Great Britain · Warfare / American War of Independence. Chronological records rendered directly from the World History Database.
A major defeat for the British, since it prevented the Royal Navy from reinforcing or evacuating the blockaded forces of General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, as a result, Cornwallis surrendered his army after the Siege of Yorktown
Crucial naval Battle near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay 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.
Graves arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake early on 5 September to see de Grasses fleet at anchor in the bay.
On 13 September de Grasse broke away from the British and returned to the Chesapeake, where de 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
This factsheet is generated from stored World History Database records matching the country, broad category, detailed category and exact Event value shown above. Duplicate display records are collapsed; database wording is otherwise preserved. Source provenance varies by record, so formal academic citation should be checked against the relevant primary source, archive or specialist historical reference.