Atlantic campaign of 1806 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Atlantic campaign of 1806 |
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| Part of the Napoleonic Wars | |||||||
 Duckworth's Action off San Domingo, 6 February 1806, Nicholas Pocock |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 John Duckworth Richard Strachan John Warren |
 Jean Willaumez Corentin Leissègues |
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The Atlantic campaign of 1806 was a complex series of naval movements during the Napoleonic Wars. It involved French and British navy squadrons sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. This campaign happened right after the Trafalgar campaign in 1805.
After the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, the British thought the French navy was too weak to fight at sea during winter. So, they brought many of their ships back to port. However, the French fleet at Brest was still strong because it hadn't been part of the Trafalgar battle. Napoleon saw a chance to strike. He ordered two large French squadrons to sail out. Their mission was to attack British trade ships while avoiding big battles with the Royal Navy.
The French squadrons left Brest in December 1805. It took 12 days for the British to find out. By then, the French ships were far out in the Atlantic. One squadron, led by Vice-Admiral Corentin-Urbain Leissègues, headed for the Caribbean. The other, under Rear-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Willaumez, sailed to the South Atlantic. The British quickly sent out three squadrons to chase them. Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth was one of the commanders.
Leissègues' squadron was found and destroyed by Duckworth's forces at the Battle of San Domingo in February 1806. Willaumez had some success attacking British trade ships. But on his way back, a big hurricane scattered his fleet. Many of his ships were badly damaged and had to seek shelter in American ports. The remaining ships slowly returned to France. This campaign was the last major naval operation in the Atlantic during the Napoleonic Wars.
Contents
Background to the Campaign
The Battle of Trafalgar
In March 1805, the French Mediterranean Fleet, led by Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, escaped from Toulon harbor. They sailed into the Atlantic, with the British fleet under Lord Nelson chasing them. Villeneuve joined up with a Spanish squadron and sailed to the Caribbean. Nelson followed them.
When Villeneuve heard Nelson was nearby, he quickly sailed back to Europe. His orders were to meet another French fleet at Brest to help invade Britain. But on his way, he met a British fleet and lost two Spanish ships. He then sailed to Cadiz, Spain, where Nelson's fleet began to blockade the port.
On October 21, 1805, Villeneuve's combined French and Spanish fleet sailed from Cadiz. Nelson's fleet met them at the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson was killed, but his fleet won a huge victory. They captured or destroyed 17 French or Spanish ships. This defeat ended Napoleon's plans to invade Britain.
After Trafalgar, the British navy chief, Lord Barham, thought the French navy was too weak to fight. He decided to bring British ships back to port for the winter. He believed it was pointless to keep them blockading French ports.
Napoleon's Secret Plans
Lord Barham was wrong about the French fleet at Brest. This fleet had not been involved in the Trafalgar campaign, so it was still very strong. Napoleon had also noticed that even a short visit by a French fleet to the Caribbean could cause big problems for British trade.
Napoleon wanted to cause more trouble for British trade. So, in November 1805, he ordered two strong squadrons to get ready at Brest. They were to leave secretly on December 13. Their mission was to sail deep into the Atlantic and attack any merchant ships they found.
The squadrons would then split up. One would go to the South Atlantic, and the other to the Caribbean. Their main goal was to disrupt British trade as much as possible. Napoleon told his admirals to avoid fighting any British navy forces that were as strong or stronger than theirs. This was to prevent their ships from being captured or destroyed.
Vice-Admiral Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume chose 11 ships for this mission. Vice-Admiral Leissègues would lead one squadron of five ships of the line, two frigates, and a corvette to the Caribbean. This squadron also carried over 1,000 soldiers for the French garrison on Santo Domingo.
Rear-Admiral Willaumez would lead the other squadron of six ships of the line, two frigates, and two brigs. His mission was to attack shipping in the South Atlantic. Then he would sail to the Leeward Islands and blockade Barbados. Both squadrons carried enough food for six months. They hoped to capture more supplies during their voyages. Their raiding operations were planned to last up to 14 months.
French Squadrons Set Sail
On December 13, 1805, most of the British blockade squadron was anchored far away due to a winter storm. The French squadrons sailed out of Brest unnoticed. Within two days, they were nearly 500 nautical miles (926 km) into the Atlantic.
They soon met a British merchant convoy. Willaumez's ships chased this convoy, which was heading to Britain from Gibraltar. The British escort ships, HMS Polyphemus and HMS Sirius, were heavily outnumbered. The convoy scattered and tried to escape.
Later that day, another convoy appeared to the north. This one had 23 ships sailing from Cork to the Caribbean. It was escorted by three frigates. Willaumez was busy with the first convoy, so Leissègues ordered his squadron to chase the second one.
Willaumez's ships captured some stragglers from the first convoy. They almost caught HMS Sirius, but it managed to escape. Willaumez sent one of his frigates, Volontaire, to Tenerife with the captured ships. Then he turned his squadron south.
Leissègues chased the second convoy. The British escort ships formed a battle line to protect the other merchant ships. Leissègues ignored the escaping convoy and tried to catch the warships. But the faster British ships pulled away. Leissègues gave up the chase and turned south. The British sent urgent warnings about the French ships to other British squadrons.
Duckworth's Pursuit
On November 20, 1805, a French squadron under Rear-Admiral Zacharie Allemand met a British convoy. Allemand's squadron was returning to France. The British escort ship, HMS Lark, escaped and found Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth and his squadron off Cadiz.
Duckworth immediately sailed after Allemand. He left only two frigates to watch Cadiz. Duckworth's squadron sailed south, past Madeira and Tenerife. He didn't see any French ships. He finally realized Allemand had escaped.
On December 23, Duckworth met the reduced British convoy that Leissègues had chased. Duckworth then sailed north, hoping to intercept Leissègues. On December 25, his lookouts spotted nine ships. Duckworth thought it was Allemand's squadron. But as he got closer, he realized it was Willaumez's squadron.
Duckworth's lead ships, HMS Superb, HMS Spencer, and HMS Agamemnon, were gaining on the French. But the rest of his squadron was far behind. The French ships were closer together, giving them an advantage. Duckworth's ships were too spread out to fight effectively. So, to the anger of his officers, Duckworth called off the chase.
Duckworth sent a frigate back to Britain with news of the French activity. He thought the French might be heading for the Dutch East Indies. He then sailed southwest to the Leeward Islands to resupply his ships.
Battle of San Domingo
On January 12, 1806, Duckworth's squadron arrived at Carlisle Bay, Barbados. They then sailed to Basseterre at St. Kitts for more supplies. On January 21, two ships from the West Indian squadron joined them. Rear-Admiral Alexander Cochrane was on one of these ships.
Leissègues' squadron had arrived in the Caribbean on January 20. His journey had been delayed by storms. He landed his troops at Santo Domingo and began repairing his ships. He also waited for two missing ships to arrive.
On February 1, a British sloop brought news that three French ships had been seen off Santo Domingo. Duckworth immediately sailed for the port. On February 5, a frigate joined his squadron. It had captured a Danish ship whose crew gave exact details of the French squadron in the harbor.
In the early morning of February 6, 1806, Duckworth's scouting frigates spotted Leissègues' squadron. The French admiral ordered his ships to sail west along the coast in a line. As the chase began, Captain Richard Goodwin Keats of the Superb hung a portrait of Nelson and encouraged his crew.
The battle began at 10:10 AM. Superb opened fire on the leading French ship. Northumberland and Spencer attacked the next two French ships, including Leissègues' flagship, Impérial. Within 15 minutes, one French ship was out of the fight. Northumberland was also badly damaged.
At 10:35 AM, the rest of Duckworth's squadron arrived. They attacked the damaged French ships. HMS Donegal and HMS Atlas attacked two more French ships, which quickly surrendered.
The British then focused on Impérial and Diomède. The smoke from the battle made it hard to see. One British ship collided with another. At 11:30 AM, Leissègues decided to run his remaining ships ashore rather than surrender. Impérial and Diomède were deliberately grounded on the beach.
Duckworth anchored offshore to watch the grounded ships. Small boats evacuated most of the French sailors. On February 8, British boarding parties found both ships beyond repair. They took the remaining 156 French crew as prisoners and set the ships on fire. The British lost 74 killed and 264 wounded. The French lost an estimated 1,510 men.
After his victory, Duckworth took his prizes to Jamaica. He was celebrated there and in Britain. However, Duckworth did not receive any awards. This was because he had left his post at Cadiz and failed to catch Willaumez earlier. Some historians believe he might have faced a court martial if he hadn't won at San Domingo.
Willaumez's Journey
In the South Atlantic
After escaping Duckworth in December, Willaumez sailed to the South Atlantic. He planned to go to the Indian Ocean to attack the British China Fleet. This was a large yearly convoy of merchant ships that sailed from Canton to Britain. It often had dozens of ships and was a rich target.
