Action Of 14–17 April 1809

Troude's expedition to the Caribbean was a naval operation by a French force under Commodore Amable Troude during the Napoleonic Wars. The French squadron departed from Lorient in February 1809 in an attempt to reach and resupply the island colony of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea, then under invasion from a British expeditionary force. The force arrived much too late to affect the outcome of the successful invasion and took shelter from a British squadron in the ÃŽles des Saintes, where they were blockaded by part of the British invasion fleet, led by Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane. Two weeks after the French ships arrived, British troops invaded and captured the Saintes, constructing mortar batteries to bombard the French squadron. With his position unsustainable, Troude decided to break out.

Attempting to escape under cover of darkness on 14 April, the French squadron was spotted by a number of small British ships stationed close inshore. These ships raised the alarm and the main British squadron followed in pursuit. The rearmost French ship of the line, , was closely followed by the small brig , which succeeded in delaying ''D'Hautpoul'' long enough that the main British squadron was able to attack and overwhelm her in a running battle that lasted three days and ended off the coast of Puerto Rico. The British suffered 45 casualties, the French nearly 100. The remainder of the French squadron escaped, with the two surviving ships of the line sailing directly for France, eventually reaching Cherbourg in May.

The French expedition's two frigates, both only partially armed, were detached during the action and took shelter in harbour at Guadeloupe. In June, heavily laden with trade goods, they attempted to escape to Europe, but were pursued by elements of the British blockade force. was overrun after four days of manoeuvre, submitting to the more powerful British frigate without a fight. was able to escape immediate pursuit, but was subsequently discovered on 3 July by the smaller British ship . In a fierce engagement two days later, the small British ship was able to defeat and capture the French vessel, which was later commissioned into the Royal Navy.

Background

During the Napoleonic Wars, the French Navy suffered a series of defeats at the hands of the British Royal Navy, culminating in the destruction of much of their Mediterranean Fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Unable to compete at sea, the French were increasingly confined to their principal naval bases, especially Brest on the Biscay coast and Toulon in the Mediterranean. With British squadrons patrolling the entrances to these ports, the French found it difficult not only to conduct regular overseas trade, but also to supply and reinforce their overseas colonies.Gardiner, p. 17 As a result, the colonies faced financial collapse and the constant threat of attack by British forces, especially in the Caribbean, where by 1809 their island colonies of Martinique and Guadeloupe were surrounded by British held islands and blockaded by a strong British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane.Clowes, p. 283

During the summer of 1808, messages arrived in France from Martinique, outlining the desperate situation of their supplies, morale and economy. It was determined that reinforcements and food supplies would be sent and the frigate was despatched in November 1808. Within days, ''Thétis'' had been captured at the action of 10 November 1808, and subsequent operations had mixed success: the frigate reached Martinique, but a number of smaller ships were intercepted and defeated, both in Europe and the West Indies.Gardiner, p. 78 In desperation, a major operation was planned, intended to transport substantial supplies and sufficient troops to resist the inevitable British invasion on Martinique. To this end, Commodore Amable Troude was provided with the ships of the line , and , with the frigates and ''en flûte'' as armed storeships, carrying the bulk of the supplies.James, p. 161

On 21 February 1809, a large French fleet under Admiral Jean-Baptiste Willaumez attempted to escape Brest and was chased by the blockade squadron and driven to shelter under the Ile d'Aix. Shortly afterwards, three French frigates attempted to break out of Lorient, but were challenged and destroyed at the action of 24 February 1809. These operations were the preliminaries to the Battle of Basque Roads in April, but also provided the cover required for Troude's force to escape Lorient while the British were engaged elsewhere.James, p. 96 Travelling rapidly across the Atlantic, the French encountered no British warships but were able to seize a number of lone British merchant ships, from whom Troude learned that the invasion of Martinique was already underway.Woodman, p. 242 While Troude's expedition had been preparing at Lorient, Cochrane had been preparing his own operation to Martinique, following the interception of the same despatches warning of the island's low morale and preparedness in the summer of 1808. Amassing an expeditionary force of 44 ships and 10,000 men at Carlisle Bay, Barbados, Cochrane began the invasion on 30 January 1809 and his troops rapidly overran the French defences, despite stiff resistance in the central highlands. By 10 February, the only remaining point in French hands was Fort Desaix, which held out until the magazine was breached on 24 February, at which point Governor Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse surrendered unconditionally.James, p. 209

