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The French expedition to Ireland, known in French as the ''Expédition d'Irlande'' ("Expedition to Ireland"), was an unsuccessful attempt by the French Republic to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republican group, in their planned rebellion against British rule 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 France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...
. The French intended to land a large expeditionary force in Ireland during the winter of 1796–1797 which would join with the United Irishmen and drive the British out of Ireland. The French anticipated that this would be a major blow to British morale, prestige and military effectiveness, and was also intended to possibly be the first stage of an eventual invasion of Britain itself. To this end, the Directory gathered a force of approximately 15,000 soldiers at
Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...
under General
Lazare Hoche Louis Lazare Hoche (; 24 June 1768 – 19 September 1797) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. He won a victory over Royalist forces in Brittany. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on ...
during late 1796, in readiness for a major landing at
Bantry Bay Bantry Bay ( ga, Cuan Baoi / Inbhear na mBárc / Bádh Bheanntraighe) is a bay located in County Cork, Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km (1.8-to-2.5 mil ...
in December. The operation was launched during one of the stormiest winters of the 18th century, with the French fleet unprepared for such severe conditions. Patrolling British frigates observed the departure of the fleet and notified the British Channel Fleet, most of which was sheltering at Spithead for the winter. The French fleet was subject to confused orders as it left port and was scattered across the approaches to Brest: one ship was wrecked with heavy loss of life and the others widely dispersed. Separated, most of the French fleet managed to reach Bantry Bay late in December, but its commanders were driven miles off course and without them the fleet was unsure of what action to take, with amphibious landings impossible due to the weather conditions, which were the worst recorded since 1708. Within a week the fleet had broken up, small squadrons and individual ships making their way back to Brest through storms, fog and British patrols. The British were largely unable to interfere with the French fleet before, during or after the invasion. A few ships operating from Cork captured isolated French warships and transports, but the only significant British response came from Captain
Sir Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother I ...
, who was able to drive the French ship of the line ashore in the
action of 13 January 1797 The action of 13 January 1797 (known by the French as the Naufrage du ''Droits de l'Homme''; "shipwreck r sinkingof the ''Droits de l'Homme''") was a minor naval battle fought between a French ship of the line and two British frigates off the co ...
with the loss of over 1,000 lives. In total, the French lost 12 ships captured or wrecked and thousands of soldiers and sailors drowned, without a single man reaching Ireland except as prisoners of war. Both navies were criticised by their governments for their behaviour during the campaign, but the French were encouraged to launch a second attempt in 1798, successfully
landing Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...
2,000 men in August but failing to influence the Irish Rebellion and again losing significant numbers of men and ships.


