Pierre François Étienne Bouvet De Maisonneuve

Pierre-François-Henri-Étienne Bouvet de Maisonneuve (28 December 1775, in Saint-Benoît, RéunionLevot, p.57Quintin (p.83) says 28 November 1775 – 18 June 1860, in Saint-ServanLevot, p.59Quintin, p.87) was a French Navy officer and privateer.

Born to a Navy captain, Bouvet started sailing at the age of 11, He served under his father on various ships between France and the Indies. He was taken prisoner by the British during their occupation of Toulon.

Released, Bouvet served on the frigate '' Amazone'' in Linois's squadron, which raided commerce in the Indies. After '' Amazone'' was wrecked at Cape of Good Hope, he attempted to return to Mauritius and inform the governor, but was captured en route by a British frigate.

Released on parole, Bouvet designed a patamar or felucca of Indian pattern that he named . After he was exchanged, he cruised off the Malabar Coast undetected amongst indigenous shipping. Appointed to a 16-gun brig also named , Bouvet sailed to Manila and rescued the crew of ''Mouche n° 6'' from detention.

Embarked in Duperré's squadron, Bouvet was given command of the prize ''Minerve'', on which he took part in a battle against three large East Indiamen, of which the squadron captured two. Returned to Mauritius, the squadron met four British frigates, which it defeated in the Battle of Grand Port. Duperré having been wounded, Bouvet commanded the French forces for the second half of the battle.

Returned to France after the fall of Mauritius, Bouvet was given command of a two-frigate squadron, with his flag on ''Aréthuse''. His other frigate was wrecked in a storm, and soon after, ''Aréthuse'' battled HMS ''Amelia'' in a bloody action that resulted in a stale-mate. Bouvet never fought again, and devoted his late life to politics and writing.

Career

Early life

Born to Pierre-Servais-René Bouvet, Pierre Bouvet enlisted in the French Navy as a volunteer at the age of 11, on 13 December 1786,Quintin, p.83 and enlisted on the fluye ''Nécessaire'', commanded by his father and bound for the Indies.Levot, p.58 He returned to France in May 1789. On 18 March 1791, he enlisted as a helmsman on the brig ''Goéland'', returning in June.Granier, p.341 He then transferred on the 74-gun '' Tourville'' for a patrol the same month. in June

In 1792, he became a midshipman,"''aspirant entretenu''" (Levot, p.58; Quintin p.83) and served on the brand-new frigate '' Aréthuse'' in Toulon,Quintin, p.84 under his father who had recently been promoted to captain. On ''Aréthuse'', Bouvet took part in Truguet's raid on Sardinia from February to March 1793, before transferring on the 80-gun ''Languedoc'' on 3 April 1793.

On 1 July 1793, Bouvet was promoted to Ensign, and served on the 120-gun '' Commerce de Marseille''. On 25 August, Royalist parties surrendered the harbour and arsenal of Toulon to the British and Spanish, along with all the ships anchored there. Bouvet was taken prisoner with his father, and expelled to Brest in September the ''Patriote'', whose armament had been removed; ''Patriote'' reached Brest on 16 October. There, he was arrested on the spot by agents of the French Convention, transferred to Paris, and detained until 3 March 1795.Granier (p.341) says on 1 January 1795.

Service in the English Channel

In June 1795, Bouvet was appointed to the frigate ''Rassurante'', on which he roamed the English Channel until September. In November, he transferred on the corvette ''Foudroyante'' in Brest, on which he served until December. Then, he embarked on the frigate ''Bravoure'', patrolling the English Channel until July 1796.

At the Thermidorian Reaction, the Convention reestablished the practice of Letters of marque and privateer commerce raiding.Granier, p.341 Bouvet obtained a release from Navy duty to enlist on a privateer, the ''Triton''. She departed on 10 November 1797 and preyed on British merchantmen until 17 February 1798, when she was captured by the frigate HMS ''Melpomene''. Bouvet was taken prisoner.

Released on 20 November 1798, Bouvet served in Brest harbour, before taking command of the 14-gun''Naval History''
vol.2 p.373
/ref> privater ''Furet'' on 16 December 1799. On the 26th at 10:15, ''Furet'' was intercepted by HMS ''Viper'' under Lieutenant John Pengelly,''Naval History''
vol.2 p.372
/ref> After a running chase of over two hours, ''Viper'' caught on ''Furet'' and delivered two broadsides that compelled her to strike her colours. ''Furet'' had four killed and six wounded,James (vol.2 p.373) states that the captain of ''Furet'' was killed, contradicting Quintin (p.84) who says that Bouvet was in command. Likewise, James names the captain of ''Furet'' as "Louis Bouvet". including Bouvet, who suffered an injury to the tight and was again taken prisoner.

