Action of 18 August 1798 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Action of 18 August 1798 |
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| Part of the Mediterranean campaign during the War of the Second Coalition |
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 Action between H.M.S. Leander and the French National Ship Le Genereux, 18 August 1798, C. H. Seaforth |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Great Britain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Louis Lejoille |
 Thomas Thompson |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1 ship of the line | 1 ship of the line | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 288 killed and wounded | 92 killed and wounded 1 ship of the line captured |
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The Action of 18 August 1798 was a small but important naval battle during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened between a British ship, HMS Leander, and a French ship, Généreux.
Just three weeks earlier, both ships had been part of the huge Battle of the Nile in Egypt. In that battle, a British fleet led by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson nearly destroyed the French fleet. Généreux was one of only four French ships that managed to escape. Leander had been sent away by Nelson on August 6. On board Leander, Captain Edward Berry was a passenger. His job was to deliver important messages to another British fleet near Spain.
On August 18, while sailing near Crete, Leander met Généreux. The French ship had separated from the other survivors the day before.
Contents
What Happened During the Battle?
Captain Thomas Thompson of Leander first tried to get away from the much larger French ship. But it quickly became clear that Généreux was faster.
At 9:00 AM, the ships started firing their cannons at each other. This continued until 10:30 AM. Captain Louis-Jean-Nicolas Lejoille of Généreux tried to board Leander. This means his crew tried to jump onto the British ship to fight hand-to-hand. But they failed and lost many men.
The battle went on for another five hours. Thompson managed to fire cannons along the length of Généreux at one point, causing a lot of damage. But the larger French ship was too powerful and skilled.
Eventually, Captain Thompson, who was wounded, had to surrender his ship. He ordered his men to wave a French flag on a pole. When French sailors took over the British ship, Captain Lejoille allowed them to take personal belongings from the British sailors. He even took the ship's surgeon's tools during an operation.
Against the rules of war, Lejoille forced the captured British crew to help sail Leander to Corfu. He also didn't give them food or medical care unless they cooperated.
Lejoille later wrote a report about the battle that made his victory seem much bigger than it was. He was praised in France but criticized in Britain for how he treated the prisoners. Thompson, Berry, and most of the British officers were later freed. They were found innocent at a special hearing and were even made knights for their bravery.
Leander and many of its crew were captured again in March 1799. This happened when a Russian fleet took over Corfu. The ship was then returned to British control by Tsar Paul. Généreux stayed in the Mediterranean for another year. It was finally captured near Malta in 1800 by a British fleet led by Lord Nelson.
Why Did This Battle Happen?
On August 1, 1798, a British fleet led by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson found a French fleet. The French ships were anchored in Aboukir Bay in Egypt. Nelson had been searching for the French for three months. He was trying to find their fleet and a group of supply ships. These ships were carrying the French army, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, who planned to invade Egypt.
The French supply ships managed to avoid Nelson. The army landed at Alexandria on June 31. The French fleet was too big for Alexandria's harbor. So, Napoleon ordered its commander, Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers, to anchor in Aboukir Bay.
The Battle of the Nile and Its Aftermath
When Nelson found the French, he attacked right away. This started the Battle of the Nile. Captain Thomas Foley on the lead British ship, HMS Goliath, found a gap in the French line. He sailed through it and attacked the French ships from the land side. Four more British ships followed him. Nelson attacked the French from the sea side with three more ships.
The rest of the British fleet attacked the middle of the French line. However, HMS Culloden got stuck on a sandbank. The smaller ships, HMS Leander and HMS Mutine, tried to help Culloden. But it was clear the ship couldn't move.
Captain Thomas Thompson of Leander wanted to fight. He left Culloden and joined the attack on the French center. He focused his ship's fire on the huge French ship, Orient. Within an hour, Orient caught fire and later exploded. This basically ended the battle in Nelson's favor.
Over the next two days, the slightly damaged Leander helped force several French ships to surrender. By August 3, Nelson was in full control of Aboukir Bay. Only four French ships escaped: two large ships and two smaller frigates. They sailed north on August 2, led by Rear-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve.
Sending Important Messages
After winning the battle, Nelson needed to send messages to his commander, Vice-Admiral Earl St. Vincent. These messages told him about the destruction of the French fleet. Captain Edward Berry, who had fought bravely with Nelson, was given the task of carrying these messages.
Thompson was ordered to take Berry to St. Vincent in Leander. St. Vincent was believed to be with the British ships blocking the port of Cadiz. Leander had not been badly damaged in the battle. However, Thompson had a problem with his crew. They had lost men in an earlier battle in 1797. Fourteen men were wounded at Aboukir Bay. Also, two officers and fifty men had been sent to help sail the captured French ships. This left Thompson with only 282 men on Leander. Following Nelson's orders, Thompson set sail on August 5.
The Battle Begins
After escaping Aboukir Bay, Admiral Villeneuve's ships were slowed down by strong winds. On August 17, he decided to split his forces. He sailed for Malta with his main ship and two frigates. Captain Louis-Jean-Nicolas Lejoille on Généreux was ordered to the French-controlled island of Corfu.
Before they left, more men were moved to Généreux. The ship was already carrying survivors from another French ship destroyed at Aboukir Bay. This meant Généreux had a large crew of 936 men.
On the morning of August 18, as Généreux sailed around the island of Goza near Crete, its lookouts spotted a ship. This ship was Leander. Captain Thompson realized the strange ship must be one of Villeneuve's. He immediately ordered all sails set to try and escape. Généreux had 30 more cannons than Leander and was much stronger. Its cannons could fire over 1,000 pounds of shot, compared to Leander's 432 pounds.
