Mémoire du comte de Grasse, sur le Combat naval du 12 Avril 1782, avec les Plans des positions principales des Armées respectives.

£9,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

“ 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. [

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