Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil (18 April 1724 – 14 December 1802) was second in command of the French squadron off America during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
Biography
Early life
Louis-Philippe Rigaud de Vaudreuil was born into a family with a rich political and military tradition. His grandfather,
Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil
Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil (; c. 1643 – 10 October 1725) was a French military officer who served as Governor General of New France (now Canada and U.S. states of the Mississippi Valley) from 1703 to 1725, throughout Queen A ...
, and his uncle
Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnal, were both governors of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
; the latter was its last governor, surrendering
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
to the British in 1760. Another uncle,
Pierre-François de Rigaud, fought with
Montcalm at the
Battle of Oswego. His father, also named
Louis-Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil
Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis of Vaudreuil (Quebec City, 26 September 1691 – Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Rochefort, 27 November 1763) was a French naval officer.
Bibliography
Vaudreuil served in Canada where his father, Philippe de Rigau ...
, was an admiral 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 ...
: he saved
Desherbiers de l'Etenduère at the
Second battle of Cape Finisterre
The second battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval encounter fought during the War of the Austrian Succession on 25 October 1747 (N.S.). A British fleet of fourteen ships of the line commanded by Rear-Admiral Edward Hawke intercepted a Frenc ...
while commanding the 74-gun
''Intrépide'' and was in charge of the Navy in North America in 1747. His younger brother,
Louis de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, was also a Navy officer. They served together in 1747 on the
74-gun
The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...
''Intrépide''. Although his father was born in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
and there are claims that Louis-Philippe the son was born in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, it is more probable that he was born 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 ...
, France, as his father was in charge of that city on the west coast of France at the time.
Vaudreuil took part in the
Battle of Toulon on 22 February 1744, serving of ''Heureux'', captained by his father. He was promoted to Ensign in January 1746, and served on ''Tigre'' in
Duc d'Anville expedition.
He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1754, and given command of the frigate ''Fidèle'', and later of
''Aréthuse''.
On 18 May 1759, ''Aréthuse'' was captured off the
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
coast by a British squadron serving in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. Vaudreuil was taken prisoner and his ship was recommissioned under the name
HMS ''Arethusa'', later known as "Saucy Arethusa".
Vaudreuil was promoted to Captain in 1765. In 1769, he captained the 50-gun
''Hippopotame'', ferrying troops to the Caribbeans.
Under the command of the Marquis de Vaudreuil and the Duke
de Lauzun, the French captured
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
in January 1779
American Revolutionary War
Vaudreuil was dispatched to America when the French entered the war on the side of the Americans in February 1778. His first engagement came at the
First Battle of Ushant
The Battle of Ushant (also called the First Battle of Ushant) took place on 27 July 1778, and was fought during the American Revolutionary War between French and British fleets west of Ushant, an island at the mouth of the English Channel off ...
, an island on the north-west part of France near
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 ...
, where the French Navy and the
British Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
fought to a draw. He was at sea for about five months.
![The Victory of the French Navy for The American Revolution at Yorktown](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/The_Victory_of_the_French_Navy_for_The_American_Revolution_at_Yorktown.jpg)
Vaudreuil was on the ''Sceptre'' in the
Battle of the Chesapeake
The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...
. After one furious engagement with the British navy, Admiral
de Grasse's fleet and the British fleet drifted for miles south of Yorktown and lost sight of each other. De Grasse eventually disengaged and returned to the Chesapeake, where he met the fleet of the Comte de Barras. This combined fleet outnumbered the British fleet, and gave the French control of the bay when the British opted not to attack. This had the effect of cutting the army of
Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...
off from resupply and relief, leading to the
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...
and his surrender. Vaudreuil's contribution to this effort was to provide the cavalry of Duke of Lauzun, a foreign legion that was a mix of Russian, Slavic, Polish and German mercenaries in the service of France. He also provided eight hundred men from his ship to
Gloucester Point
Gloucester Point is a census-designated place (CDP) in Gloucester County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,402 at the 2010 census. It is home to the College of William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, a graduate school f ...
in defence of a peninsula near Yorktown. Together with the Duke of Lauzun these men fought the cavalry of
Tarleton
Tarleton is a village and civil parish in the borough of West Lancashire, Lancashire, England. It situated in the Lancashire mosslands approximately 10 miles north east of Southport, approximately 10 miles south west of Preston, approximately ...
, and defeated him.
In the 1782
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...
, Vaudreuil was credited with saving most of the French Navy's ships in the disastrous defeat. Since De Grasse was taken prisoner Vaudreuil took command of the entire French fleet in America. Afterward, Vaudreuil was on the flagship ''Triumphant'' in Boston harbor. He commanded the squadron intended to attack the British-ruled island of
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 ...
, and for that purpose welcomed Capt.
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...
as an American naval officer volunteer, when word came that the war had ended by treaty in early 1783. Vaudreuil was then responsible for bringing the victorious French army of
Rochambeau back to France.
French Revolution
![Marquis de Vaudreuil lieutenant general des armees navales](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Marquis_de_Vaudreuil_lieutenant_general_des_armees_navales.jpg)
Vaudreuil, with other Naval officers, forced his way into the Palace of Versailles on the night of October 5–6 1789 to protect the Royal family. He then emigrated to London in 1791, returning to Paris in 1800. Upon returning, he was granted a Naval pension by Napoleon.
Notes, citations, and references
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
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*
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External links
Picture of Louis-Philippe from a Montreal MuseumEntry for Vaudreuil in Appleton's Encyclopedia of American BiographyCaricature of Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaudreuil, Louis-Philippe
French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War
People of New France
French generals
People of pre-Confederation Canada
1724 births
1802 deaths