Comte de Grasse

Ancestor Number

A031348 »

Date of Birth

September 13, 1722

Place of Birth

Le Bar, France

Date of Death

January 11, 1788

Place of Death

Paris, France

Spouse(s)

1764, Antoinette Rosalie Accaron; 6 Children, Catherine Pien and Marie Delphine Lazare de Cibon

Children

Alexander Francois Auguste de Grasse, Maxime de Grasse, Amelie Rosalie Maxime, Adelaide de Grasse, Melanie Veronique Maxime, Silvie de Grasse

American Revolution Service

Comte de Grasse responded to Washington and Rochambeau's Expedition Particuliere when they appealed for his aid in 1781.

State of Service

Virginia

Donor

Members and associate members of the Comte de Grasse Chapter, NSDAR, Yorktown, Virginia, contributed to this commemoration of Admiral de Grasse, raising $3,600 to ensure that this beloved Patriot was part of the 250 Pathway of the Patriots.

Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse-Rouville, Comte de Grasse, was born on September 13, 1722, in Le Bar, France, to an aristocratic family near Grasse, France.

In 1733 de Grasse entered the Order of Saint John as a page of the Grand Master at the age of 11. He served as an ensign on the galleys in battles against the Turks and Moors. In 1740, at the age of 17, he formally entered the French Navy.

Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse-Rouville, Comte de Grasse

Plaque dedicated to Mrs. Emma Leake Chenoweth. Property of Compte de Grasse Chapter.

Custom House aerial view showing garden. Photo by Comte de Grasse Chapter NSDAR.

Mrs. Emma Leake Chenoweth, Founding Regent, Comte de Grasse Chapter NSDAR

SAR plaque dedicated to Comte de Grasse. Property of Comte de Grasse Chapter.

Plaque mounted on the Custom House outlining history. Property of Comte de Grasse Chapter.

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Comte de 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. Admiral de Grasse died on January 11, 1788, in Paris, France.

Comte de Grasse was the French Admiral who won the Battle of the Capes, stopping the British navy from reinforcing Yorktown, and ensured Cornwallis’ surrender and the end of the American War for Independence. De Grasse made the important decision to bring his fleet and troops to Virginia rather than New York as General George Washington first planned. General Rochambeau was in favor of bringing the base of the attack to Chesapeake Bay and de Grasse agreed. This strategic decision sealed Cornwallis’ fate as de Grasse defeated Admiral Thomas Graves in the Battle of the Capes in early September.

On October 19, 1781, 25 British warships and 7,000 troops set sail for Virginia to rescue Cornwallis, but they were too late. Cornwallis had already asked for terms and had surrendered his army that very day. The French government was an important part of the defeat of the British in our bid for independence.