Background

Following the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
which began in 1789, the cause of republicanism was taken up in many countries, including the Kingdom of Ireland, at that time ruled by the
Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
.Pakenham, p. 27 Opposition to British rule had existed in Ireland for centuries, but the French example, combined with the imposition of the Penal Laws which discriminated against the
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
majority and a large
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
minority, prompted the creation of the Society of United Irishmen, a broad non-sectarian coalition of groups seeking to create an Irish Republic.Brooks, p. 605 Initially a non-violent political movement, the United Irishmen were forced to operate as a secret society after membership was made illegal in 1793 at the outbreak of 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 France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...
. Deciding that their only hope of creating the Irish Republic lay in armed revolt, the United Irishmen began secretly organising and arming their forces. In search of external aid, two of their leaders,
Lord Edward FitzGerald Lord Edward FitzGerald (15 October 1763 – 4 June 1798) was an Irish aristocrat who abandoned his prospects as a distinguished veteran of British service in the American War of Independence, and as an Irish Parliamentarian, to embrace the caus ...
and Arthur O'Connor travelled to
Basle , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), ...
to meet with French General
Lazare Hoche Louis Lazare Hoche (; 24 June 1768 – 19 September 1797) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. He won a victory over Royalist forces in Brittany. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on ...
.Woodman, p. 83 Their efforts were supported by Protestant Dublin lawyer
Theobald Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone ( ga, Bhulbh Teón; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members in Belfast and Dublin of the United Irishmen, a republican socie ...
, who travelled to Paris to appeal to the French Directory in person. During this period, the British government repealed some of the Penal Laws, in an attempt to quell unrest. The First French Republic had long planned an invasion of the
British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, but their ambitions had been repeatedly thwarted by other factors, including other fronts of the Revolutionary Wars, the
War in the Vendée The war in the Vendée (french: link=no, Guerre de Vendée) was a counter-revolution from 1793 to 1796 in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the river Loir ...
and the parlous state of the
French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
.Come, p. 177 This latter problem was a major cause for concern: the Navy had suffered heavily from the removal of its officer corps during the Revolution and then endured a series of military setbacks, culminating in the tactical defeat at the
Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June (1 June 1794), also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic ...
in 1794 and the disastrous '' Croisière du Grand Hiver'' in 1795.Regan, p. 87 After securing peace on several fronts in 1795, the new French Directory decided that Britain was one of their most dangerous remaining opponents, and they determined to defeat it through invasion. The applications from Tone intrigued the Directory, which understood that by attacking Ireland they would be striking at the least defensible part of the
British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
. Support for the British government was weakest there and the United Irishmen optimistically claimed to be able to raise an irregular army of as many as 250,000 waiting to join the French once they had landed, with the additional attraction that a successful establishment of an Irish Republic would prove an ideological coup for the French Republic.Regan, p. 88 Finally and most significantly, a large expeditionary force in Ireland could provide an ideal springboard for an invasion of Britain, especially in combination with a plan then under development to land 2,000 uniformed criminals in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, who would distract the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
during the invasion of Ireland and could potentially provide a beachhead for future operations.Come, p. 181


Preparation

With the end of the War in the Vendée and peace with Spain, substantial French forces were made available for the operation, to be led by General Hoche and scheduled for the end of October 1796. Hoche was a successful military commander, who had defeated the Vendée Royalists and been subsequently engaged in planning the Cornish invasion. A body of veteran soldiers and the entire French Atlantic Fleet were placed at his disposal, based in the major Atlantic seaport of
Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...
.James, p. 5 The number of soldiers earmarked for the invasion is uncertain; the French Directory suggested 25,000 men would be required, the Irish delegates insisting that 15,000 would be sufficient. Estimates of the number of soldiers eventually embarked range between 13,500 and 20,000. ote A/sup> By August the plan was already behind schedule: severe shortages of stores and wages slowed work at the Brest shipyards, while the troops set aside for the invasion of Cornwall proved unreliable, deserting in large numbers. A practice voyage of the Cornish invasion fleet ended in total failure, as the small ships intended for the operation proved unable to operate in open water. The plan was dropped and the reliable soldiers from the unit were merged into the Ireland expeditionary force and the rest returned to prison. Reinforcements from the Mediterranean Fleet were also delayed: seven ships from the expedition under Contre-amiral
Joseph de Richery Rear-Admiral Joseph de Richery (13 September 1757 in Allons, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence – 1798 in Allons) was a French naval officer. Career He distinguished himself in the French Navy in the American Revolutionary War. From 1781 until 1785 he ...
had to shelter from the British blockade squadron in
Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
, only arriving in Brest on 8 December, while a second squadron under Contre-amiral
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve (31 December 1763 – 22 April 1806) was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and the Spanish fleets that were defeated by Nelson at the Bat ...
did not arrive until after the expeditionary force had departed.James, p. 3 Throughout late 1796, progress on the expedition faltered. Hoche publicly blamed the naval command and specifically Vice-amiral
Villaret de Joyeuse Louis-Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (29 May 1747Granier, p.87Some biographers give a date of 1750 (Levot, p.541). Granier quotes the registers of Sainte-Marie parish. – 24 July 1812Levot, p.544) was a French admiral. Villaret was born at Auch ...
for the delay, whom he accused of being more interested in the planning of a proposed invasion of India. In October, Villaret was replaced by Vice-amiral Morard de Galles and the India plans were cancelled, while Hoche was placed in direct command of discipline within the fleet. By the second week of December the fleet was ready, consisting of 17 ships of the line, 13 frigates and 14 other vessels, including several large transports created by removing the
cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
s from old frigates to maximise cargo space.Clowes, p. 298 Each ship of the line carried 600 soldiers, the frigates 250 and the transports approximately 400. Included were cavalry units, field artillery and substantial military stores with which to arm the thousands of anticipated Irish volunteers. Hoche was still dissatisfied, announcing to the Directory on 8 December that he would rather lead his men in any other operation than the planned attack on Ireland. He was supported by Morard de Galles, who admitted that his men were so inexperienced at sea that encounters with the enemy should be avoided wherever possible.Come, p. 184


