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.
Good point. See Piers Mackesy, The War for America, 1775-1783. A fascinating book on the American Revolution from the British point of view, as part of a world war against France.
By the latter part of the Revolution the Caribbean & North America were just 2 theaters in the Anglo-French struggle. Control of the Caribbean -- economically speaking -- was the greater prize. The British 'Southern Strategy' was an attempt to seize the central position.