Incorrectly believing he had numerical superiority, Byron ordered a general chase to attack the French as they left their anchorage at Grenada. Because of the disorganized attack and the French superiority, the British fleet was badly mauled in the encounter, although no ships were lost on either side. Naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan described the British loss as "the most disastrous ... that the British Navy had encountered since Beachy Head, in 1690."[4]
Following the entry of France into the American War of Independence as an American ally in early 1778, French Admiral the Comte D'Estaing arrived in the West Indies in early December 1778 in command of a fleet consisting of 12 ships of the line and a number of smaller vessels.[5] At about the same time, a British fleet under Admiral William Hotham also arrived, augmenting the fleet of Admiral Samuel Barrington.[6] The British then captured French-held St. Lucia, despite d'Estaing's attempt at relief. The British used St. Lucia to monitor the major French base at Martinique, where d'Estaing was headquartered.[7]
The British fleet was further reinforced in January 1779 by ten ships of the line under Admiral John Byron, who assumed command of the British Leeward Islands station.[8] Throughout the first half of 1779, both fleets received further reinforcements, after which the French fleet was slightly superior to that of the British.[9] Furthermore, Byron departed St. Lucia on 6 June in order to provide escort services to British merchant ships gathering at St. Kitts for a convoy to Europe, leaving d'Estaing free to act. D'Estaing and Governor Bouillé seized the opportunity to begin a series of operations against nearby British possessions.[10]
Their first target, the isle of Saint Vincent, fell on 18 June, and d'Estaing turned his attention to other islands. He had hoped to capture the key British possession, Barbados, but after making no progress against the prevailing easterly trade winds, he turned his attention instead to Grenada.[11] The French fleet arrived off Grenada on 2 July, and stormed its main defences beginning late on 3 July. Terms of capitulation were agreed on 4 July.[12] On the way, the French squadron met the 50-gun Fier Rodrigue, under Chevalier de Montault, a letter of marque belonging to Beaumarchais and escorting a convoy. They commandeered Fier Rodrigue, and she took a place in the French line of battle.[13][14]
Admiral Byron had been alerted to the French action at Saint Vincent, and was sailing with a force to recapture it. When news arrived that the French were at Grenada, he immediately changed course to meet them.[12] The British fleet consisted of 21 ships of the line and 1 frigate. Because he was escorting troop transports and was short of frigates, three ships of the line were assigned duty to escort the transports. Admiral d'Estaing was warned on July 5 of Byron's approach, and promptly reembarked most of his troops. His fleet consisted of 25 ships of the line and a large number of frigates and smaller vessels.[15] Admiral Byron was unaware of d'Estaing's full strength, since during his absence d'Estaing had been reinforced by a squadron from Europe under Lamotte-Picquet.[10]
BattleEdit
The capture of the island of Grenada by the troops of D'Estaing
The French were anchored off St. George's Town on the southwest of the island, and the British approached during the night. D'Estaing weighed anchor at 4:00 am when the British fleet was spotted, ordering his ships to form a line of battle in order of speed (that is, without regard to the usual sailing order), heading roughly northward.[16] This masked the true strength of the French fleet as each ship left the cluster at the anchorage. Believing his force to be superior, Byron gave the order for general chase, approaching the anchorage from the northeast.[17]
When Byron finally became aware of the full French strength, he attempted to reform a battle line. As a result, the British attack was disordered and confused. Fame, Lion and two other ships got separated from the main body and were very badly mauled. Lion was forced to run downwind to Jamaica to avoid capture. The French lost no ships and eventually hauled off. The British lost 183 killed and 346 wounded. Fame had four killed and nine wounded. The French lost 190 killed and 759 wounded.
AftermathEdit
D'Estaing returned to Grenada to make repairs while Byron made for St. Kitts to do the same. The French admiral failed to capitalise on his superior strength to launch further attacks in the West Indies. Byron returned home in August. D'Estaing, after co-operating unsuccessfully with the Americans in an attack on Savannah in September also returned to Europe.
The action was a stepping stone into a career in the Navy for Ganteaume, then 22, who served as an auxiliary officer on Fier Rodrigue, who eventually rose to Vice Admiral.[18]
Allen, Joseph (1852). Battles of the British Navy. Vol. I. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Balch, Thomas (1972). The French in America During the War of Independence of the United States, 1777-1783. Vol. 1. Oxford: Ardent Media. ISBN9781330881637. OCLC 982878912.