Released from captivity on 9 February 1800,Granier (p.342) states that Bouvet was not released until the Treaty of Amiens in 1802 Bouvet was appointed to the inspection of signals on the coasts near Brest; he held this position until 14 March 1801, when he was appointed to the frigate ''Consolante''. He left ''Consolante'' in November 1801, and was appointed to '' Romaine'' in February 1802. In March, he transferred to the 74-gun '' Redoutable''.

On 1 March,Granier (p.342) says 5 March. ''Redoutable'' departed for Guadeloupe, attached to a division under Rear-Admiral Bouvet de Précourt.Granier, p.342 During the journey, on 24 April, Bouvet was promoted to Lieutenant. He left ''Redoutable'' on 20 August 1802.

Service on ''Amazone'' in Linois's squadron

On 17 February 1803, Bouvet was appointed to the frigate '' Atalante'', under Captain Gaudin-Beauchêne, in the division of Rear-Admiral Linois sent to recover the French colonies of the Indies according to the terms of the Treaty of Amiens, under the overall command of General Decaen. The division, comprising four frigates and two fluyts, departed Brest on 6 March 1803, and arrived at Mauritius on 21 August. Upon arrival, it was informed of the outbreak of the War of the Third Coalition.

In the course of October, the division sailed to Batavia and ''Atalante'' detached to ferry the new commercial attaché, Jean-Baptiste Cavaignac, to Muscat, in Oman; she rejoined the division after the Battle of Pulo Aura. After a port call in Batavia. ''Belle-Poule'' and ''Atalante'' detached and conducted independent commerce raiding cruises, while Linois returned to Mauritius; They notably captured the East Indiamen ''Athia'', ''Princess Royal'' and ''Heroism''.

Returned to Mauritius, Bouvet married his cousin Henriette Périer d'Hauterive on 1 June 1804, before departing on the 20th.Granier, p.343 With Linois' division, he cruised in the Gulf of Bengal, took part in the Battle of Vizagapatam on 15 September 1804, and returned to Mauritius in October with several prizes. Bouvet took part in another commerce raiding expedition between December 1804 and April 1805.

Governor Decaen having sent Linois back to France, the division departed in May 1805; while attempting to rejoining it, on 3 November 1805, ''Atalante'' was washed ashore by a gust of wind and wrecked near the Cape of Good Hope. Captain Gaudin-Beauchêne sent Bouvet to Mauritius with despatches for governor Decaen, and he embarked on the American brig ''Charles'', but was taken prisoner by a British cruiser, HMS ''Pitt'', and taken to Mumbai. Bouvent was released on parole on 15 September 1806,Granier (p.345) says in May 1806. and sailed to La Réunion to visit his family.Granier, p.345

Service on ''Entreprenant'' and the rescue of ''Mouche n° 6''

At Mauritius, Bouvet requested the construction of a patamar to which Decaen agreed. Formally exchanged in spring 1807, he named the ship ''Entreprenant'' on 30 November 1807, and on 7 December, he departed with a 40-man crew to cruise off the Western coast of India. With her unassuming indigenous appearance, ''Entreprenant'' sailed undetected amongst Indian patamars off the Malabar Coast; on 8 February, she captured the British mercantile brig ''Marguerite'' after a 3-hour battle. Bouvet then abandoned ''Entreprenant'' to his captives, and returned to Mauritius on his prize, which her renamed ''Entreprenant''.

After this reconnaissance, Bouvet had a second ''Entreprenant'' constructed at Mauritius.Quintin, p.85 She was a "brig gourable",Roche, p.176 of 16 guns, or 12 guns.

Bouvet departed for Ormuz on the new ''Entreprenant'' on 4 October 1808 to ferry despatches for General Gardane, ambassador in Theran. He then cruised off Malabar coast, where he captured nineteen prizes. On 30 November 1808, he battled the East indiamen ''Benares'' and the schooner ''Wasp'', and made a number of other prizes. During a port call at the Maldives in February 1809, Bouvet had to repress a mutiny; he returned to Mauritius, on 16 March 1809, where the mutineers were shot.

