peake before De Grasse's arrival on the coast. But Graves as well as Clinton believed correctly that New York was the object of the intended attack, and we know now that it was almost of the nature of an accident that the blow fell instead on the post within the Chesapeake (Sparks, Writings of George Washington, viii. 62–113; Mémoires de Rochambeau, ii. 277; Clinton, Narrative, p. 17). Had De Grasse found that sufficiently guarded he would certainly have passed on to New York. The causes of the disaster must be looked for, not only in the weakness of the force at Graves's disposal, but in the division of the army, and in other measures entirely beyond Graves's control.
Graves was still at Jamaica when Rodney came in with the fleet after the battle of 12 April 1782; and was ordered to take command of a squadron, consisting principally of the prizes, bound for England. They sailed on 25 July, the craziest squadron perhaps that ever put to sea. Some of them parted company at a very early stage of the voyage, and returned to Port Royal or bore up for Halifax; the rest got into a violent storm in mid-ocean on 16 Sept. when several of them went down, some with all hands. Of nine ships of the line that left Jamaica, two only got to England, and those with much difficulty (Nautical Magazine, September 1880, xlix. 719) [see Cornwallis, Sir William; Inglefield, John Nicholson]. The Ramillies of 74 guns, in which Graves had hoisted his flag, was one of those that were lost. She was lying-to on the wrong tack, and was taken aback in a violent and sudden shift of the wind. Her masts went by the board; within a few minutes she was reduced to a mere wreck, the violent straining opened her seams, she filled with water, and all efforts to save her proving vain, she was deserted and blown up on the forenoon of the 21st. Graves himself got on board the Belle merchant ship, in which he arrived safely in Cork harbour on 10 Oct.
On 24 Sept. 1787 Graves was promoted to be vice-admiral, and in the following year was appointed commander-in-chief at Plymouth. On the outbreak of the war with France in 1793, he was appointed to command the Channel fleet in the second post, under Lord Howe; he became admiral on 12 April 1794, and with his flag in the Royal Sovereign had an important share in the success of 1 June. For his conduct on this occasion he was raised to the peerage on the Irish establishment as Baron Graves, received the gold medal and chain, and a pension of 1,000l. per annum. He was, however, badly wounded in the right arm, and was obliged to resign his command. He had no further service, and died in February 1802. He married in 1771 Elizabeth, daughter and coheiress of Mr. William Peere Williams of Cadhay, Devonshire, and left issue three daughters and a son, Thomas North Graves, who succeeded as second baron.
[Official letters and other documents in the Public Record Office; Charnock's Biog. Nav. vi. 126; Ralfe's Nav. Biog. i. 174; Naval Chronicle (with a portrait), v. 377; Narrative of Lieutenant-general Sir Henry Clinton relative to his conduct … in 1781; the copy of this in the British Museum (1061, h. 14 (1)) is bound up with Cornwallis's reply and other interesting pamphlets on this subject; another collection with introduction and notes has been published by Henry Stevens (1888). The article ‘Some Account of Admiral Lord Graves’ in European Mag. (September 1795), xxviii. 144 (with a portrait), appears by a separate copy in the Brit. Mus. (B. 735 (10)) to be by William Graves, the admiral's elder brother and a master in chancery; its purely personal narrative may therefore be depended on, but its account of affairs in America is far from accurate. See also Two Letters from W. Graves, esq., respecting the Conduct of Rear-admiral Thomas Graves in North America during his accidental Command there for four months in 1781 (privately printed, apparently in 1783).]
GRAVES, Sir THOMAS (1747?–1814), admiral, third son of the Rev. John Graves of Castle Dawson, Ireland, was nephew of Admiral Samuel Graves [q. v.], and first cousin once removed of Admiral Thomas, lord Graves [q. v.] His three brothers all served as captains in the navy, becoming admirals on the superannuated list. Thomas entered the navy at a very early age, and served during the seven years' war with his uncle Samuel on board the Scorpion, Duke, and Venus. After the peace he was appointed to the Antelope with his cousin Thomas, whom he followed to the Edgar, and by whom, in 1765, while on the coast of Africa, he was promoted to be lieutenant of the Shannon. It is stated in Foster's ‘Peerage’ that he was born in 1752, a date incompatible with the facts of his known service: by the regulations of the navy he was bound to be twenty years old at the date of his promotion, and though the order was often grossly infringed, it is highly improbable that he was only thirteen: it may fairly be assumed that he was at least eighteen in 1765. In 1770 he was lieutenant of the Arethusa, and in 1773 was appointed to the Racehorse with Captain Phipps [see Phipps, Constantine John, second Lord Mulgrave] for the voyage of discovery in the Arctic Seas. In the following year he went out to North America with his uncle