A strong breeze helped Lejoille's ship catch up to Thompson's. Lejoille tried to trick Thompson by raising different flags, but it didn't work. By 9:00 AM, it was clear Généreux would catch Leander. Thompson prepared his ship for battle.
Within minutes, Généreux fired a shot across Leander's front. Thompson responded by firing all his cannons at Généreux. Lejoille fired back, and the two ships kept shooting as they sailed east. Généreux slowly got closer to Leander. The smaller British ship took more damage.
At 10:30 AM, the ships were so close that Lejoille tried to board Leander. Thompson couldn't move his damaged ship out of the way. Généreuxs front hit Leanders front, and the French ship swung alongside. Lejoille got his men ready to board.
But Thompson was ready. He gathered his Royal Marines and sailors armed with muskets along the side of his ship. Their gunfire stopped any Frenchmen who tried to board. The tangled ships turned south, still firing their main cannons at very close range. Slowly, the wind pulled Généreux away from Leander. The French ship was faster because more of its sails and ropes were still working.
As Généreux pulled away, Thompson, who was already wounded, managed to turn his damaged ship. He aimed his cannons at the back of Généreux. Even with broken masts and ropes, his gun crews managed to clear the way. They fired a powerful shot along the length of the French ship.
Although Leander had caused serious damage, the size and power of the French ship were too much. Lejoille was able to turn Généreux south again. The ships continued to exchange cannon fire until 3:30 PM. By this time, Leander's crew had run out of cannonballs. They were firing scrap metal at the French ship.
Finally, Lejoille managed to bring Généreux across the front of Leander. He called out to the British ship, asking if they had surrendered. Thompson couldn't continue fighting because wreckage blocked his front cannons. He ordered a French flag raised on a pole. This was enough for Lejoille to stop firing.
After the Battle
The French sailors couldn't immediately board Leander because all their boats were destroyed. So, a French midshipman and a boatswain swam to the British ship to accept the surrender.
Leander had lost many men: 35 killed and 57 wounded. Captain Thompson was wounded three times, and Captain Berry had a piece of bone stuck in his arm. The ship's masts were almost completely broken, and it was leaking badly from many cannon holes.
Généreux was also damaged. It lost its mizzen topmast, and its front mast was almost broken. Because the French ship was crowded, its losses were much higher. About 100 men were killed and 188 wounded. This was also about a third of their total crew.
Treatment of Prisoners
The two French sailors who reached Leander immediately started stealing personal items from the British officers. Captain Thompson ordered one of his damaged boats to be fixed. He used it to go to the French ship and bring Captain Lejoille back. Thompson hoped Lejoille would stop the looting.
However, when Lejoille arrived, he joined his officers in taking things. He took most of Captain Thompson's shirts and even the wounded officer's bed. When Captain Berry complained about stolen pistols, Lejoille called the thief forward and took the pistols for himself. The French sailors also took many things, including the ship's surgeon's tools. This happened in the middle of an operation! Without the right tools, the surgeon couldn't help the many wounded, including Captain Thompson. When Captain Berry complained, Lejoille said, "I'm sorry, but the fact is, that the French are good at plunder."
Lejoille divided the captured British sailors. Half went to Généreux, and half stayed on Leander with a French crew. Against the rules of war, both groups of prisoners were immediately ordered to help repair the ships. Only when both ships were ready to sail to Corfu were the prisoners given bread and water. The wounded still didn't get medical care.
For ten days, the damaged ships sailed north. Généreux had to tow Leander to make sure it didn't fall behind. On August 28, another ship appeared. Panic broke out on Généreux. Lejoille ordered the prisoners locked below deck. He also prepared to leave Leander behind and sail quickly to Corfu.
The new ship was actually the British ship HMS Mutine. It was carrying a second copy of Nelson's messages to Britain. Mutine saw the ships but thought they were French. So, it sailed past showing French flags. Lejoille wasn't fooled, but he didn't chase the small ship. He continued his journey to Corfu once Mutine was out of sight.
Aftermath and Recognition
At Corfu, the prisoners were held, but the wounded still didn't get treatment. Thompson only had the musket ball removed from his arm when his surgeon was secretly brought onto Généreux. The British officers were eventually released and sent back to Britain. Most of the regular sailors were held prisoner at Corfu.
Captain Lejoille's report of the battle to France was not accurate. He said Leander was a much bigger ship and claimed his men had boarded the British ship. French newspapers, excited after their big loss at the Battle of the Nile, made the victory seem even bigger.
Despite losing their ship, Thompson and Berry were praised in Britain for their brave fight against a much larger ship. Lejoille's bad treatment of his prisoners was criticized. On December 17, 1798, Thompson, Berry, and the other officers faced a special hearing. They were cleared of any blame for losing their ship. The court said:
"The Court... is of opinion, that the gallant and almost unprecedented defence of Captain Thompson... against so superior force... is deserving of every praise... and that his conduct, with that of the officers and men under his command, reflects not only the highest honour upon himself and them, but on their Country at large, and the court does therefore most honourably acquit Captain Thompson, his officers, and ship's company; and he and they are most honourably acquitted accordingly."
Thompson and Berry were thanked by Parliament. In December 1798, Berry was made a Knight Bachelor. He was later given command of a new, powerful ship in 1799. He returned to the Mediterranean to work with Nelson again. Thompson was also knighted in January 1799 and given a yearly payment. He returned to service as a captain that spring.
