Evening star., 1932-04-03

to repair to the Chesapeake in order to CO.
operate with the allied French and American
Armies under his command to take part in
campaign aimed to surround and crush the
army of Lord Cornwallis, which had for months
been ravaging the Southern States, leaving
a trail of desolation behind it, and was then
in Virginia.
A body of troops under Lafayette and Wayne,
was also in Virginia. 1t was too small to try
conclusions with the enemy, but was of suf1-
cient strength to keep the British invaders in
play while Washington and Rochambeau, with
the main allied forces, which had been op-
posing Sir Henry Clinton in New York, hurried
South to lay siege, in which De Grasse should
play the part of blockading Chesapeake Bay
to prevent the escape Of the British through
that avenue, and was also to Illustrate any at
tempt at succor by the British feet, known to
be cruising on the coast.
CCTOOL histories have given an outline OF
- this plan Of campaign They do not, how
ever. tell Of the heroic and successful efforts
made by De Grasse to get his feet in the best
possible shape to play the all-important part
assigned him in the drama that lay before.
How he raised the money necessary to see 1t
through, to the tune of 200 900 lives, and, 1t
has been stated, went to the extent Of mort
gaging his own estates to provide a part of the
fund.
How, on his own responsibility he persuaded
him some 5000 troops from the French gar
risons in the West Indies, arranged for Spanish
protection of French interests while the French
feet was withdrawn; got the military expedi-
tion under Marquis de San Simon aboard his
20 ships of the line and five frigates to avoid
the delays and danger incident to the use
of transports and arrived at his station in the
Chesapeake on August 81, in the nick of time
to render the greatest possible assistance, in
preparing for and taking part in the impend-
ing conflict.
In all these activities De Grasse displayed
the genius and whole hearted steadfastness OF
true greatness, which was but rounded out
and made more perfect by his splendid victory
over the feet of Admiral Graves, which ap-
peared at the mouth of the Chesapeake on
September S, but five days after the French
arrived. In this combat De Grasse discovered
the most superb seamanship of his career. He
out -manoeuvered and out-fought the British
admiral at every turn. He drew him away
from the Chesapeake in order to allow small
squadron under Admiral de Barras, loaded with
siege guns and military stores, and hail1ng from
Newport, to slip into the York River and
finally he administered so thorough defeat
to the British that they were glad to draw on
and head for New York with badly shattered
ships and 336 men killed and wounded leaving
De Grasse to turn his attention toward full CO.
operation in the siege Of Yorktown
This action has been characterized as the
most significant event of modern times, and
Emil Reich in his Foundations OF Modern
Europe" calls it in its effects Infinitely more
important than those of Waterloo" The re-
treat of the badly mauled British feet left the
surrender Of Cornwalis a foregone conclusion.
In a letter from Washington, ON October 20.
1881, to De Grasse, the following significant
sentence appears:
"The surrender of York, from which so
much glory and advantage are derived to
the Allies and the honor Of which belongs
to Yr Excellency, has greatly anticipated
our most sanguine expectations"