“A very full account of Rodney’s famous victory in the West Indies, by the defeated commander. Privately printed, and very rare” (Sabin). A desirable copy in contemporary wrappers of Comte de Grasse’s memoir of the disastrous Battle of Les Saintes (April, 1782) between the French and British fleets during the Revolutionary War.
François Joseph Paul, comte de Grasse (1722-1788), had a brilliant career: in 1780, he distinguished himself in the three battles fought under the command of the Comte de Guichen against the English in the West Indies, then, appointed lieutenant-general of the naval armies in March 1781, he distinguished himself the same year in Chesapeake Bay in support of George Washington’s land offensive at Yorktown. However, at the Battle of Les Saintes, fought in the strait between Guadeloupe and Dominica, between April 9 to 12, 1782, he was severely defeated by Admiral Rodney and captured. It was a particularly important battle for the British as it prevented Jamaica, England’s key colony, from falling into enemy hands.
On de Grasse’s return from captivity, he printed this memoir to prepare for his defense before the Council of War. It was circulated only among the upper echelons of the French Admiralty and he provides a detailed account of the battle, and justifying his own actions and laying blame partly at the feet of his fellow commanders [in translation]: “I doubt that History offers the example of such a long & lively Combat, & of such a stubborn defense. […] I did not fear Death, I saw it in cold blood & at close quarters, for eleven & a half hours; I had no right to give it to the rest of my brave Crew. […] Such are the circumstances of the misfortune of the King’s Arms & mine. One should not be surprised; the most important manoeuvres were not executed; nine of my signals were absolutely neglected. […] The non-execution of my signals cannot be the essence of my Cause. It is not my fault.”
The memoir has no title page, only a half-title, and prints details of the French fleet on the verso. This consisted of three squadrons at the time of the battle: the first, known as the Escadre blanche, commanded by the Comte de Grasse, the second by the Marquis de Vaudreuil, and the last by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, the first French circumnavigator, whom de Grasse accused of disobeying his orders during the naval battle. The eight large fold-out plans in this work show the main positions of the two fleets during the battle and were engraved by Dupuis.
As far as the English were concerned, and Admiral Rodney especially, “if he had commanded the British fleet in the Chesapeake, Yorktown would never have happened …” (Ellis).
Ellis, J., The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents … (Liveright, 2021) p.253; Howes, G36 “b”; Sabin, 28333.
