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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC04322.06 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents relating to quarrel between French naval officers |
| Title | Chevalier de Vaugirault to François Joseph Paul comte de Grasse discussing the latter's plans to leave the fleet [in French] |
| Date | 15 December 1781 |
| Author | Vaugirault, Chevalier de (fl. 1781) |
| Recipient | Grasse, François Joseph Paul de Grasse, comte de |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Discusses arrangements for Monteil to leave the fleet and the personnel changes this will entail. Written on board the Ville de Paris near "St. Lucie," the French name for Saint Lucia. |
| Subjects | Revolutionary War Military History France Navy Global History and Civics Foreign Affairs |
| People | Grasse, François Joseph Paul de Grasse, Comte de (1722-1788) Vaugirault, Chevalier de (fl. 1781) Monteil, Adhemar, Marquis de (1725-1787) |
| Theme | The American Revolution; Foreign Affairs; Naval & Maritime |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Chevalier de Vaugirault served as de Grasse's secretary. François Joseph Paul comte de Grasse was a French Admiral who served under Comte d'Estaing during the American Revolution. Comte de Grasse and his fleet played a decisive role in the pivotal American victory at Yorktown. After arriving from the Caribbean they took control of the Chesapeake Bay and cut off any attempts to escape by sea. On 12 April 1782 at the Battle of the Saintes he was defeated by the British fleet under Admiral Rodney and taken prisoner. Marquis Adhemar de Monteil was a French naval officer who captained a ship during the American revolution. When he complained to his superior, Comte de Grasse, about a number of issues, a quarrel began between the two. This led to Monteil being demoted to the command of a smaller ship. Upset by this slight, it appears that Monteil later deliberately disobeyed de Grasse's orders, and ended up allowing Admiral Hood's fleet to outmaneuver him in the Caribbean. This mistake would later enable the British to soundly defeat the French at the Battle of the Saintes. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |