Grasse, François Joseph Paul de Grasse, comte de (1722-1788) to Adhemar Marquis de Monteil [in French]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04322.08 Author/Creator: Grasse, François Joseph Paul de Grasse, comte de (1722-1788) Place Written: s.l. Type: Manuscript letter Date: 23 January 1782 Pagination: 6 p. ; 31.5 x 20.5 cm. Order a Copy
Responding to a letter from Monteil. Sarcastically informs Monteil that the he will command the Ardent and no other ship. Expresses surprise at Monteil's complaints. Denies Monteil's accusation that he intended to publicly humiliate him. Written the same day the French fleet set sail from Saint Kitts to engage Admiral Hood's fleet. The next day Monteil's failure to follow de Grasse's orders allowed Hood to outmaneuver de Grasse's fleet in what would later prove to be a pivotal action. Because of this maneuver, Hood would be able to join Admiral Rodney, and later defeat the French fleet. It seems likely that Monteil intentionally disobeyed de Grasse's orders because of their fight. Written on board the Ville de Paris, near Saint Kitts.
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.
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