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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC04322.07 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents relating to quarrel between French naval officers |
| Title | The Marquis de Monteil to Henri César Marquis de Castellane Majastre defending his insubordinate actions [in French] |
| Date | 19 December 1781 |
| Author | Monteil, Adhemar, Marquis de (1725-1787) |
| Recipient | Castellane Majastre, Henri César, Marquis de |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Monteil justifies the actions he has taken during his argument with Comte de Grasse. Complains about de Grasse's actions, especially at the Battle of Virginia Capes. Written on board the Ardent, the ship onto which Monteil was demoted, in the "Canal de Ste. Lucie." St. Lucie was the French name for St. Lucia. |
| Subjects | Revolutionary War Military History France Navy Global History and Civics Foreign Affairs Battle |
| People | Monteil, Adhemar, Marquis de (1725-1787) Castellane, Henri César Majastre, Marquis de (d. 1789) Grasse, François Joseph Paul de Grasse, Comte de (1722-1788) |
| Theme | The American Revolution; Foreign Affairs; Naval & Maritime |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | Henri César Marquis de Castellane Majastre was a French naval officer. He served under de Grasse during the fighting in Chesapeake Bay and commanded the ship Marseillais. He was related to Monteil's family. 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 |