ÃŽles des Saintes

Troude was wary on his arrival in the Leeward Islands on 29 March, refusing to approach Martinique and instead anchoring near the ÃŽles des Saintes until the situation in the islands could be established. Before he could make contact with nearby Guadeloupe, he was discovered by patrolling British warships and a warning sent to Cochrane, who was on his flagship off Martinique. Within hours ''Neptune'' was cruising off the Saintes, joined by the ships of the line , , , , and a number of smaller warships that could operate closer inshore.Clowes, p. 435 Blockading the Saintes was a difficult task: the French had three channels through which they could escape, too many to be effectively blocked by the forces at Cochrane's disposal. In addition, Troude's force could not be attacked directly, the width of the channels making it impossible for the British ships to attack in full strength.James, p. 162

For two weeks the British and French squadrons watched one another, the British unable to attack and the French unable to escape. In an effort to break the deadlock, Cochrane sent to Martinique for a body of 3,000 men under Major-General Frederick Maitland. With this force he launched a surprise invasion of the islands on 14 April, the amphibious operation commanded by Captain Philip Beaver in and executed successfully with only minor casualties. Parties of seamen went ashore in the wake of the soldiers, working rapidly to establish a battery of two 8-inch howitzers on Morne-Russell. These guns began firing during the afternoon and by 20:00 Troude had given orders for his squadron to sail through the western channel during the night.

In their efforts to monitor the French, Cochrane's squadron had become divided, so that ''Neptune'' and ''Pompee'' were the only ships within reach of Troude's squadron when they passed through the channel. Neither ship was well placed to fight the larger French force and both were taken by surprise, only alerted to the French escape by the brig under Captain Hugh Cameron shortly before 22:00. ''Pompee'' was closest to the French, and Captain William Charles Fahie managed to fire two broadsides into the rearmost ship, ''D'Hautpoul'', before Troude's squadron pulled away from her. ''Neptune'', ''Pompee'' and the small brig took up the chase, the fast ''Recruit'' annoying the French with persistent minor attacks, while ''Neptune'' came too close to ''D'Hautpoul'' and was fired on, losing one man killed and four wounded. The French escape, while necessitated by the British battery, was actually a feint: the frigates ''Félicité'' and ''Furieuse'' had remained hidden off the Saintes during the night and at 09:00 on 15 April, with the main combat continuing to the west, slipped away into Basse-Terre on Guadeloupe, chased in vain by under Captain Warwick Lake. French batteries drove off the British pursuit and the frigates were anchored in harbour and their stores successfully unloaded.James, p. 165

Battle

During the night of 14–15 April 1809, contact was maintained with the French squadron by ''Recruit'', Captain Charles John Napier firing on the rearmost ship ''D'Hautpoul'' and coming under fire from the French stern-chasers, guns situated in the rear of a ship to fire on pursuers. Shortly after 04:00, ''Pompee'' came within range and began to fire her bow-chasers, the chase continuing westwards into the Caribbean Sea. Frustrated by her inability to escape ''Recruit'', ''D'Hautpoul'' eventually turned and fired a broadside at 10:45, causing severe damage but failing to dissuade Napier, who immediately counter-attacked. ''D'Hautpouls manoeuvre caused her to lose ground to her pursuers and throughout the day the squadrons exchanged shots, neither causing significant damage but the French being driven deeper into British held waters and unable to drive off their opponents.

