Hampton Roads Naval Museum

4. Battle off the Virginia Capes

Norfolk, VA

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Naval power was a decisive factor in winning America's independence. The young United States had no real navy and relied on that of its ally, France. General George Washington consistently pleaded for the strong French Fleet to act in coordination with the French and American armies. He called naval power "the pivot upon which everything turned." In 1781 the General got his wish when the French Admiral Comte de Grasse agreed to bring his fleet from the West Indies to the Chesapeake Bay. There, de Grasse would coordinate with French and American forces arriving in the Tidewater region by land and water. Their intent was to attack the British Army under Lord Cornwallis, which had fortified itself at Yorktown, Virginia. General Lafayette, the French General, and his army opposed Cornwallis at Yorktown. Washington and his army marched from the Hudson River. Washington soon found that DeGrasse had reached the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay. There, de Grasse landed troops to reinforce Lafayette. His fleet guarded the Bay to prevent the British navy from rescuing Cornwallis. On September 5, 1781, a British fleet of 19 ships approached the Chesapeake Bay. DeGrasse and his fleet went out to meet them. The fleets blazed away in parallel lines east-southeast of Cape Henry. Strangely, the rear squadrons of the fleets did not engage, much to the benefit of the French. The battle was broken off at sunset. On September 9, DeGrasse sailed for the Chesapeake to continue his support of the Yorktown operation. He could not and did not allow the British to slip into the Bay and rescue Cornwallis. Meanwhile, the British fleet returned to New York. Cornwallis realized that relief by sea was impossible, and on October 19 he surrendered to the Allied forces.