Series 18. France, Navy (1781)
Scope and Content
The collection consists of two volumes of transcripts from the Archives Nationales of France documenting the role of vessels under the command of Admiral De Grasse in the Battle of Yorktown.
Historical Note
French ships of the fleet of Admiral Francois Joseph Paul, Comte De Grasse (1722-1788), drove off the 19 British ships of Admiral Graves in early September, 1781, in the so-called Second Battle of the Virginia Capes. This isolated the forces of Cornwallis at Yorktown, contributing to his eventual surrender.
According to the Society's 1914 Annual Report, the location of De Grasse's records was unknown for many years. "But by diligent search, undertaken on the order of the Minister of Marine, upon the solicitation of the Secretary of the Society..., the lost records were found - the logbooks of all of De Grasse's ships, the dispatches received from the Admiral and the letter-book of orders issued to him from Paris." These were transcribed for the Society by the French government and were included in the seventh volume of its publications: "The Despatches of Thomas Graves, R.N., 1781," edited by Rear Admiral French E. Chadwick, U.S.N. and printed by DeVinne Press, New York, in 1916.