François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, Marquis of Grasse-Tilly SMOM (13 September 1722 – 11 January 1788) was a career

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

officer who achieved the rank of

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

. He is best known for his command of the French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 in the last year of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It led directly to the British surrender at Yorktown and helped gain the rebels' victory. After this action, de Grasse returned with his fleet to the Caribbean. In 1782 British

Admiral Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the ...

decisively defeated and captured Grasse at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

. Grasse was widely criticised for his loss in that battle. On his return to France in 1784, he blamed his captains for the defeat. A

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

exonerated all of his captains, effectively ending his naval career.

Early life

François-Joseph de Grasse was born and raised at

Bar-sur-Loup Le Bar-sur-Loup (, literally ''Le Bar on Loup''; oc, So Barn; it, Albarno) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Originally known simply as Le Bar, the commune was renamed Le Bar-sur-Loup by a decree dated 27 ...

in south-eastern France, the last child of Francois de Grasse Rouville, Marquis de Grasse. He earned his title and supported his Provençal family.

Marriage and family

Grasse married Antoinette Rosalie Accaron in 1764, and they had six children who survived to adulthood, among them his eldest son Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse. Auguste had a career in the French army and inherited his father's title as count in 1788. His younger brother Maxime died young in 1773. They had four sisters: Amélie Rosalie Maxime, Adélaide, Melanie Veronique Maxime, and Silvie de Grasse. Silvie married M. Francis de Pau in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, and raised a family with him in New York City. After his wife Antoinette died young, de Grasse married again, to Catherine Pien, widow of M. de Villeneuve. She also died before him. Thirdly, he married Marie Delphine Lazare de Cibon.John Gilmary Shea, ''The Operations of the French Fleet Under the Count de Grasse in 1781-2: As Described in Two Contemporaneous Journals''
Bradford Club, 1864, pp. 22-23 In addition, while in service in India during and after the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

, Grasse is believed to have fathered a

mixed-race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...

, French-Indian boy with an Indian woman in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

. The boy, born about 1780, was known as Azar Le Guen. Grasse brought the boy back to Paris with him for his education and formally adopted him, naming him George de Grasse. After his father's death, the young man went to the United States by 1799, where he settled in New York City. He worked for a time for

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

, likely meeting him through a connection of his father's. Burr gave him two lots of land in Manhattan, and George de Grasse became a naturalized citizen in 1804.P. Kanakamedala, "George DeGrasse a South Asian in Early African America"
in ''India in the American Imaginary, 1780s–1880s'', ed. by Anupama Arora & Rajender Kaur; Springer, 2017, pp. 228-243 He married well and educated his three children: his son John van Salee de Grasse was the first African American to graduate from medical school and became a respected physician in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

; he served as a surgeon in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The eldest son Isaac became a preacher, and daughter Serena married George Downing, who became a renowned restaurant entrepreneur and civil rights activist.

Naval career

At the age of eleven (1734), de Grasse entered the Order of Saint John as a

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

of the Grand Master. He served as an ensign on the

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be u ...

s in battles against the Turks and the Moors.Stewart (2008), p.95. In 1740 at the age of 17, he formally entered the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

. He participated in French naval action in India during the Seven Years War. He was intermittently stationed in

(now Kolkata), India, from the 1760s to 1781. Following Britain's victory over the French in the Seven Years War, Grasse helped rebuild the French navy in the years after the

Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the S ...

American War of Independence

In 1775, the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

broke out when American colonists rebelled against British rule. France supplied the colonists with covert aid, but remained officially neutral until 1778. The Treaty of Alliance (1778) established the Franco-American alliance, and France entered the war on behalf of the rebels and against Great Britain. As a commander of a division, Comte de Grasse served under Louis Guillouet, comte d'Orvilliers at the

First Battle of Ushant The Battle of Ushant (also called the First Battle of Ushant) took place on 27 July 1778, and was fought during the American Revolutionary War between French and British fleets west of Ushant, an island at the mouth of the English Channel o ...

from July 23 to 27, 1778. The battle, fought off

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, was indecisive. In 1779, he joined the fleet of Count d'Estaing in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

as commander of a squadron; they were operating to counter the Royal Navy of Britain. He contributed to the

capture of Grenada The Capture of Grenada was an amphibious expedition in July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War. Charles Hector, comte D'Estaing led French forces against the British-held West Indies island of Grenada. The French forces landed on 2 ...

that year, and took part in the three actions fought by Guichen against

in the Battle of Martinique (1780). Grasse was promoted to lieutenant-general of the Navy (equivalent to vice-admiral) in March 1781, and was successful in defeating Admiral Samuel Hood and taking

Tobago Tobago () is an island and ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trinidad and about off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. It also lies to the southeast of Grenada. The offic ...

."François-Joseph-Paul, count de Grasse"
''Encyclopedia Britannica'' online, 2003/2018 Yorktown 1931 Issue-2c

Battle of the Chesapeake and Yorktown campaign

Grasse responded to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and Rochambeau's Expédition Particulière when they appealed for his aid in 1781, setting sail with 3,000 troops from

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to ref ...