At 20:00, Troude ordered ''D'Hautpoul'' to steer to the northwest while he took ''Courageux'' and ''Polonais'' southwest in an effort to divide the pursuit. ''Pompee'' and ''Recruit'' kept with ''D'Hautpoul'', while ''Neptune'', accompanied by the brig , continued to follow Troude's main force. During the night however Troude outdistanced ''Neptune'', and on the morning of 16 April Cochrane ordered all available ships to converge on ''D'Hautpoul''. The lone French ship of the line had finally forced the damaged ''Recruit'' to retire, but could see ''Pompee'' and ''Neptune'' to the southeast and the newly arrived frigates under Captain Hugh Pigot and under Captain William Roberts to the northeast, with the Spanish coast of Puerto Rico directly north.Clowes, p. 436 During the day the chase continued, ''Neptune'' falling behind but ''Pompee'' remaining in sight and the frigates gaining on ''D'Hautpoul''. At 17:00, Puerto Rico appeared on the horizon, the French forced to follow the coastline westwards. During the night, the British pursuers were confused by the overcast sky, which helped ''D'Hautpoul'' to partially obscure herself among the lights from shore.James, p. 163

At 02:45 on 17 April, ''Castor'' closed within range of ''D'Hautpoul'' and opened fire, exchanging broadsides with the much larger French ship for 75 minutes and slowing her sufficiently for ''Pompee'' to come within range. Sailing between ''Castor'' and the French ship, Fahie closed within and opened fire with his broadside. Within 15 minutes ''D'Hautpoul'' attempted to escape by pulling forward and engaging with ''Castor'' again, but the damage done to her sails and rigging hindered the manoeuvre and ''Pompee'' pulled across her stern, threatening to rake her. With defeat inevitable, Captain Amand Leduc surrendered, ''Neptune'', ''York'', ''Captain'', ''Hazard'', ''Hawk'', ''Recruit'', ''Polyphemus'', and all coming within sight as dawn broke, joining ''Pompee'', ''Castor'' and ''Latona''.James, p. 164

Aftermath

''D'Hautpoul'' had fought hard during the engagement and was badly damaged, suffering between 80 and 90 casualties. ''Pompee'' was also badly damaged, losing nine killed and 30 wounded, including Fahie wounded. Other casualties were suffered on ''Castor'', with one killed and five wounded; ''Neptune'' one killed and four wounded and ''Recruit'' one wounded. In total, British losses were 11 killed and 40 wounded. Cochrane ordered ''Pompee'' and the newly captured French ship back to port, promoting Napier to command the ship of the line for his service on ''Recruit'' and despatching ''York'' and ''Captain'' to hunt for Troude's remaining squadron.Woodman, p. 243 Despite their efforts, Troude evaded pursuit and eventually reached Cherbourg in May. In addition to Napier there were further promotions and awards and ''D'Hautpoul'' was taken into the Royal Navy as HMS ''Abercromby''. Four decades later the battle was among the actions recognised by a clasp attached to the Naval General Service Medal, awarded upon application to all British participants still living in 1847.

''Félicité'' and ''Furieuse''

During May 1809, the frigates ''Félicité'' and ''Furieuse'' remained at Guadeloupe, taking on stores and preparing for their eventual return journey to France. Although they were both large frigates, they had been largely disarmed in France to create space for cargo: ''Furieuse'' was provided with only 20 cannon (including 12 carronades) and a crew of just 200, while ''Félicité'' had even fewer defences, carrying just 14 cannon and 174 men. Watching these ships was a small British blockade force led by Hugh Pigot in ''Latona'' with a few brigs and sloops, Cochrane's invasion fleet having been dispersed.

''Félicité''

On 14 June under the cover of darkness, the French frigates set sail, laden with colonial merchandise for sale in France. They were immediately spotted leaving Basse-Terre by the blockade squadron, but although the brig managed to fire a few shots before they pulled away, only ''Latona'' and under Captain Thomas Tudor Tucker were able to maintain contact. Throughout 15, 16 and most of 17 June the chase continued, until the frigates separated: ''Furieuse'' led ''Cherub'' away from ''Latona'' and then outdistanced her, disappearing into the Atlantic. ''Félicité'' was unable to escape ''Latona'' however, and on 18 June was overrun. Outgunned by his larger opponent, ''Félicité'''s captain surrendered immediately. An old and worn ship, she was not deemed worthy of purchase into the Royal Navy and was instead sold to Haiti, reappearing in 1812 as the Haitian frigate ''Améthyste'' under the control of a privateer commissioned by Haitian rebels. Captain Yeo quickly attacked and captured her during the action of 3 February 1812.Gardiner, p. 80

