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Battle of Cuddalore (1783)

May 02, 2024

For other battles with this name, see Battle of Cuddalore.

Battle of Cuddalore

The Battle of Cuddalore, Auguste Jugelet
Date20 June 1783
Location
Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean
11°45′N 79°45′E / 11.75°N 79.75°E / 11.75; 79.75
Result French victory[1]
Belligerents
 France  Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Pierre Suffren Edward Hughes
Strength
15 ships of the line 18 ships of the line
Casualties and losses
478 killed and wounded[2] 533 killed and wounded

The Battle of Cuddalore in 1783 was a naval battle between a British fleet, under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes with Admiral L.J. Weiland, and a smaller French fleet, under the Bailli de Suffren, off the coast of India that took place right before the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolutionary War. This war sparked the Second Mysore War in India. In the battle, taking place near Cuddalore on 20 June 1783, Suffren commanded the engagement from the frigate Cléopâtre and won what is generally considered a victory.[3] Peace had already been agreed upon in Europe, but that news had yet to reach India, making this the final battle of the war.

On the death of French ally Hyder Ali, the British decided to retake Cuddalore. They marched troops from Madras, and began preparing for a siege. The French fleet, under Suffren, appeared at Cuddalore on 13 June. A week of fickle winds prevented either side from engaging until 20 June, when Suffren attacked. No ships were seriously damaged, but each side lost about 100 men with around 400 wounded. The British fleet retreated to Madras after the action, preventing the landing of transports carrying additional troops en route to Cuddalore to reinforce the siege. A sortie from the town weakened the British forces, and word of peace officially arrived at Cuddalore on 29 June.

Background edit

Following the December 1782 death of French ally Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore and previous controller of Cuddalore, British commanders at Madras decided to attempt the recapture of Cuddalore. The army marched south from Madras, circling around the city then encamping south of it. The British fleet, eighteen ships of the line under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, anchored to the south of Cuddalore in order to protect the army and its supply ships. By early June 1783, the Siege of Cuddalore was under way.

French Admiral Suffren was ordered on 10 June to sail with his smaller fleet of fifteen ships from Trincomalee to support the besieged city. When he arrived, Hughes, who sought to avoid battle, moved away from the city and again anchored. After five days of adverse winds, Suffren was able to anchor near the city, where he made contact with the city's commander, Sayed Sahib of Mysore. Since it appeared that the success of the siege would be decided by naval action, 1,200 troops were embarked onto Suffren's ships to increase his gunnery complement. His fleet weighed anchor on 18 June, and the two fleets began maneuvering for advantage.

Battle edit

 
An engraving of Suffren

Both fleets were at first frustrated by light and variable winds. When a consistent west wind developed on 20 June, Hughes lined-up for battle on a northward-trending port tack and awaited Suffren's action. Lining-up in a similar formation, Suffren gave to the order to attack, and battle was engaged shortly after four in the afternoon. The action lasted about three hours resulting in no major damage to ships in either fleet, despite all ships being engaged.

Aftermath edit

Suffren's fleet anchored about 25 nautical miles north of Cuddalore after the battle, while Hughes anchored near the city. On 22 June, Hughes sighted the French fleet while he was en route to Madras; a number of his ships had been disabled, and he reported that many men were suffering from scurvy and that he was short of water.

Suffren returned to Cuddalore on 23 June, forcing the British supply fleet to withdraw. In addition to returning the 1,200 troops he had borrowed from the city's garrison, he landed an additional 2,400 men to support the defense. A sortie from the city was repelled but weakened the besieging British, and on 29 June a British ship flying under a truce flag brought news of a preliminary peace agreement between the two nations, resulting in a mutually-agreed suspension of hostilities on 2 July.

