CHAPTER X.
MARITIME WAR IN NORTH AMERICA AND WEST INDIES, 1778-1781 .-- ITS INFLUENCE UPON THE COURSE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION .-- FLEET ACTIONS OFF GRENADA, DOMINICA, AND CHESAPEAKE BAY.
D'Estaing sails from Toulon for Delaware Bay, 1778 359 British ordered to evacuate Philadelphia 359 Rapidity of Lord Howe's movements 360 D'Estaing arrives too late 360 Follows Howe to New York 360 Fails to attack there and sails for Newport 361 Howe follows him there 362 Both fleets dispersed by a storm 362 D'Estaing takes his fleet to Boston 363 Howe's activity foils D'Estaing at all points 363 D'Estaing sails for the West Indies 365 The English seize Sta.

Lucia 365 Ineffectual attempts of D'Estaing to dislodge them 366 D'Estaing captures Grenada 367 Naval battle of Grenada, 1779; English ships crippled 367 D'Estaing fails to improve his advantages 370 Reasons for his neglect 371 French naval policy 372 English operations in the Southern States 375 D'Estaing takes his fleet to Savannah 375 His fruitless assault on Savannah 376 D'Estaing returns to France 376 Fall of Charleston 376 De Guichen takes command in the West Indies 376 Rodney arrives to command English fleet 377 His military character 377 First action between Rodney and De Guichen, 1780 378 Breaking the line 380 Subsequent movements of Rodney and De Guichen 381 Rodney divides his fleet 381 Goes in person to New York 381 De Guichen returns to France 381 Arrival of French forces in Newport 382 Rodney returns to the West Indies 382 War between England and Holland 382 Disasters to the United States in 1780 382 De Grasse sails from Brest for the West Indies, 1781 383 Engagement with English fleet off Martinique 383 Cornwallis overruns the Southern States 384 He retires upon Wilmington, N.C., and thence to Virginia 385 Arnold on the James River 385 The French fleet leaves Newport to intercept Arnold 385 Meets the English fleet off the Chesapeake, 1781 386 French fleet returns to Newport 387 Cornwallis occupies Yorktown 387 De Grasse sails from Hayti for the Chesapeake 388 Action with the British fleet, 1781 389 Surrender of Cornwallis, 1781 390 Criticism of the British naval operations 390 Energy and address shown by De Grasse 392 Difficulties of Great Britain's position in the war of 1778 392 The military policy best fitted to cope with them 393 Position of the French squadron in Newport, R.I., 1780 394 Great Britain's defensive position and inferior numbers 396 Consequent necessity for a vigorous initiative 396 Washington's opinions as to the influence of Sea Power on the American contest 397.