Beatson, Robert (1804). Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain from 1727 to 1783. Vol. VI. London.
Contenson, Ludovic (1934). La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778-1783). Paris: éditions Auguste Picard. OCLC 7842336.
Clowes, William Laird (1898). The Royal Navy, A History From the Earliest Times to the Present. Vol. 3. London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company.
Colomb, Philip (1895). Naval Warfare, its Ruling Principles and Practice Historically Treated. London: W. H. Allen. OCLC 2863262.
Humble, Richard (2019). Napoleon's Admirals: Flag Officers of the Arc de Triomphe, 1789-1815. Oxford: Philadelphia Casemate. ISBN9781612008080. OCLC 1146049972.
Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1905). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. OCLC 763372623.
Mahan, Alfred Thayer (1898). Major Operations of the Royal Navy, 1762–1783: Being Chapter XXXI in The Royal Navy. A History. Boston: Little, Brown. OCLC 46778589.
Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé. OCLC 836362484.
White, Thomas (1830). Naval Researches or a candid inquiry into the conduct of admirals Byron, Graves, Hood, and Rodney, in the actions off Grenada, Chesapeake, St. Christopher's, and of the ninth and twelfth of April 1782. London: Whittaker, Treacher, and Arnott. OCLC 718064199.
External linksEdit
(in French)
October 21, 2023
battle, grenada, reconquista, battle, battle, granada, part, american, revolutionary, jean, françois, huedate6, july, 1779locationoff, grenada, caribbean, sea12, 75resultfrench, victory, belligerents, france, great, britaincommanders, leaderscharles, henri, he. For the Reconquista battle see Battle of Granada Battle of GrenadaPart of the American Revolutionary WarBattle of Grenada Jean Francois HueDate6 July 1779LocationOff Grenada Caribbean Sea12 03 N 61 45 W 12 05 N 61 75 W 12 05 61 75ResultFrench victory 1 Belligerents France Great BritainCommanders and leadersCharles Henri HectorJohn ByronStrength25 ships of the line21 ships of the lineCasualties and losses173 killed773 wounded 2 183 killed 346 wounded 3 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 of Lord Byron had sailed in an attempt to relieve Grenada which the French forces of the Comte D Estaing had just captured Incorrectly believing he had numerical superiority Byron ordered a general chase to attack the French as they left their anchorage at Grenada Because of the disorganized attack and the French superiority the British fleet was badly mauled in the encounter although no ships were lost on either side Naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan described the British loss as the most disastrous that the British Navy had encountered since Beachy Head in 1690 4 Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Order of battle 4 1 French fleet 4 2 British fleet 5 Notes 6 Citations 7 References 8 External linksBackground EditFollowing the entry of France into the American War of Independence as an American ally in early 1778 French Admiral the Comte D Estaing arrived in the West Indies in early December 1778 in command of a fleet consisting of 12 ships of the line and a number of smaller vessels 5 At about the same time a British fleet under Admiral William Hotham also arrived augmenting the fleet of Admiral Samuel Barrington 6 The British then captured French held St Lucia despite d Estaing s attempt at relief The British used St Lucia to monitor the major French base at Martinique where d Estaing was headquartered 7 The British fleet was further reinforced in January 1779 by ten ships of the line under Admiral John Byron who assumed command of the British Leeward Islands station 8 Throughout the first half of 1779 both fleets received further reinforcements after which the French fleet was slightly superior to that of the British 9 Furthermore Byron departed St Lucia on 6 June in order to provide escort services to British merchant ships gathering at St Kitts for a convoy to Europe leaving d Estaing free to act D Estaing and Governor Bouille seized the opportunity to begin a series of operations against nearby British possessions 10 Their first target the isle of Saint Vincent fell on 18 June and d Estaing turned his attention to other islands He had hoped to capture the key British possession