Departure

Despite the misgivings of the expedition's commanders, the fleet left Brest as scheduled on 15 December 1796, one day ahead of a message from the Directory calling off the entire operation.Come, p. 185. De Galles knew that the British would be watching Brest harbour: their frigates were a constant presence as part of the Inshore Squadron of the blockade. In an effort to disguise his force's intentions, he first anchored in Camaret Bay and issued orders for his ships to pass through the Raz de Sein. The Raz was a dangerous narrow channel littered with rocks and sandbanks and subject to heavy surf during bad weather, but would also obscure the size, strength and direction of the French fleet from the British squadron offshore, which French scouts claimed consisted of 30 ships. Despite the French reports, the principal British blockade squadron was absent from the approaches to Brest during the night of 15 December. Most of the fleet had retired to one of the British Channel Ports to avoid the winter storms, while the remaining squadron under Rear-Admiral John Colpoys had been forced to retreat into the Atlantic to avoid the risk of being driven onto the rocky French Biscay shoreline during a storm. The only British ships within sight of Brest were a frigate squadron, consisting of , , , and the
lugger A lugger is a sailing vessel defined by its rig, using the lug sail on all of its one or several masts. They were widely used as working craft, particularly off the coasts of France, England, Ireland and Scotland. Luggers varied extensively ...
HMS ''Duke of York'', under the command of Captain
Sir Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younger brother I ...
in ''Indefatigable''.Clowes, p. 299 Pellew had noted French preparations on 11 December and immediately sent ''Phoebe'' to warn Colpoys and ''Amazon'' to Falmouth, to alert the Admiralty. He remained off Brest with the rest of the squadron, and sighted the main French fleet at 15:30 on 15 December, bringing his frigates inshore towards Camaret Bay to establish its size and purpose.Woodman, p. 84 At 15:30 on 16 December, the French sailed from the Bay, Pellew observing closely and despatching ''Revolutionnaire'' to assist in the search for Colpoys. Morard de Galles had spent most of 16 December preparing for passage through the '' Raz de Sein'', situating temporary lightships in the channel to warn of hazards and giving instructions on the use of signal rockets during the passage. The fleet was so delayed in this work that darkness began to fall before preparations were complete and he abandoned the plan at approximately 16:00 and signalled for the fleet to leave via the main channel from the port, leading the way in his flagship, the frigate . It was so dark by the time the signal was made that most ships failed to see it, ''Fraternité'' and the corvette ''Atalante'' attempting to notify them by rocket signal. These signals were confusing and many ships failed to understand, sailing for the Raz de Sein rather than the main channel. Pellew added to the problem by weaving ahead of the fleet shining blue lights and firing rockets, further confusing the French captains as to their location.Henderson, p. 21 When dawn broke on 17 December, most of the French fleet was scattered across the approaches to Brest. The largest intact group was that under Vice-admiral
François Joseph Bouvet François Joseph Bouvet (1753–1832) was a French admiral. Early life Son of René Joseph Bouvet de Précourt, a captain in the service of the French East India Company and of the French Royal Navy under Suffren, François Joseph Bouvet went ...
, which had come through the Raz de Sein with nine ships of the line, six frigates and one transport.Clowes, p. 300 The other ships, including ''Fraternité'', which also carried General Hoche, were alone or in small groups; the captains forced open their secret orders to discover their destination, in the absence of instructions from any commanding officers. One ship had been lost; the 74-gun ship of the line had driven onto the Grand Stevenent rock during the night and sank with the loss of 680 lives.Grocott, p. 40 She too had fired numerous rockets and signal guns in an effort to attract attention, succeeding only in compounding the confusion in the fleet.James, p. 6 Pellew, unable now to affect the large French force, sailed for Falmouth to telegraph his report to the Admiralty and replenish his supplies.Woodman, p. 85


Voyage to Ireland

By 19 December, Bouvet had gathered 33 ships together and set a course for Mizen Head in southern Ireland, the designated rendezvous point where he was instructed by his sealed orders to wait five days for further instructions from France. One of the ships still missing was the ''Fraternité''. Despite the disappearance of its commanders the French fleet continued to
Bantry Bay Bantry Bay ( ga, Cuan Baoi / Inbhear na mBárc / Bádh Bheanntraighe) is a bay located in County Cork, Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km (1.8-to-2.5 mil ...
, sailing through both high winds and thick fog, which delayed its arrival until 21 December. While Bouvet sailed for Ireland, ''Fraternité'' crossed the
Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...
in search of the fleet, accompanied by , and .James, p. 7 Unwittingly passing Bouvet's fleet in the fog, de Galles separated from his small squadron near the rendezvous on 21 December, only to discover a British frigate immediately ahead. Retreating from the threat, ''Fraternité'' was chased far into the Atlantic before she could escape the unidentified pursuer. On the return journey de Galle found the winds against him, and it took eight days to regain Mizen Head.James, p. 9 ''Phoebe'' did not find Colpoys until 19 December, deep in the Bay of Biscay. The following day he sighted the delayed French squadron under Villeneuve and gave chase, but Villeneuve was able to outrun Colpoys' pursuit in a gale, reaching
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
ahead of the British, whose ships were badly damaged by the storm. Unable to continue operations, Colpoys was forced to retreat to Spithead for repairs.James, p. 21 The response from the Channel Fleet under Lord Bridport was similarly ineffective. News of the French departure from Brest did not arrive in Plymouth, the most westerly of the British fleet ports, until 20 December. Many of Bridport's ships, based at Spithead, were not ready for sea and it was several days before enough vessels were manned and equipped for service. The order to leave port was issued on 25 December, but the fleet was almost immediately thrown into chaos when the large
second-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer gun ...
swung out of control and collided with the 80-gun . At almost the same time, another second-rate, , was driven into the 100-gun first-rate HMS ''Ville de Paris'' by strong winds while the 98-gun grounded.Grocott, p. 44 All five ships were required to enter dock for extensive repairs, denying Bridport his strongest vessels and delaying his departure further. When he eventually reached St Helens, the departure point from the
Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...
, the wind was blowing from the west and his remaining eight ships were rendered immobile until 3 January. In the absence of Morard de Galles and Hoche, Bouvet and his army counterpart, General
Emmanuel de Grouchy Emmanuel de Grouchy, 2nd Marquis of Grouchy (; 23 October 176629 May 1847) was a French general and Marshal of the Empire. Biography Grouchy was born in Condécourt (Val d'Oise), Château de Villette, the son of François-Jacques de Grouchy, 1 ...
, gave orders on 21 December for the fleet to anchor in preparation for landings the following day. Local
maritime pilot A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots are regarded as skilled profession ...
s, believing the fleet to be British, rowed out to the ships and were seized, providing the French with guides to the best landing sites. During the night of 21 December, the weather suddenly and significantly worsened, Atlantic gales bringing blizzards that hid the shoreline and forced the fleet to anchor or risk being wrecked. They remained in the Bay for four days in the coldest winter recorded since 1708.Henderson, p. 22 The inexperienced French sailors, lacking any winter clothing, were unable to operate their ships. On shore, local militia forces were marshaled by local landowner Richard White, taking positions in anticipation of the French landing.Lloyd, p. 17 On 24 December the wind slackened and a council of war was convened among the expedition's senior officers. Together they resolved to force a landing despite the weather, identifying a nearby creek as the safest point and giving orders for the operation to go ahead at first light on 25 December. During the night the weather deteriorated once more, and by morning the waves were so violent that they were breaking over the bows of many ships. Anchors dragged and a number of vessels were blown right out of the Bay and into the Atlantic, unable to return against the wind. In the storm, the largest ship of the line, the '' Indomptable'', collided with the frigate and both suffered severe damage.James, p. 8 HMS ''Monarch'', flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir George Elphinstone returning from the successful Invasion of the Cape Colony, was battered by the storm and passed right through the French fleet without realising the danger, anchoring in a disabled state at Crookhaven.


Collapse of the expedition

For four more days Bouvet's ships were battered by the high winds, none able to approach the shore without severe risk of being destroyed on the rocky coast. Losing their anchors as the cables snapped, many ships were forced to run before the wind and scatter into the Western Approaches. Others were destroyed: an American ship named ''Ellis'', passing close to Crookhaven on 29 December, encountered a vessel wallowing in the waves, dismasted and with the deck strewn with bodies. The American captain, Harvey, reported that he approached the ship but was unable to assist her due to the storm and as he watched, the ship was driven ashore and destroyed. This was the 44-gun frigate , of which only seven men survived from her complement of 550 crew and passengers.Grocott, p. 42 Harvey also recounted coming across the and frigate . Captain Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley was in the process of removing the crew and passengers from ''Scévola'' before she foundered, the heavy weather having reduced the 40-gun razee frigate to a sinking condition.Grocott, p. 43 ''Ellis'' was not the only ship to discover ''Révolution''; the long-delayed ''Fraternité'' encountered the ships and observed the destruction of the ''Scévola'', which was burnt once she had been abandoned. Bouvet had been driven offshore in his flagship ''Immortalité'' during the storm, and when the wind fell during 29 December he decided to abandon the operation. Signalling to the ships within view, he ordered his remaining squadron to sail southeast towards Brest. Some ships failed to receive the message and continued to the second rendezvous off the River Shannon, but they were few and scattered and in the continuing storms no landing was possible. With provisions running low, these ships also turned and sailed for Brest, as the weather worsened once more. As their expeditionary force sailed home, Morard de Galles and Hoche arrived in Bantry Bay on 30 December, discovering that the fleet had gone. With their own provisions almost exhausted, ''Fraternité'' and ''Révolution'' were forced to return to France as well. The British response to the attempted invasion continued to be inadequate, Colpoys arriving at Spithead on 31 December with only six of his ships still in formation. Only a handful of ships based at Cork under Rear-Admiral Robert Kingsmill, principally under Captain George Lumsdaine and a frigate squadron, interfered with the French fleet: ''Polyphemus'' seized the transport on 30 December and captured the transport shortly afterwards, although she was later recaptured by the French frigate .


Retreat

The first French ships to return to Brest arrived on 1 January, including Bouvet's flagship ''Immortalité'' accompanied by ''Indomptable'', , , , and some smaller ships. They had avoided any contact with British warships and had been able to make good speed in a period of relatively calm weather. During the following days, the French ships that had gathered off the Shannon limped home, all badly damaged due to the increasingly rough seas and high winds.James, p. 10 Several ships did not return to France at all, including the frigate , which was scuttled in Bantry Bay on 2 January; many of those aboard, including General Julien Mermet and 600 cavalrymen, were rescued by boats from the remaining French fleet while others scrambled ashore to become prisoners of war.Grocott, p. 45Breen and Forsythe, p.42 On 5 January, ''Polyphemus'' outran and captured the frigate ''Tartu'', of 44 guns and 625 men (including troops), after four hours of intermittent combat. The Royal Navy later took her into service as HMS ''Uranie''. ''Polyphemus'' also captured another transport, but the weather being bad and night falling, she did not take possession. Captain Lumsdaine of ''Polyphemus'' reported that the transport was leaky and making distress signals, but that he was unable to assist. He thought it highly likely that she had sunk. This may have been the transport ''Fille-Unique'', which sank in the Bay of Biscay on 6 January, although the fate of the 300 soldiers aboard is unknown. On 7 January, the British frigates under Captain Sir Thomas Williams, under Captain Charles Jones and under Captain Richard King, captured the transport , ''Druid'' escorting the prize back to Cork. The following day ''Unicorn'' and ''Doris'' encountered some of the force that had attempted to land at the Shannon. Outnumbered, the frigates retreated westwards and encountered the battered ''Révolution'' and ''Fraternité'', which withdrew before them. This prevented Morard de Galles and Hoche from belatedly joining their squadron and took them away from the route back to France. When ''Unicorn'' and ''Doris'' reappeared the following morning, they were operating as scouts for Bridport's fleet, which had finally left port at the start of the new year and had encountered the frigates during the night. Escaping pursuit in a fog, ''Révolution'' and ''Fraternité'' sailed directly for France and arrived at Rochefort on 13 January. The majority of the remaining French ships had reached Brest on 11 January, including , , , and , the latter towing the dismasted ''Résolue''. On 13 January most of the remainder returned, including ''Nestor'', , and with their attendant frigates, while the frigate arrived at Lorient alone. Losses had continued as the French neared Brest, the disarmed ''Suffren'' recaptured by off Ushant and burnt on 8 January, while ''Atalante'' was outrun and captured by HMS ''Phoebe'' on 10 January. On 12 January, the storeship ''Allègre'' was captured by the brig .