Order of battle edit

French van squadron [4]
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
Sphinx 64-gun 64   Captain du Chilleau
Brillant 64-gun 64   Lieutenant de Kersauson
Fendant 74-gun 74   Captain Thomassin de Peynier (Captain of the fleet)
Captain Armand de Saint-Félix (Flag captain)  (WIA) [5]
Flamand 54-gun 54   Lieutenant Perier de Salvert  †
Ajax 64-gun 64   Captain Dupas de la Mancelière  † [6]
Fine frigate 32  
Casualties:
French centre squadron [4]
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
Petit Annibal 50-gun 50   Captain Jean André de Pas de Beaulieu
Argonaute 74-gun 74   Captain de Clavières
Héros 74-gun 74   Major de Moissac
Illustre 74-gun 74   Captain Bruyères de Chalabre
Saint Michel 60-gun 60   Captain de Beaumont-Lemaître
Cléopâtre frigate 32   Captain Suffren
Casualties:
French rear squadron [4]
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
Vengeur 64-gun 64   Captain de Cuverville
Sévère 64-gun 64   Lieutenant de Maurville de Langle
Annibal 74-gun 74   Captain d'Aymar
Hardi 64-gun 64   Captain Cramezel de Kerhué
Artésien 64-gun 64   Captain de Vignes d'Arrac
Consolante frigate 40   Lieutenant de Costebelle
Coventry frigate 28  
Casualties:
British van squadron
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties[7] Notes
Killed Wounded Total
HMS Defence Third rate 74   Captain Thomas Newnham 7 38 45
HMS Isis Fourth rate 50   Captain Christopher Halliday 3 30 33
HMS Gibraltar Third rate 80   Commodore Sir Richard Bickerton
Captain Thomas Hicks 		6 40 46
HMS Inflexible Third rate 64   Captain John Whitmore Chetwynd 3 30 33
HMS Exeter Third rate 64   Captain John Smith 4 9 13
HMS Active Fifth rate 32  
Casualties:
British centre squadron
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties[7] Notes
Killed Wounded Total
HMS Worcester Third rate 64   Captain Charles Hughes 8 32 40
HMS Africa Third rate 64   Captain Robert McDougall 5 25 30
HMS Sultan Third rate 74   Captain Andrew Mitchell 4 20 24
HMS Superb Third rate 74   Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes
Captain Henry Newcome 		12 41 53
HMS Monarca Third rate 68   Captain John Gell 6 14 20
HMS Burford Third rate 64   Captain Peter Rainier 10 20 30
HMS Sceptre Third rate 64   Captain Samuel Graves 17 47 64
HMS Medea Sixth rate 28   Captain Erasmus Gower
Casualties:
British rear squadron
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties[7] Notes
Killed Wounded Total
HMS Magnanime Third rate 64   Captain Thomas Mackenzie 1 16 17
HMS Eagle Third rate 64   Captain William Clark 4 8 12
HMS Hero Third rate 74   Commodore Richard King
Captain Theophilus Jones 		5 21 26
HMS Bristol Fourth rate 50   Captain James Burney 0 10 10
HMS Monmouth Third rate 64   Captain James Alms 2 19 21
HMS Cumberland Third rate 74   Captain William Allen 2 11 13
Casualties:
British lighter ships[8]
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes
Killed Wounded Total
San Carlos armed storeship 22   George Murray, William White
Harriott armed storeship 22   Thomas Stephenson
HMS Chaser sloop 18   Edward Buller
HMS Juno Fifth rate 32   Captain James Montagu
HMS Medea Fifth rate 28   Captain Erasmus Gower
HMS Seahorse Fifth rate 24   John Drew
Pondicherry troop ship 18   Thomas Saunders Grove
Casualties:

Citations edit

  1. ^ Paine p.75
  2. ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 546.
  3. ^ Palmer p.161
  4. ^ a b c Cunat (1852), p. 301-302.
  5. ^ Levot (1866), p. 468—469.
  6. ^ Roche (2005), p. 28.
  7. ^ a b c The Scots magazine. Edinburgh: Alex Chapman. December 1783. p. 688.
  8. ^ "2nd Battle of Cuddalore". threedecks. Retrieved 22 April 2020.

References edit

  • Cunat, Charles (1852). Histoire du Bailli de Suffren. Rennes: A. Marteville et Lefas. p. 447.
  • Lacour-Gayet, G. (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XV. Paris: Honoré Champion.
  • Levot, Prosper (1866). Les gloires maritimes de la France: notices biographiques sur les plus célèbres marins (in French). Bertrand.
  • Palmer, Michael (2005). Command at Sea: Naval Command and Control Since the Sixteenth Century. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01681-5.
  • Mahan, Alfred Thayer (1913). The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence. Plain Label Books. ISBN 978-1-60303-259-9. OCLC 27789758.
  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922. (1671-1870)
  • Wilks, Mark (December 1996). History of Mysore. Vol. 2. ISBN 9788120604919.
  • Wilson, W. J. (1882). History of the Madras Army. Vol. 2.
  • Paine, Lincoln P. (2000). Warships of the world to 1900. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-395-98414-7.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Battle of Cuddalore (1783) at Wikimedia Commons

