François-Aymar de Monteil (

Dauphiné The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was ...

, 1725 — Galluis, 10 September 1787) was a French Navy officer. He served in 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, earning membership in the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

. He was also a member and director of the Académie de Marine.

Biography

Monteil joined the Navy as a

Garde-Marine Gardes de la Marine is a junior officer rank, usually used in American navies, as well as a former rank used in France. France In France, under the Ancien Régime, the (Guards of the Navy), or were young gentlemen undergoing training to be nav ...

in 1741. He took part in the Battle of Cape Sicié on 22 February 1744, and was promoted to Ensign in 1746. That year, he served on the 24-gun frigate ''Volage'', on which he was in combat against the 70-gun HMS ''Stirling Castle'' on 15 April. ''Volage'' was captured, but ''Oriflamme'' retook her the day after. In 1747, he served on the frigate ''Flore'' on convoy duty. ''Flore'' fought and captured a British ship during the mission. In 1755, Monteil was given command of the 12-gun corvette ''Anémone'' at Cayenne. He was promoted to Lieutenant the year after, and served as Major for the squadron under admiral d'Aché, on ''Zodiaque'', taking part in the Battle of Cuddalore on 29 April 1758 and in the Battle of Negapatam on 3 August. Monteil was given command of the frigate ''Sylphide'', and took part in the

Battle of Pondicherry The Battle of Pondicherry was a naval battle between a British squadron under Vice-Admiral George Pocock and French squadron under Comte d'Aché on 10 September 1759 off the Carnatic coast of India near Pondicherry during the Seven Years' ...

on 10 September 1759. On 30 mars 1759, he was made a Knight in the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis () is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fi ...

for his conduct in the battle. In 1762, Monteil was promoted to Captain, and given command of the 64-gun ''Éveillé'' in Newfoundland. On 13 April 1771, Monteil departed

Port-Louis Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is ad ...

, commanding the ship ''Actionnaire'' bound for Isle de France (

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

). In 1774, Monteil captained ''Zéphir''. In 1776, he captained the 32-gun frigate ''Renommée'', part of the Escadre d'évolution under Du Chaffault. On 20 April 1776, she touched a reef while departing Brest, and Monteil was unable to immediately refloat ''Renommée''. Du Chaffault defended Monteil, writing to the Navy Minister that "only those who command ships run the risk of losing them". In 1778, Monteil commanded 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 ...

''Conquérant'', part of the Third division in the Blue squadron of the fleet under Orvilliers. He took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778, where he was wounded. Monteil was promoted to

Chef d'Escadre ''Chef d'escadre'' (; literally " squadron commander") was a rank in the French Navy during the Ancien Régime and until the French Revolution. The rank was changed to '' contre-amiral'' by a law passed on 15 May 1791. History The first chef ...

in 1779. In 1780, he was given command of the squadron of the Caribbean, comprising five 74-gun ships, four 64-gun ships and 6 smaller units, with his flag on the 74-gun ''Palmier'', although he remained largely idle. He took part in the

Siege of Pensacola The siege of Pensacola, fought from March 9 to May 10, 1781, was the culmination of Spain's conquest of West Florida during the Gulf Coast Campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The siege was commanded by Bernardo de Gálvez, whose near ...

in May 1781. He then returned at Cap-Français, arriving on 10 July. On 17 July 1781, transferred to command of the Blue squadron (rear) in De Grasse's fleet, with his flag on the 80-gun ''Languedoc''. Before his squadron departed, an accidental fire destroyed the 74-gun ''Intrépide'', which exploded. Monteil took part 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 1 ...

on 5 September 1781. On 25 November 1782, he became an Ordinary member of the Académie de Marine. Monteil was promoted to Lieutenant général des armées navales on 8 February 1783.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monteil, François-Aymar 1725 births 1787 deaths French Navy officers French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War French military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession French military personnel of the Seven Years' War