''Droits de l'Homme''

By 13 January, all of the French fleet had been accounted for except the small brig ''Mutine'', which was blown all the way to Santa Cruz and was captured there in July, and the 74-gun ''Droits de l'Homme''. ''Droits de l'Homme'' had been among the ships under Bouvet in Bantry Bay and then with those that carried on to the Shannon, but as the fleet broke up she became separated. With provisions running low and landings still impossible, Captain Jean-Baptiste Raymond de Lacrosse determined to return to France independently. Progress was slow as ''Droits de l'Homme'' was overloaded with 1,300 men, including 800 soldiers under General Jean Humbert. She was further delayed when she encountered and captured a small British
privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
named ''Cumberland''.Woodman, p. 86 As a result, La Crosse had only reached Ushant by 13 January, where he encountered the same fog that had enabled ''Révolution'' and ''Fraternité'' to reach safety.James, p. 11 At 13:00, two ships emerged from the gloom to the east and Lacrosse turned away rather than risk his passengers in a pointless engagement. The ships persisted and were soon revealed to be the frigates ''Indefatigable'' under Captain Sir Edward Pellew, and ''Amazon'' under Captain
Robert Carthew Reynolds Rear-Admiral Robert Carthew Reynolds (''bap.'' 30 July 1745 – 24 December 1811) was a long serving and widely respected officer of the British Royal Navy who served in four separate major wars in a 52-year career. During this time he saw only ...
, which had taken on supplies at Falmouth and then returned to their station off Brest. As ''Droits de l'Homme'' steered southwest, the winds increased once more and the sea became choppy, preventing Lacrosse from opening the gunports on his lower deck without severe risk of flooding and snapping his topmasts, which reduced his ship's stability.Gardiner, p. 159 Realising his opponent's difficulties, Pellew closed with the larger ship and began a heavy fire. At 18:45, ''Amazon'' came within range and the frigates combined to repeatedly rake the French ship. The combat continued throughout the night, punctuated by short breaks in which the more mobile British ships repaired their battle damage out of range of Lacrosse's guns.Woodman, p. 88 At 04:20 on 14 January, lookouts on all three ships sighted waves breaking immediately eastwards. Desperate to escape the heavy surf, ''Indefatigable'' turned north and ''Amazon'' turned south, while the battered ''Droits de l'Homme'' was unable to make any manoeuvre and drove straight onto a sandbar near the town of Plozévet, the force of the waves rolling her onto her side.James, p. 18 ''Amazon'' too was wrecked, although in a more sheltered position which enabled the frigate to remain upright. The only surviving ship was ''Indefatigable'', which was able to round the Penmarck rocks and reach open water.James, p. 16 While Reynolds fashioned rafts to bring his men safely to shore, the French officers on ''Droits de l'Homme'' were unable to launch their boats, their exposed position in the heavy surf destroying every attempt to reach shore and drowning hundreds of men. Losses on board the wreck mounted as the storm continued, breaking open the stern of the ship and flooding the interior.James, p. 19 On the morning of 15 January a group of prisoners from ''Cumberland'' reached the shore in a small boat, but subsequent attempts failed and it was not until 17 January that the sea calmed enough for the small naval vessel ''Arrogante'' to approach the wreck and remove the remaining 290 survivors.Pipon in Tracy, p. 170