May 02, 2024
battle, cuddalore, 1783, other, battles, with, this, name, battle, cuddalore, battle, cuddalorethe, battle, cuddalore, auguste, jugeletdate20, june, 1783locationbay, bengal, indian, ocean11, 75resultfrench, victory, belligerents, france, great, britaincommande. For other battles with this name see Battle of Cuddalore Battle of CuddaloreThe Battle of Cuddalore Auguste JugeletDate20 June 1783LocationBay of Bengal Indian Ocean11 45 N 79 45 E 11 75 N 79 75 E 11 75 79 75ResultFrench victory 1 Belligerents France Great BritainCommanders and leadersPierre SuffrenEdward HughesStrength15 ships of the line18 ships of the lineCasualties and losses478 killed and wounded 2 533 killed and wounded The Battle of Cuddalore in 1783 was a naval battle between a British fleet under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes with Admiral L J Weiland and a smaller French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren off the coast of India that took place right before the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolutionary War This war sparked the Second Mysore War in India In the battle taking place near Cuddalore on 20 June 1783 Suffren commanded the engagement from the frigate Cleopatre and won what is generally considered a victory 3 Peace had already been agreed upon in Europe but that news had yet to reach India making this the final battle of the war On the death of French ally Hyder Ali the British decided to retake Cuddalore They marched troops from Madras and began preparing for a siege The French fleet under Suffren appeared at Cuddalore on 13 June A week of fickle winds prevented either side from engaging until 20 June when Suffren attacked No ships were seriously damaged but each side lost about 100 men with around 400 wounded The British fleet retreated to Madras after the action preventing the landing of transports carrying additional troops en route to Cuddalore to reinforce the siege A sortie from the town weakened the British forces and word of peace officially arrived at Cuddalore on 29 June Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Order of battle 5 Citations 6 References 7 External linksBackground editFollowing the December 1782 death of French ally Hyder Ali the ruler of Mysore and previous controller of Cuddalore British commanders at Madras decided to attempt the recapture of Cuddalore The army marched south from Madras circling around the city then encamping south of it The British fleet eighteen ships of the line under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes anchored to the south of Cuddalore in order to protect the army and its supply ships By early June 1783 the Siege of Cuddalore was under way French Admiral Suffren was ordered on 10 June to sail with his smaller fleet of fifteen ships from Trincomalee to support the besieged city When he arrived Hughes who sought to avoid battle moved away from the city and again anchored After five days of adverse winds Suffren was able to anchor near the city where he made contact with the city s commander Sayed Sahib of Mysore Since it appeared that the success of the siege would be decided by naval action 1 200 troops were embarked onto Suffren s ships to increase his gunnery complement His fleet weighed anchor on 18 June and the two fleets began maneuvering for advantage Battle edit nbsp An engraving of Suffren Both fleets were at first frustrated by light and variable winds When a consistent west wind developed on 20 June Hughes lined up for battle on a northward trending port tack and awaited Suffren s action Lining up in a similar formation Suffren gave to the order to attack and battle was engaged shortly after four in the afternoon The action lasted about three hours resulting in no major damage to ships in either fleet despite all ships being engaged Aftermath editSuffren s fleet anchored about 25 nautical miles north of Cuddalore after the battle while Hughes anchored near the city On 22 June Hughes sighted the French fleet while he was en route to Madras a number of his ships had been disabled and he reported that many men were suffering from scurvy and that he was short of water Suffren returned to Cuddalore on 23 June forcing the British supply fleet to withdraw In addition to returning the 1 200 troops he had borrowed from the city s garrison he landed an additional 2 400 men to support the defense A sortie from the city was repelled but weakened the besieging British and on 29 June a British ship flying under a truce flag brought news of a preliminary peace agreement between the two nations resulting in a mutually agreed suspension of hostilities on 2 July Order of battle editFrench van squadron 4 Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Sphinx 64 gun 64 nbsp