On 24 May 1809, Decaen promoted him to acting Commander He was then tasked with a mission to Manila to investigate the fate of ''Mouche n° 6'', under Lieutenant Ducrest de Villeneuve, disappeared there a few months before. On 28 August, ''Entreprenant'' reached Manila and learned that Borneo had sided for the Allies and interned the crew of ''Mouche n° 6''. Furthermore, the 14-gun HMS ''Antelope'' was anchored at Cavite. Anchoring his ship off shore under a flag of truce, Bouvet sent a delegation to demand the release of the crew of ''Mouche n° 6'', with orders to return to ''Entreprenant'' as soon as the message was delivered. However, the delegation had still not returned the next morning.Troude, p. 72

In order to obtain a clear ''casus belli'', Bouvet anchored his ship at the entrance of Manila Bay, but stayed ready to set sail. Soon, ''Antelope'' and shore batteries opened up on ''Entreprenant'', which promptly retreated. Bouvet sailed to Corregidor Island and endeavored to blockade all shipping bound for Manila. After collecting enough prisoners in this way, on 3 September, he released them on parole under promise not to navigate at sea before ''Mouche n° 6'' would be released. Bouvet had them convey his ultimatum that if his conditions were not met the next day, he would attack the coasts of the island. The French crew detained in Manila was promptly released and returned to ''Entreprenant''.

On her return journey, ''Entreprenant'' was chased by HMS ''Modeste'', which she evaded, and anchored at Con Dao to repair her rigging.Granier, p.346 On 20 October, sailing through Malacca Strait, ''Entreprenant'' encountered a British convoy and detected an isolated sail, which she intercepted by 23:00. The ship was the 18-gun ''Ovidor'', of the Dutch East India Company. She surrendered after the first broadside and was brought to Isle de France with a valuable cargo of Chinese goods, and 200,000 Piastres. ''Ovidor'', a 550-tonne ship built in Portugal, was brought into French service as the fluyt ''Loire''.

Service on ''Minerve'', Duperré's squadron, and the Battle of Grand Port

Bouvet relinquished command of ''Entreprenant'' in late January 1810, was formally promoted to Commander on 1 February, and appointed to the frigate '' Minerve'', after her capture on 22 November. On ''Minerve'', he took part in the action of 3 July 1810, where he single-handedly engaged the East Indiamen ''Ceylon'', ''Windham'' and ''Astell'' for one hour before the rest of Duperré's squadron rejoined him.James, p. 264 The squadron then returned to Mauritius where it encountered four British frigates, leading to the Battle of Grand Port, from 20 to 27 August 1810.

At the Battle of Grand Port, Bouvet replaced Duperré as chief of the French squadron on ''Bellone'' when he was wounded and carried below deck. After the battle, on 3 September, Bouvet was promoted to acting Captain and appointed to the frigate ''Iphigénie'', formerly HMS ''Iphigenia'', one of the prizes surrendered during Battle of Grand Port.

Service on ''Iphigénie'' and the Fall of Mauritius

Since the Invasion of Île Bonaparte and consequent fall of La Réunion in early 9 July 1810, the British had planned the complete their conquest of the French possessions in the Indian Ocean by also invading Mauritius. In September, ''Iphigénie'' scrambled from Port-Nord-Ouest, along with Lemarant's '' Astrée'', to intercept a British troop convoy. While in transit, they met HMS ''Africaine'' off Saint Denis;Granier, p.353 in the subsequent Action of 13 September 1810, ''Astrée'' and ''Iphigénie'' subdued ''Africaine'', but had to abandon her when the rest of Rowley's frigate division arrived on the scene.Quitin, p.86 ''Astrée'' and ''Iphigénie'' sailed to Mauritius for resupply and repair, captured the British East India Company's Bombay Marine's 14-gun sloop-of-war ''Aurora'' en route, and arrived at Port-Nord-Ouest on 22 September.

The Invasion of Isle de France eventually occurred on 29 November 1810, and Decaen surrendered to the British on 2 December. Under the terms of the capitulation, the French garrison was repatriatedTroude, p.115 and on 11 April 1811, Bouvet embarked on the cartel ''Adèle'', bound for France where he arrived on 14 August, landing in Morlaix.