Aftermath

The French attempt to invade Ireland had ended in total failure. With the exception of a handful of prisoners of war, not one French soldier had successfully landed in Ireland, despite some ships remaining off the coast for almost two weeks. Twelve ships had been lost and over two thousand soldiers and sailors drowned.Clowes, p. 304 The invasion was abandoned, Hoche and his remaining men were returned to the army for service in Germany, and the general died nine months later from natural causes.Chandler, p. 199 The French Navy, although criticised for failing to land the expeditionary force, was also praised for successfully reaching Ireland and returning without encountering the main body of the British fleet. This achievement encouraged further invasion attempts, including a landing at
Fishguard Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two p ...
in Wales in February 1797 (
Battle of Fishguard The Battle of Fishguard was a military invasion of Great Britain by Revolutionary France during the War of the First Coalition. The brief campaign, on 22–24 February 1797, is the most recent landing on British soil by a hostile foreign fo ...
) and a second invasion of Ireland in mid-1798.Come, p. 186 In Britain, the Royal Navy's response to the French campaign was heavily criticised; both fleets assigned to intercept the invasion fleet had failed, the only losses inflicted on the French coming from the small Cork squadron or Pellew's independent frigates.James, p. 22 White was rewarded for his service on shore with the title Baron Bantry. At sea, Colpoys was replaced in command of the blockade of Brest by Rear-Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, and extensive deployments to the Bay of Biscay were made in February and March to prevent any further French operations.James, p. 23 In addition, reinforcements were also sent to the fleet off Cadiz under Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis, who had won the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February. These extended deployments were unpopular with the regular seamen and in April the Spithead Mutiny broke out, paralysing the Channel Fleet. The French, still recovering from their losses in the winter campaign, were unable to respond.Clowes, p. 305 In Ireland, the failure of the French expeditionary force was the source of great frustration: Wolfe Tone, who was aboard ''Indomptable'' throughout the voyage, reported that he felt that he could have touched either side of the bay with both hands.Pakenham, p. 18 Postponing the uprising, Tone continued to rally support in Europe, raising a fleet in the Netherlands for an attempted invasion that ended in destruction at the Battle of Camperdown.Ireland, p. 147 In May 1798, a British crackdown arrested the leaders of the United Irishmen in Ireland and provoked the Irish Rebellion. By the time the French had managed to gather a small force and reach Ireland in August, the rebellion was almost over and the inadequate French army, led by Jean Humbert, surrendered in September at the Battle of Ballinamuck.Smith, p. 141 A subsequent invasion attempt the following month also ended in failure, when the invasion squadron was intercepted and defeated at the Battle of Tory Island.Gardiner, p. 114 Wolfe Tone was captured at the action off Tory Island and committed suicide in prison. His death, combined with military defeat and reprisals against the Irish rebels, ended both the Society of United Irishmen and French invasion plans.Brooks, p. 626


See also

*
Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom at the start of the War of the Third Coalition, although never carried out, was a major influence on British naval strategy and the fortification of the coast of southeast England. French attempt ...
* Spanish Armada


Notes

  1. ^ Sources vary on the exact number of French troops that eventually participated in the campaign. Pakenham gives 12,000,Pakenham, p. 23 Clowes, James, Woodman and Henderson suggest 18,000 (although James quotes estimates between 16,200 and 25,000),Henderson, p. 20Clowes, p. 297 while Regan and Come indicate approximately 20,000, although Come comments that they were of low quality.


References


Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Expedition Dirlande 1796 in Ireland Wars involving Ireland Naval battles of the French Revolutionary Wars Naval battles involving Great Britain Naval battles involving France Conflicts in 1796 Conflicts in 1797 1796 in France 1797 in France Military expeditions Expeditions from France Invasions of Ireland Invasions by France