Barbados but after making no progress against the prevailing easterly trade winds he turned his attention instead to Grenada 11 The French fleet arrived off Grenada on 2 July and stormed its main defences beginning late on 3 July Terms of capitulation were agreed on 4 July 12 On the way the French squadron met the 50 gun Fier Rodrigue under Chevalier de Montault a letter of marque belonging to Beaumarchais and escorting a convoy They commandeered Fier Rodrigue and she took a place in the French line of battle 13 14 Admiral Byron had been alerted to the French action at Saint Vincent and was sailing with a force to recapture it When news arrived that the French were at Grenada he immediately changed course to meet them 12 The British fleet consisted of 21 ships of the line and 1 frigate Because he was escorting troop transports and was short of frigates three ships of the line were assigned duty to escort the transports Admiral d Estaing was warned on July 5 of Byron s approach and promptly reembarked most of his troops His fleet consisted of 25 ships of the line and a large number of frigates and smaller vessels 15 Admiral Byron was unaware of d Estaing s full strength since during his absence d Estaing had been reinforced by a squadron from Europe under Lamotte Picquet 10 Battle Edit nbsp The capture of the island of Grenada by the troops of D EstaingThe French were anchored off St George s Town on the southwest of the island and the British approached during the night D Estaing weighed anchor at 4 00 am when the British fleet was spotted ordering his ships to form a line of battle in order of speed that is without regard to the usual sailing order heading roughly northward 16 This masked the true strength of the French fleet as each ship left the cluster at the anchorage Believing his force to be superior Byron gave the order for general chase approaching the anchorage from the northeast 17 When Byron finally became aware of the full French strength he attempted to reform a battle line As a result the British attack was disordered and confused Fame Lion and two other ships got separated from the main body and were very badly mauled Lion was forced to run downwind to Jamaica to avoid capture The French lost no ships and eventually hauled off The British lost 183 killed and 346 wounded Fame had four killed and nine wounded The French lost 190 killed and 759 wounded Aftermath EditD Estaing returned to Grenada to make repairs while Byron made for St Kitts to do the same The French admiral failed to capitalise on his superior strength to launch further attacks in the West Indies Byron returned home in August D Estaing after co operating unsuccessfully with the Americans in an attack on Savannah in September also returned to Europe The action was a stepping stone into a career in the Navy for Ganteaume then 22 who served as an auxiliary officer on Fier Rodrigue who eventually rose to Vice Admiral 18 Order of battle EditFrench fleet Edit Admiral d Estaing fleet 19 20 Division Ship Type Commander Casualties NotesKilled Wounded TotalEscadre blanche et bleue vanguard Zele 74 Captain Jacques Melchior Saint Laurent Comte de BarrasFantasque 64 Captain Pierre Andre de Suffren 22 43 65 First officer Campredon killed 2 Magnifique 74 Captain Francois Louis de BrachTonnant 80 Lieutenant General Pierre Claude Haudeneau de BreugnonCaptain Bruyeres Chalabre Division and Squadron flagshipProtecteur 74 Captain Etienne de Grasse LimermontFier 74 Captain Jean Baptiste Turpin du BreuilProvence 64 Captain Victor Louis Desmichels de Champorcin Joseph Francois Felix Garnier de Saint Antonin assumed command 21 Escadre blanche centre Fendant 74 Captain Louis Philippe de Rigaud Marquis de VaudreuilArtesien 64 Captain Antoine de Thomassin de PeynierFier Rodrigue 50 Captain Montault Hector 74 Captain Pierre de Mories CastelletLanguedoc 80 Vice Admiral Charles Henri Hector d EstaingCaptain Henri Louis de Boulainvilliers de Croy Division Squadron and Fleet flagshipRobuste 74 Chef d Escadre Francois Joseph Paul de GrasseVaillant 64 Captain Joseph Bernard de Chabert CogolinSagittaire 50 Captain Francois Hector d Albert de RionsGuerrier 74 Captain Louis Antoine de BougainvilleEscadre bleue rear Sphinx 64 Captain Claude Rene Paris de SoulangesDiademe 74 Captain Charles Picot de Dampierre WIA Amphion 50 Captain