, where the French Caribbean fleet was based. Grasse landed the French reinforcements in Virginia. Immediately afterward he decisively defeated the British fleet in the Battle of the Chesapeake in September 1781. He drew away the British forces and blockaded the coast until Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, ensuring the independence of the new

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

Battle of the Saintes

Grasse returned his fleet to the Caribbean. He was less fortunate in 1782 and defeated at the

Battle of St. Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet u ...

by Admiral Hood. Shortly afterward, in April 1782, Admiral de Grasse was defeated and taken prisoner by

at the

. He initially sailed with the British fleet to Port Royal, Jamaica but after a period of only around one week was permitted to leave on the first convoy to England. Here he was landed on

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

beach, allegedly to much applause. In August he was granted an audience with

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

and was re-presented with his own sword, surrendered to Rodney at The Saintes. He was taken to London for a time. While there, he briefly took part in the negotiations that laid the foundations for the Peace of Paris (1783), which brought the American Revolutionary War to an end. It also realigned control of some of the Caribbean islands. Grasse was released to return to France, where he was strongly criticized for his defeat in the Caribbean. He published a ''Mémoire justificatif'' and demanded a

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

. An inquiry into the events of the battle started in 1783, ending in 1784 in acquittal for most of the officers involved, including Grasse.

Later life

Grasse was a Commander of the

Order of St. Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...

and a Knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. He was also a member of the American

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

. Admiral de Grasse died at Tilly (

Yvelines Yvelines () is a Departments of France, department in the western part of the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.church of Saint-Roch in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

Family trials

His grown children from his marriages all emigrated to

. His eldest son, Auguste de Grasse, inherited the title of Comte de Grasse-Tilly. He was stationed in Saint-Domingue in 1789 as a naval officer, and acquired a large plantation and 200 slaves. He was joined by his stepmother and sisters. After the Royal Navy defeated the French fleet there in 1793, during the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on ...

, Auguste was among the officers who surrendered and were allowed to leave. He migrated with his family (including his four sisters who had joined him) and settled for several years in

. Two sisters died there of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

in 1799. Silvie, the youngest, married and moved with her husband to New York City. After returning to France in the early 1800s after

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

came to power, Auguste de Grasse resumed his military career, this time in the army. In his later years, he wrote a memoir about his father and his own travels in the New World, published in 1840 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 the

Cape Henry Memorial The Cape Henry Memorial commemorates the first landfall at Cape Henry, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, of colonists bound for the Jamestown settlement. After landing on April 26, 1607, they explored the area, named the cape, and set up a cross before ...

, Joint Expeditionary Base East,

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. It is maintained by the Colonial National Historical Park of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

. *A statue of Admiral de Grasse was installed at the riverwalk landing in Yorktown, Virginia. *A statue of Admiral de Grasse is in the Place de la Tour of Le Bar-sur-Loup, the French village where he was born and grew up. *Sometime between 1829 and 1839, Heman Allen, a former U.S. Representative and Ambassador to Chile, named the Grasse Mount estate in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

after de Grasse. * A. Kingsley Macomber, an American resident of France since the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, commissioned a monument of Admiral de Grasse in 1931 to be placed at the Trocadero Palace in

. *The

Grasse River The Grasse River or Grass River (per 1905 decision of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names) is a river in northern New York, in the United States. The river mainly flows northeast from the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains into the St. Lawren ...

, which flows through St. Lawrence County, New York, and the hamlet of Degrasse in the Town of

Russell, New York Russell is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 1,856 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Russell Attwater, the pioneer land owner. The Town of Russell is centrally located in the county and is south ...

, are named for him. *''De Grasse'' was the name of two medium-sized French Line passenger ships, one built in 1924 in Scotland, and the other formally the 1956-built ''Bergensfjord'' of Norwegian America Lines, which was introduced in 1971. The first ship was famous world-wide, serving the transatlantic route; it later was used by the Allies as a troop ship in World War II. *The second ''De Grasse'' served the Le Havre–Southampton–West Indies service with little success, as ships were being replaced by the airlines. She was sold off in 1973.William H. Miller Jr., ''Picture History of the French Line'', Dover Publishing, 1997.

Other vessel names

The

has named two vessels in his honour: * An

anti-aircraft cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

(in service from 1956 to 1973). * A first-rank frigate of the F67 type. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

has had three vessels named in his honour: * , a large multi-role destroyer of the . (commissioned 1978, decommissioned 1998). * USS ''De Grasse'' (AP-164/AK-223), a used during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

(1943–1946). *, a patrol boat used in 1918.

References

Citations References * Lacour-Gayet, Georges, ''La Marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XV'' (Paris, 1902). * Lewis, Charles Lee. ''Admiral de Grasse and American independence''. Arno Press, 1980. * Stewart, William (2009) ''Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present''. (McFarland).

External links

"Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse"
''Catholic Encyclopedia'' *

by James Gillray
Spanish and Latin American assistance to de Grasse in the Yorktown Campaign
Our American History
"Admiral Comte de Grasse Memorial"
National Park Service, Cape Henry, Yorktown, VA

poem, "The Colubriad"], published 1806 {{DEFAULTSORT:Grasse, Francois Joseph Paul, Marquis De Grasetilly, Comte De 1722 births 1788 deaths People from Alpes-Maritimes Burials at Saint-Roch, Paris Counts of France Grasse French marquesses French Navy admirals French people of the American Revolution People who were court-martialed History of Îles des Saintes Knights of Malta