Who commanded the French fleet that helped trap Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781?

The Comte de Grasse commanded the French fleet that helped trap Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781.

François Joseph Paul de Grasse brought a French fleet from the West Indies to Chesapeake Bay in late August 1781. His arrival prevented the British from using the bay freely and allowed the Franco-American army to maintain pressure on Cornwallis’s position. The naval confrontation known as the Battle of the Chesapeake, or Battle of the Virginia Capes, was crucial to the campaign.

De Grasse defeated a British fleet commanded by Sir Thomas Graves on September 5, 1781. Although the battle was not a simple destruction of the British fleet, the result kept British relief forces from breaking the allied blockade. De Grasse also transported troops and supplies that supported the siege.

He is often confused with Rochambeau, who commanded French land forces alongside Washington, or Lafayette, who led American troops in Virginia. De Grasse’s contribution was primarily naval, and control of the Chesapeake helped make the October surrender possible.