Service on ''Aréthuse'' and battle with HMS ''Amelia''

On 20 December 1810, Bouvet was formally promoted to captain, and was appointed Knight of the Legion of Honour. He planned an expedition to Batavia to carry out another campaign in the Indian Ocean, but his plans were rendered moot by the British Invasion of Java.Granier, p.354 After one year, on 6 December 1811, he was appointed to command the frigate '' Clorinde'', on which he embarked on 5 January 1812. He relinquished this command on 7 October to transfer to the frigate '' Aréthuse'' and lead a frigate squadron also comprising '' Rubis'', under Commander Louis-François Ollivier.Fonds Marine, p.476

On 25 November 1812, Bouvet's division departed from Nantes, sailed to Cape Verde and Guinea, and anchored at Îles de Los; on its way, on 27 January, it destroyed HMS ''Daring'' and released her crew on parole. In the night of 4 February, a violent storm struck the island; ''Rubis'' broke her cables and was throwned aground on the shore of Tamara; deeming her impossible to refloat and recover, her crew scuttled her by fire the next day. ''Aréthuse'' suffered less, but still lost her rudder and required repairs.

On 7 February 1813, the frigate HMS ''Amelia'', warned by the crew of ''Daring'', arrived on the scene. A furious four-hour engagement ensued before the frigates parted, both with heavy casualties. Without delay, ''Amelia'' returned to England and ''Aréthuse'' to France, carrying the crew of ''Rubis''. She arrived in Saint-Malo on 19 April 1813, having captured ten prizes during her campaign.

At Bouvet's return, Navy Minister Decrès criticised him for the loss of ''Rubis'' and near-loss of ''Aréthuse'' in the storm of February, while praising his conduct in the action of 7 February 1813 against ''Amelia'' and requesting that a painting be commissioned to commemorate the event.Granier, p.355 Probably because of these mixed reviews, Bouvet was appointed Officer of the Legion of Honour, on 2 July, but was neither promoted to Rear-Admiral, nor made a Baron of the Empire, as had been requested in his favour.Quintin, p.87

Later life

On 1 October 1813, Bouvet was relieved from duty due to ill health and replaced by Captain Le Bozec, and transferred the harbour service in Brest. It was not until after the Bourbon Restoration, on 21 June 1814, that he sailed again, at the command of the frigate '' Flore'', and was sent for a mission in Antwerp to escort eleven transport ships to Brest, and to Senegal to ferry munitions. The new regime appointed him Knight of the Order of Saint Louis on 5 July 1814.

Bouvet relinquished command of ''Flore'' on 25 August 1815 and was given a leave of absence until 31 December, after which he was given no duty On 1 November 1817, he was finally ordered to Brest for harbour service, but started requesting his retirement to care for his ailing wife, who was almost blind. Promoted to Captain 1st class on 16 February 1820 and promoted Commander of the Legion of Honour on 5 July, he published his ''Observations sur la Marine'' in 1821; the year after, he finally obtained permission to retire from the Navy, and was granted the honorific rank of Rear-Admiral, effective on 30 October 1822.

On 30 July 1830, Bouvet's wife died, at the age of 45. After the July Revolution in 1830, Bouvet turned to politics and was elected on 28 October as Deputy for Ille-et-Vilaine at the Chamber of Deputies of the July Monarchy. On 26 April 1831, he was promoted Grand Officier of the Legion of Honour. Bouvet did not seek reelection and relinquished his office after the general elections of 5 July 1831. However, he continued to serve as conseiller général for Ille-et-Vilaine.

In 1833, Bouvet resigned as a member of the Council for Colonies for La Réunion, and in June, he married Marie-Thérèse Le Muey in Granville. He wrote a bitter account of his campaign, ''Précis des campagnes du capitaine de vaisseau Pierre Bouvet'', which he published in 1840.Bouvet, ''Précis des campagnes..."

In 1852, Napoléon III reinstated Bouvet as titulary Rear-Admiral in the reserve corps; he also offered him a senatorship in 1858, but Bouvet declined over his age.Granier, p.356

Works

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Honours

* Five ships were named after Bouvet. See French ship ''Bouvet'' for a list.
* Grand Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honour
* Knight of the Order of Saint Louis
* A statue was erected in front of the mairie of Saint-Servan

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

Citations

References

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* 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:Bouvet De Maisonneuve, Pierre Francois Etienne
French Navy admirals
1775 births
French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
People from Réunion
1860 deaths
French privateers