Antoine Marie François Montalan (Lyon, 19 March 1767 — Paris, 22 March 1818) was a French

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

officer active during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

and the

Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Career

Early life

Montalan was born to Marguerite Gastaldy and Jean-François Montalan, an industrialist of Lyon, on 19 March 1767. He started sailing in the

French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...

in 1787 as a volunteer. By 1792, Montalan has risen to the rank of Second Captain in the merchant navy.Quintin, p.285

French Revolutionary Wars

On 12 February 1792, Montalan joined the Navy as an ''

enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu ''Enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu'' (literally: "Ensign without a salary") was a junior naval rank in the French Navy during the Revolutionary Wars. The duties of an ''Enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu'' were the same as those of an ''enseign ...

'' (junior ensign), serving on the corvette ''Vanneau'' and later on the frigate ''Résolue''. In 1793, he was promoted to Lieutenant. He was appointed to ''Galathée'' from November 1793 to March 1794, and then on ''Sans Pareil''. On 19 March 1794, Montalan received his first command, the corvette ''Tourterelle''. On 15 May 1795, ''Tourterelle'' met the British frigate ''Lively'', and

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after a four-hour battle. Montalan subsequently underwent a

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

or the loss of his ship, and was unanimously acquitted on 20 May 1796. Promoted to Commander on 21 March 1796, Montalan was given command of ''Résolue'', and took part in the Expédition d'Irlande as Nielly's flagship. In the night of 22 to 23 December, she accidentally collided with ''Redoutable'', losing her of her bowsprit, foremast, and mizzen; only her mainmast stayed upright.Roche, p. 373 the 74-gun ''Pégase'' took ''Résolue'' in tow and returned with her to Brest, where they arrived on 30 December; In 1797, Montalan took command of a frigate division comprising ''Sémillante'', ''Fraternité'' and the corvette ''Berceau'', with his flag on ''Sémillante'', ferrying General

Hédouville Hédouville () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. Geography Hédouville is located just inside Île-de-France, on its border with Hauts-de-France. The town is part of the Parc Naturel Régional du V ...

Saint Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the islan ...

. In 1799, he took command of another division, composed of ''Sémillante'', ''Charente'' and two avisos to bring despatches to Admiral Bruix. On 9 April 1799, ''Sémillante'' along with ''Vengeance'' and ''Cornélie'', encountered and fought and off Belle Île.''The Naval History of Great Britain, 1793 - 1820'', Volumes II and IV, by

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...

, R. Bentley, London, 1837. The engagement was indecisive, with the French ships escaping up the Loire. The British suffered three men killed and 35 wounded. After the decommissioning of ''Sémillante'' on 19 July 1802, Montalan was appointed to captain ''Vertu'' in September. Commanding a frigate division, he was sent to

to repress slave rebelling at Gonaïves. He was promoted to Captain 2nd Class on 24 September 1803. After the Blockade of Saint-Domingue resulted in the capitulation of General Rochambeau in December 1803, Montalan was taken to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

as a prisoner of war, and eventually returned to France the next year.

Napoleonic Wars

In 1808, Montalan was appointed to command ''Robuste''. In April 1809, he transferred to ''Génois'', which he captained until 1814.Quintin, p.286

Sources and references

References

Bibliography

* Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations; divisions et stations navales; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome premier : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826

* * (1671-1870) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montalan, Antoine Marie François 1767 births 1818 deaths French Navy officers French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Officers of the Legion of Honour