De Grasse, Francois Joseph, duh GRAHS, frahn SWA zhoh ZEHF (1722-1788), also known as Comte (Count) de Grasse, was a French admiral. He aided General George Washington at the siege of Yorktown in the Revolutionary War. De Grasse commanded the French fleet that drove the English Navy away from the Virginia coast and cut off General Charles Cornwallis from aid or retreat (see Revolutionary War in America). De Grasse later was defeated and captured by the British in the West Indies. He returned to France in disgrace. De Grasse was born near the city of Toulon, France.