The Battle of the Chesapeake took place on September 5, 1781 and assured American victory at Yorktown. While it’s rightly considered one of the most important naval engagements in world history, it’s also been one of the most misunderstood battles of the Revolutionary War. Standard accounts leave out the fact that no Americans took part in this momentous confrontation; rather, thanks to Washington’s foresight months earlier, French warships had been mobilized to fight against the British. In his new analysis, Philbrick, author of award-winning books including In the Heart of the Sea and Mayflower, follows Washington from his realization in the fall of 1780 that he needed the French navy’s help and details the general’s subsequent negotiations and the logistics that made his plan a triumphant reality.
