(DOVER, Del. — September 9, 2023) — BATTLE OF THE CHESAPEAKE: How Admiral de Grasse and his French Fleet paved the way to the Victory at Yorktown, presented by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs at the Old State House (25 The Green, Dover, DE) on Saturday, September 9, at 1:00 p.m. by historic site interpreter Tom Welch. This is a free, in-person program. No reservations are required.

On September 5, 1781, the French fleet under the command of Admiral de Grasse and the British fleet under Admiral Thomas Graves fought ferociously for control of the entrance to the Chesapeake. The battle known as the Battle of the Chesapeake, or the Battle of the Capes, was exceedingly important to the success of the American Cause because it denied the British fleet opportunity to come to the aid of General Cornwallis. The Battle was the culmination of months of planning and communication that had gone on between the primary leaders of the Americans and French forces. Generals Washington and Rochambeau had been planning the final attack on the British, either in New York or in Virginia. They had communicated with Admiral de Grasse that they needed his support to gain naval superiority. De Grasse sent the message that he would leave the Caribbean and meet them in the Chesapeake. The Americans and French troops then made the 550-mile march to Virginia, which is now famously known as the Washington – Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.

The Battle of the Chesapeake gave the allied Franco-American forces temporary naval superiority.   This allowed the French fleet from Rhode Island to arrive with the necessary siege equipment and the siege was underway. The taking of Redoubts No. 9 and No. 10, led by American Colonel Alexander Hamilton and French General the Marquis de Lafayette, on October 16 ended any hope that Cornwallis had. Thus, on October 19, 1781, the British Army surrendered their 7,000 troops and marched out of Yorktown between the victorious American and French armies.

For many observers, this signaled the likelihood of a victory over the British. King George III wrote that “after the knowledge of the defeat of our fleet. . . I nearly think the Empire ruined.”

The program will be multi-media utilizing military maps covering the American east coast, the Caribbean, and the coast of France, all of which contributed to the story.