Ferron de Quengo Marseillais 74 Captain Louis Armand de La Poype de VertrieuxCesar 74 Chef d Escadre Jean Joseph de Rafelis de BrovesCaptain Jean Baptiste de Mories de Castellet WIA Division and Squadron flagVengeur 64 Captain Jean Georges du Croiset de Retz WIA Reflechi 64 Captain Armand Francois Cillart de Suville WIA Annibal 74 Chef d Escadre Toussaint Guillaume Picquet de la Motte 59 90 149Reconnaissance and signalsAlcmene 26 Captain Pierre Rene Benigne Meriadec de BonnevalAimable 26 Captain Antoine Stanislas de Curieres de Castelnau Saint Cosme Sainte EulalieTotal losses 173 killed 773 wounded 949 total 2 British fleet Edit Admiral Byron s fleet 3 Ship Guns Commander Casualties NotesKilled Wounded TotalVanSuffolk 74 Rear Admiral Joshua RowleyCaptain Hugh Cloberry Christian 7 25 32Boyne 70 Captain Herbert Sawyer 12 30 42Royal Oak 74 Captain Thomas Fitzherbert 4 12 16Prince of Wales 74 Vice Admiral Samuel BarringtonCaptain Benjamin Hill 26 46 72Magnificent 74 Captain John Elphinstone 8 11 19Trident 64 Captain Anthony James Pye Molloy 3 6 9Medway 60 Captain William Affleck 0 4 4CentreFame 74 Captain John Butchart 4 9 13Nonsuch 64 Captain Walter Griffith 0 0 0Sultan 74 Captain Alan Gardner 16 39 55Princess Royal 90 Vice Admiral John ByronCaptain William Blair 3 6 9 Fleet flagshipAlbion 74 Captain George Bowyer 0 2 2Stirling Castle 64 Captain Robert Carkett 2 6 8Elizabeth 74 Captain William Truscott 1 2 3RearYarmouth 64 Captain Nathaniel Bateman 0 0 0Lion 64 Captain William Cornwallis 21 30 51Vigilant 64 Captain Sir Digby Dent 0 0 0Conqueror 74 Rear Admiral Hyde ParkerCaptain Harry Harmood 0 0 0Cornwall 74 Captain Timothy Edwards 16 27 43Monmouth 64 Captain Robert Fanshawe 25 28 53Grafton 74 Captain Thomas Collingwood 35 63 98Reconnaissance and signalsAriadne 20 Captain Thomas Pringle 0 0 0Casualties 183 killed 346 wounded 529 totalNotes EditCitations Edit Castex 2004 pp 196 99 a b c Lacour Gayet 1905 p 205 a b Clowes 1898 p 434 Mahan pp 438 439 Mahan pp 429 431 Mahan p 429 Mahan pp 429 432 Colomb p 388 Colomb pp 388 389 a b Colomb p 389 Colomb p 390 a b Colomb p 391 Humble 2019 p 72 Balch 1972 p 49 Mahan pp 434 435 Mahan p 435 Mahan pp 435 437 Taillemite 2002 p 201 Troude 1867 p 39 Lacour Gayet 1905 p 629 Contenson 1934 p 255 References EditAllen Joseph 1852 Battles of the British Navy Vol I London a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Balch Thomas 1972 The French in America During the War of Independence of the United States 1777 1783 Vol 1 Oxford Ardent Media ISBN 9781330881637 OCLC 982878912 Beatson Robert 1804 Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain from 1727 to 1783 Vol VI London Contenson Ludovic 1934 La Societe des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d Amerique 1778 1783 Paris editions Auguste Picard OCLC 7842336 Castex Jean Claude 2004 Dictionnaire des batailles navales franco anglaises Presses Universite Laval ISBN 978 2 7637 8061 0 Clowes William Laird 1898 The Royal Navy A History From the Earliest Times to the Present Vol 3 London Sampson Low Marston and Company Colomb Philip 1895 Naval Warfare its Ruling Principles and Practice Historically Treated London W H Allen OCLC 2863262 Humble Richard 2019 Napoleon s Admirals Flag Officers of the Arc de Triomphe 1789 1815 Oxford Philadelphia Casemate ISBN 9781612008080 OCLC 1146049972 Lacour Gayet Georges 1905 La marine militaire de la France sous le regne de Louis XVI Paris Honore Champion OCLC 763372623 Mahan Alfred Thayer 1898 Major Operations of the Royal Navy 1762 1783 Being Chapter XXXI in The Royal Navy A History Boston Little Brown OCLC 46778589 Taillemite Etienne 2002 Dictionnaire des Marins francais Tallandier ISBN 2 84734 008 4 OCLC 606770323 Troude Onesime Joachim 1867 Batailles navales de la France in French Vol 2 Challamel aine OCLC 836362484 White Thomas 1830 Naval Researches or a candid inquiry into the conduct of admirals Byron Graves Hood and Rodney in the actions off Grenada Chesapeake St Christopher s and of the ninth and twelfth of April 1782 London Whittaker Treacher and Arnott OCLC 718064199 External links Edit in French Etat des forces navales francaises engagees dans la guerre d independance des Etats Unis Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Grenada amp oldid 1168522352, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
