François Joseph Paul de Grasse

François Joseph Paul de Grasse
François Joseph Paul de Grasse
	1843 portrait of de Grasse by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse
Born	13 September 1722; Le Bar-sur-Loup, Provence
Died	11 January 1788 (aged 65); Tilly, Île-de-France
Buried	Church of Saint-Roch, Paris
Allegiance	Hospitaller Malta ; France
Branch	Navy of the Order of Saint John ; French Navy
Service years	1734–1784
Rank	Lieutenant général des armées navales (France)
Conflicts	War of the Austrian Succession Battle of Toulon (1744); First Battle of Cape Finisterre (1747); ; American War of Independence Battle of Ouessant; Battle of Grenada; Invasion of Dominica; Battle of St. Lucia; Battle of Martinique (1780); Battle of Fort Royal; Invasion of Tobago; Battle of the Chesapeake; Battle of Yorktown; Battle of Saint Kitts; Siege of Brimstone Hill; Battle of the Saintes; ;
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Lieutenant général des armées navales François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, Marquis of Grasse-Tilly, KM (13 September 1722 – 11 January 1788) was a French naval officer. He is best known for his crucial victory over the Royal Navy at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 during the American Revolutionary War. The battle directly led to the Franco-American victory at the siege of Yorktown and helped secure the independence of the United States.

After the battle, de Grasse returned with his fleet to the Caribbean. In 1782, a British fleet under Admiral George Rodney defeated and captured de Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes. De Grasse was widely criticised for his defeat in the battle. On his return to France in 1784, he blamed his captains for the defeat. A court-martial exonerated all of his captains, effectively ending his naval career.