Johannes de Graeff
Encyclopedia
Johannes de Graaff also referred to as Johannis de Graeff in some documents, was a Dutch
Governor
of Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles
during the difficult time of the American Revolutionary War
.
, the American navy ship USS Andrew Doria, with the American Declaration of Independence on board, arrived in St. Eustatius. Its captain fired a salute to the Dutch flag on Fort Oranje and Johannes de Graaff decided to answer the salute with eleven gun shots. And so the United States of America were for the first time recognized as a nation by this salute of eleven guns.
The British were furious and De Graaff was recalled to the Netherlands following British protests to the Dutch government. He explained his deeds and was sent back to Sint Eustatius.
Rodney
captured and subsequently raided the island in February 1781. Within a day all the Jewish merchants and the governor of the island were sent to England. The island was plundered by Rodney and his crew.
. In its responding salute, the small voice of St. Eustatius was the first to officially greet the largest event of the century - the entry into the society of nations of a new Atlantic state destined to change the direction of history" .
In 1939, President Roosevelt presented a plaque to St. Eustatius. Mounted on the flagpole inside the impressively restored Fort Oranje, it reads, "In commemoration of the salute to the flag of the United States fired in this fort on 16 November 1776 by order of Johannes de Graaff, Governor of St. Eustatius in reply to a national gun salute fired by the U.S. Brig-of-war Andrew Doria.(...) Here the sovereignty of the United States was first formally acknowledged to a national vessel by a foreign official" .
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
during the difficult time of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Life and career
De Graaff was the son of Simon de Graaff, member of the island council of Sint Eustatius. De Graaff received his education in the Netherlands. After he returned to Sint Eustatius, he married Maria Heyliger, a daughter of the ruling Commander (Governor) Abraham Heyliger. De Graaff started his career as a military commander of Sint Maarten and, after his wife's death, on September 5, 1776 he was made Commander (or Governor in every day parlance) of Sint Eustatius."First Salute" to the American Flag
Sint Eustatius was the most important place for dealing or smuggling with Americans. On the 16th of November, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the American navy ship USS Andrew Doria, with the American Declaration of Independence on board, arrived in St. Eustatius. Its captain fired a salute to the Dutch flag on Fort Oranje and Johannes de Graaff decided to answer the salute with eleven gun shots. And so the United States of America were for the first time recognized as a nation by this salute of eleven guns.
The British were furious and De Graaff was recalled to the Netherlands following British protests to the Dutch government. He explained his deeds and was sent back to Sint Eustatius.
Loss of island
De Graaff held his position until admiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...
captured and subsequently raided the island in February 1781. Within a day all the Jewish merchants and the governor of the island were sent to England. The island was plundered by Rodney and his crew.
Commentaries regarding the 'First Salute'
"White puffs of gun smoke over a turquoise sea followed by the boom of cannon rose from the unassuming port on the diminutive Dutch island of St. Eustatius in the West Indies on November 16, 1776. The guns of Fort Orange on St. Eustatius were returning the ritual salute on entering a foreign port of an American vessel, the Andrew Doria, as she came up the roadstead, flying at her mast the red-and-white-striped flag of the Continental CongressContinental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
. In its responding salute, the small voice of St. Eustatius was the first to officially greet the largest event of the century - the entry into the society of nations of a new Atlantic state destined to change the direction of history" .
In 1939, President Roosevelt presented a plaque to St. Eustatius. Mounted on the flagpole inside the impressively restored Fort Oranje, it reads, "In commemoration of the salute to the flag of the United States fired in this fort on 16 November 1776 by order of Johannes de Graaff, Governor of St. Eustatius in reply to a national gun salute fired by the U.S. Brig-of-war Andrew Doria.(...) Here the sovereignty of the United States was first formally acknowledged to a national vessel by a foreign official" .
External links
- (nl) Article in the NIMH 1713-1795:in de achterhoede, De Graeff under 1776: Het Doria saluut
- (eng) First Foreign Salute to the American flag, Article about Johannes de Graeff in the New York Times
- (eng) Article about Johannes de Graeff in History of Holland
- (eng) De Graeff in The story of New Netherland