In Memory of the Men of the French Fleet
In memory of the men of the French fleet who died in the Naval Phase of the Yorktown Campaign in the battle off the Virginia capes on 5 September 1781.
In appreciation of the service of Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse, who brought his entire West Indies fleet to the aid of the Americans, who transported more than 3000 French troops under the command of the marquis de Saint-Simon to reinforce the land forces, and who commanded the French fleet in the battle off the Virginia capes, defeating a squadron of the British Royal Navy under Admiral Thomas Graves. General George Washington called French Naval superiority "the pivot upon which everything turned" as the French victory prevented General Earl Cornwallis from aid or escape by sea and allowed a smaller French fleet from Newport under Commodore de Barras to enter the Chesapeake Bay with siege guns essential in the land battle that followed.
In commemoration of the bicentennial of this most important naval battle fought in American waters which assured the victory at Yorktown and American Independence.
Erected 1981 by The National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: War, US Revolutionary •
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Location. 37° 14.009′ N, 76° 30.293′ W. Memorial is in Yorktown, Virginia, in York County. It can be reached from the intersection of Main Street and Bacon Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 803 Main St, Yorktown VA 23690, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Monument to the Alliance and Victory (a few steps from this marker); French American Revolutionary War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Yorktown Campaign Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Bicentennial of the Treaties of Paris and Versailles (within shouting distance of this marker); Ratification of the Treaty of Paris (within shouting distance of this marker); Yorktown Victory Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Victory Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Yorktown (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 344 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 1, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
