bay. De Grasse hastily prepared most of his fleet, 24 ships of the line, for battle and sailed out to meet Graves. In a two-hour engagement that took place after hours of manoeuvring, the lines of the two fleets did not completely meet, with only the forward and center sections of the lines fully engaging. The battle was consequently fairly evenly matched, although the British suffered more casualties and ship damage. The battle broke off when the sun set. British tactics in the battle have been a subject of contemporary and historic debate. For several days the two fleets sailed within view of each other, with de Grasse preferring to lure the British away from the bay, where Barras was expected to arrive carrying vital siege equipment. On 13 September de Grasse broke away from the British and returned to the Chesapeake, where Barras had arrived. Graves returned to New York to organize a larger relief effort; this did not sail until 19 October, two days after Cornwallis surrendered.
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