Louis Lhéritier (17 June 1747 – 15 December 1823Quintin, pp.242 — 243) was a French Navy officer. He most notably took part in 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 ...

and the

Battle of the Raz de Sein The Battle of the Raz de Sein was a single-ship naval engagement of the blockade of Brest during the French Revolutionary Wars between a French and Royal Navy ships of the line on 21 April 1798. The British blockade fleet under Admiral Lord ...

Career

Early career

Lhéritier joined the Navy as a sailor in 1763, serving on the frigate ''Malicieuse'', on ''Sceptre'' and ''Hirondelle'' the following year, before returning on ''Malicieuse'' until 1766. Promoted to helmsman, he embarked on ''Union'' in August 1766, and later on the frigates ''Légère'' and ''Indiscrète''. Again promoted assistant pilot, he served on the fluyts ''Gave'', ''Dorothée'' and '' Africain''. From 1770, Lhéritier worked in the merchant Navy first as an officer on ''Bellecombe'', ''Coureur'' and ''Concorde'', and as third captain on ''Solide'', as ensign on ''Normande'', and as first officer on ''Ville d'Arkhengelsk'' from 1776 and 1778.

War of American Independence

He returned to the French Royal Navy for the

War of American Independence 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 ...

with a rank of Frigate Lieutenant. He served on the fluyt ''Bricole'' from September to December 1778, the frigate ''Boudeuse'' until March 1779, and then joined the ''Guerrier'', on which he was wounded during the

Battle of Grenada The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron (the grandfather ...

. Between May and October 1780, Lhéritier served on ''Languedoc'', and later on ''Séraphin'' and ''Pivert''. After the war, Lhéritier returned to the merchant Navy, sailing as an officer on a number of ships before earning his commission as captain on ''Adolphe'' in April 1792.

French Revolution

On 17 March 1793, Lhéritier was promoted to Lieutenant and joined the Navy on the ''Nymphe''. Promoted to captain, he was appointed to ''Convention'' (ex-''Sceptre'', on which he had served as a seaman) on 28 October 1793. On 5 May 1794, he took command of the ''America'', which he commanded at the

where his ship and himself were captured by the British. Lhéritier was kept as a

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

in England until he was exchanged in April 1795, and appointed to ''Pluton'', before being promoted to ''Chef de Division'' on 21 March 1796 and transferring on ''Constitution ''. Pock mars hercule

On 14 March 1798, Lhéritier took command of ''Hercule'' and was tasked to cruise to Brest, departing from Lorient on the 20th.Fond Marine, vol.1, p.216 The next day, ''Hercule'' was intercepted by , which led to the

. Lhéritier attempted to board ''Mars'', and sustained himself a sabre blow to the head and had his leg injured. After a two-hour fight, ''Hercule'' was captured and Lhéritier taken prisoner again.Troude, pp.125 — 127 Exchanged again, Lhéritier was court-martialed for the loss of ''Hercule'', and unanimously acquitted. On 17 March 1799, he was appointed to the 110-gun ''Invincible'',Fonds Marine, tome 2, p. 323 on which he took part in Bruix' expedition of 1799. He later commanded ''Foudroyant'' from 5 May to 17 September 1803, before returning on ''Invincible'' from 23 September 1803 to 11 April 1807.

Late life

From then on and until the end of the Empire, Lhéritier served 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 *Brest, ...

harbour. At the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

, he was retired with a pension and the rank of Rear-Admiral.

Notes and references

Notes

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

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lheritier, Louis 1747 births 1823 deaths French Navy admirals French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars