I don’t quite get that, either. My understanding is that Degrasse’s fleet kicked British ass. How did that become a French defeat is anyone’s question.
Well it wasn’t a very decisive battle; the British fought poorly and retreated to New York. But it was enough. They couldn’t break DeGrasse’s blockade.
The key decision was when DeGrasse decided to bring his ENTIRE fleet from the Caribbean to the Chesapeake, which the British were not expecting.