Battle of Cape Henry

The Battle of Cape Henry on March 16, 1781 was a naval engagement between French and British squadrons off the Virginia coast that had strategic consequences for the Yorktown campaign. A French squadron under the Chevalier Destouches had sailed from Newport attempting to support Lafayette's operations in Virginia by contesting British naval supremacy in the Chesapeake.

The two squadrons were roughly equal in strength. The battle was contested but inconclusive — both sides suffered damage and Destouches returned to Newport without establishing French control of the Chesapeake. The British squadron under Admiral Arbuthnot maintained its position and continued to support the British army's operations in Virginia.

Despite this tactical British success, the broader naval picture continued to evolve against Britain. The battle demonstrated the importance of naval supremacy for the Virginia theater and foreshadowed the decisive engagement at the Chesapeake in September that would seal Cornwallis's fate at Yorktown. Had Destouches succeeded in March 1781, Yorktown might have come earlier; instead the decisive French naval victory had to wait until September.