Captain du Chilleau Brillant 64 gun 64 nbsp Lieutenant de Kersauson Fendant 74 gun 74 nbsp Captain Thomassin de Peynier Captain of the fleet Captain Armand de Saint Felix Flag captain WIA 5 Flamand 54 gun 54 nbsp Lieutenant Perier de Salvert Ajax 64 gun 64 nbsp Captain Dupas de la Manceliere 6 Fine frigate 32 nbsp Casualties French centre squadron 4 Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Petit Annibal 50 gun 50 nbsp Captain Jean Andre de Pas de Beaulieu Argonaute 74 gun 74 nbsp Captain de Clavieres Heros 74 gun 74 nbsp Major de Moissac Illustre 74 gun 74 nbsp Captain Bruyeres de Chalabre Saint Michel 60 gun 60 nbsp Captain de Beaumont Lemaitre Cleopatre frigate 32 nbsp Captain Suffren Casualties French rear squadron 4 Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total Vengeur 64 gun 64 nbsp Captain de Cuverville Severe 64 gun 64 nbsp Lieutenant de Maurville de Langle Annibal 74 gun 74 nbsp Captain d Aymar Hardi 64 gun 64 nbsp Captain Cramezel de Kerhue Artesien 64 gun 64 nbsp Captain de Vignes d Arrac Consolante frigate 40 nbsp Lieutenant de Costebelle Coventry frigate 28 nbsp Casualties British van squadron Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties 7 Notes Killed Wounded Total HMS Defence Third rate 74 nbsp Captain Thomas Newnham 7 38 45 HMS Isis Fourth rate 50 nbsp Captain Christopher Halliday 3 30 33 HMS Gibraltar Third rate 80 nbsp Commodore Sir Richard BickertonCaptain Thomas Hicks 6 40 46 HMS Inflexible Third rate 64 nbsp Captain John Whitmore Chetwynd 3 30 33 HMS Exeter Third rate 64 nbsp Captain John Smith 4 9 13 HMS Active Fifth rate 32 nbsp Casualties British centre squadron Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties 7 Notes Killed Wounded Total HMS Worcester Third rate 64 nbsp Captain Charles Hughes 8 32 40 HMS Africa Third rate 64 nbsp Captain Robert McDougall 5 25 30 HMS Sultan Third rate 74 nbsp Captain Andrew Mitchell 4 20 24 HMS Superb Third rate 74 nbsp Vice Admiral Sir Edward Hughes Captain Henry Newcome 12 41 53 HMS Monarca Third rate 68 nbsp Captain John Gell 6 14 20 HMS Burford Third rate 64 nbsp Captain Peter Rainier 10 20 30 HMS Sceptre Third rate 64 nbsp Captain Samuel Graves 17 47 64 HMS Medea Sixth rate 28 nbsp Captain Erasmus Gower Casualties British rear squadron Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties 7 Notes Killed Wounded Total HMS Magnanime Third rate 64 nbsp Captain Thomas Mackenzie 1 16 17 HMS Eagle Third rate 64 nbsp Captain William Clark 4 8 12 HMS Hero Third rate 74 nbsp Commodore Richard KingCaptain Theophilus Jones 5 21 26 HMS Bristol Fourth rate 50 nbsp Captain James Burney 0 10 10 HMS Monmouth Third rate 64 nbsp Captain James Alms 2 19 21 HMS Cumberland Third rate 74 nbsp Captain William Allen 2 11 13 Casualties British lighter ships 8 Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander Casualties Notes Killed Wounded Total San Carlos armed storeship 22 nbsp George Murray William White Harriott armed storeship 22 nbsp Thomas Stephenson HMS Chaser sloop 18 nbsp Edward Buller HMS Juno Fifth rate 32 nbsp Captain James Montagu HMS Medea Fifth rate 28 nbsp Captain Erasmus Gower HMS Seahorse Fifth rate 24 nbsp John Drew Pondicherry troop ship 18 nbsp Thomas Saunders Grove Casualties Citations edit Paine p 75 Lacour Gayet 1910 p 546 Palmer p 161 a b c Cunat 1852 p 301 302 Levot 1866 p 468 469 Roche 2005 p 28 a b c The Scots magazine Edinburgh Alex Chapman December 1783 p 688 2nd Battle of Cuddalore threedecks Retrieved 22 April 2020 References editCunat Charles 1852 Histoire du Bailli de Suffren Rennes A Marteville et Lefas p 447 Lacour Gayet G 1910 La marine militaire de la France sous le regne de Louis XV Paris Honore Champion Levot Prosper 1866 Les gloires maritimes de la France notices biographiques sur les plus celebres marins in French Bertrand Palmer Michael 2005 Command at Sea Naval Command and Control Since the Sixteenth Century Harvard University Press ISBN 0 674 01681 5 Mahan Alfred Thayer 1913 The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence Plain Label Books ISBN 978 1 60303 259 9 OCLC 27789758 Roche Jean Michel 2005 Dictionnaire des batiments de la flotte de guerre francaise de Colbert a nos jours Vol 1 Group Retozel Maury Millau ISBN 978 2 9525917 0 6 OCLC 165892922 1671 1870 Wilks Mark December 1996 History of Mysore Vol 2 ISBN 9788120604919 Wilson W J 1882 History of the Madras Army Vol 2 Paine Lincoln P 2000 Warships of the world to 1900 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN 978 0 395 98414 7 External links edit nbsp Media related to Battle of Cuddalore 1783 at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Cuddalore 1783 amp oldid 1220870240, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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