Battle of Cape Henry

Battle of Cape Henry
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Aerial view of Cape Henry
Date 16 March 1781 Location Off Cape Henry, Atlantic Ocean 37°09′00″N 75°09′07″W / 37.150°N 75.152°W / 37.150; -75.152 Result Tactically indecisive Strategic British victory[1]
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Mariot Arbuthnot	Charles Sochet
Strength
8 ships of the line	7 ships of the line 1 frigate
Casualties and losses
30 killed 73 wounded[2][3]	72 killed 112 wounded[4]

The Battle of Cape Henry was a naval battle in the American War of Independence which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 16 March 1781 between a British squadron led by Vice Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot and a French fleet under Admiral Charles René Dominique Sochet, Chevalier Destouches. Destouches, based in Newport, Rhode Island, had sailed for the Chesapeake as part of a joint operation with the Continental Army to oppose the British army of Brigadier General Benedict Arnold that was active in Virginia.

Destouches was asked by General George Washington to take his fleet to the Chesapeake to support military operations against Arnold by the Marquis de Lafayette. Sailing on 8 March, he was followed two days later by Admiral Arbuthnot, who sailed from eastern Long Island. Arbuthnot's fleet outsailed that of Destouches, reaching the Virginia Capes just ahead of Destouches on 16 March. After manoeuvring for several hours, the battle was joined, and both fleets suffered some damage and casualties without losing any ships. However, Arbuthnot was positioned to enter the Chesapeake as the fleets disengaged, frustrating Destouches' objective. Destouches returned to Newport, while Arbuthnot protected the bay for the arrival of additional land troops to reinforce General Arnold.