''Furieuse''

Although ''Furieuse'' had escaped ''Cherub'''s pursuit, she still had to cross the Atlantic. Passing up the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, her commander, Lieutenant Gabriel-Etienne-Louis Le Marant Kerdaniel, raided British merchant shipping and was consequently delayed. At 15:00 on 5 July, the 20-gun sloop under Captain William Mounsey, on passage from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Quebec, spotted ''Furieuse'' to the southwest taking possession of a British merchant ship. As ''Bonne Citoyenne'' approached, Kerdaniel abandoned the merchant ship and sailed northwards, Mounsey giving chase but trailing behind throughout the day.James, p. 166

As darkness fell, ''Furieuse'' disappeared ahead, Mounsey pursuing in the hope of rediscovering his opponent during the night. At 03:00 on 6 July, the British lookouts spotted the French ship in the distance and the chase began again, ''Bonne Citoyenne'' proving much faster than the French ship as the wind strengthened.Clowes, p. 437 At 09:10 it became clear to Kerdaniel that he could not escape his opponent and instead turned to meet her, opening fire five minutes later as ''Bonne Citoyenne'' came within range. Mounsey replied immediately, the two ships exchanging fire at close range for nearly seven hours, the smaller and more manoeuvrable ''Bonne Citoyenne'' successfully turning several times to vary her broadsides and prevent her guns overheating. In the exchange, the British ship fired 129 broadsides, while ''Furieuse'' only managed 70: ''Bonne Citoyenne'' lost three cannon to fractures caused by the intense heat generated by repeated firing. With his ammunition spent, Mounsey swung towards ''Furieuse'' at 18:16 to board and capture her, at which point Kerdaniel, whose ship was battered and unmanoeuvrable, surrendered.James, p. 167

Due to her small size and high speed, ''Bonne Citoyenne'' suffered minimal casualties of one man killed and five wounded, although the ship itself was badly damaged. French losses were far more severe, with 35 killed, 37 seriously wounded including her captain, and 20 lightly wounded. ''Furieuse'', built as a 40-gun frigate, had proven unable to match the speed and agility of the smaller ship and as a result her reduced armament had proven inadequate when faced with Mounsey's determined opposition. It was not until 01:30 on 7 July that temporary repairs were complete and the two ships began the long, slow journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The following day however, two of the ''Furieuse''s masts collapsed and Mounsey was forced to take her in tow, both ships in constant danger of foundering.James, p. 168 After 25 days in tow, ''Furieuse'' arrived in Halifax. Mounsey and his officers were widely praised for their success and Mounsey was given command of the repaired and newly purchased HMS ''Furieuse'' several months later as a reward. His first lieutenant was also promoted and the whole crew benefitted from the award of prize money. As with the April engagement, the capture of ''Furieuse'' was among the actions recognised by a clasp attached to the Naval General Service Medal.

Subsequent operations

The failure of Troude's squadron to escape the British pursuit highlights the dominance of the Royal Navy in the Atlantic by 1809. With Martinique under British occupation and Cayenne and Santo Domingo falling in the same year, Guadeloupe was the only remaining French colony in the West Indies.Gardiner, p. 79 Despite the supplies carried by Troude's ships, the situation there was desperate: food shortages and financial crisis causing a collapse in the island's morale. When a further effort to resupply the island was defeated in December 1809, the French losing two more frigates, the inhabitants had no alternative but to wait for the inevitable British invasion. In January 1810, Cochrane ordered an amphibious landing on Guadeloupe, which rapidly overwhelmed the weakened defenders and eliminated the last remaining French colony in the Caribbean Sea.

Notes

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Caribbean, Troude's expedition

Conflicts in 1809
Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars involving the United Kingdom
History of ÃŽles des Saintes
1809 in the Caribbean