Willaumez planned to resupply at the Cape of Good Hope. But he learned from a captured merchant ship that the British had captured the Cape on January 10, 1806. So, Willaumez stayed in the South Atlantic until April. He then stopped at Salvador, Brazil, for supplies.
On March 4, a frigate from Willaumez's squadron, Volontaire, sailed into the Cape of Good Hope. The British there were still flying the Dutch flag to trick enemy ships. Volontaire was caught and had to surrender. The British found 217 of their own soldiers on board, who had been captured by Willaumez earlier.
British Catch Linois
While Willaumez was in the South Atlantic, British squadrons under Strachan and Warren were hunting for him. Warren's squadron was watching the trade routes off West Africa. Strachan was in the western Atlantic.
On March 16, 1806, lookouts on HMS London spotted ships to the northeast. Captain Harry Burrard-Neale ordered his ship to chase them. Warren ordered his whole squadron to follow.
The distant ships were the last of Rear-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois's squadron. Linois had been operating in the Indian Ocean since 1803. His squadron was now only his ship of the line, Marengo, and the frigate Belle Poule. Linois thought he had found another merchant convoy.
At 5:30 AM, London and Marengo almost crashed in the dark. Linois realized the ship was a large British warship and tried to escape. But Marengo was too slow. London opened fire, badly damaging the French flagship.
The battle continued for over four hours. Linois fought bravely as more of Warren's squadron arrived. The British frigate HMS Amazon caught Belle Poule and damaged it. By 11:00 AM, both Linois and his captain surrendered. Linois was badly wounded. The French lost 69 killed and 106 wounded. The British lost 13 killed and 27 wounded. Warren returned to Britain with his captured ships.
Willaumez in the Caribbean
By April 1806, only Strachan's British squadron was still hunting Willaumez. Strachan's flagship, HMS St George, was too slow. So, Strachan returned to Britain for faster ships. In early May, news arrived that Willaumez had left Brazil. Strachan was ordered to chase him again, sailing for the West Indies.
After leaving Brazil, Willaumez sailed to Cayenne. He split his ships into three groups to attack more trade ships. In May, he thought about attacking Carlisle Bay, Barbados, but decided against it. Cochrane, whose squadron was based there, chased Willaumez. Cochrane almost caught Jérôme Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother) in Vétéran. Bonaparte had to retreat to Fort-de-France on Martinique.
Cochrane blockaded the port. Other British ships joined him. But a storm damaged Cochrane's flagship, and the British temporarily pulled back. This allowed two more French ships to reach Fort-de-France. Over the next week, the rest of Willaumez's squadron joined Vétéran.
On July 1, Willaumez left Fort-de-France with two ships and sailed to Montserrat. He captured three merchant ships there. The British governor on Montserrat sent urgent warnings. A 65-ship convoy at Sandy Point was quickly evacuated.
However, 13 ships from other harbors missed the warning. On July 3, four French ships attacked them. They captured four vessels and attacked nine others near Brimstone Hill. Gunfire from the fort drove off the French ships.
On July 4, Willaumez learned that the annual Jamaica convoy was anchored off Tortola. This was a large group of merchant ships sailing from the Caribbean to Britain. Cochrane had already realized the danger. He waited for Willaumez off St. Thomas with four ships of the line and four frigates.
On July 6, Willaumez saw Cochrane. Remembering Napoleon's orders to avoid big battles, he turned away. He sailed between St. Thomas and the Passage Islands. With the French driven off, Cochrane sailed to Tortola. Nearly 300 ships had gathered there for the convoy to Europe.
Willaumez was frustrated. He decided to wait for the convoy at sea near the Bahama Banks. He captured any ships that came near, even neutral ones, to keep his position secret. For weeks, Willaumez saw nothing. The British were holding the convoy back until they knew where the French were.
On July 31, Captain Jérôme Bonaparte, bored with waiting, sailed north away from the squadron without orders. When dawn broke on August 1, Willaumez panicked. He thought Vétéran had accidentally separated and began searching for his missing ship and Napoleon's brother.
While Willaumez was searching, Cochrane finished preparing the convoy. He sent 109 large merchant ships eastward with a small escort. The convoy passed through Willaumez's area in August while the French admiral was searching for Vétéran far to the north. By the time Willaumez returned, the convoy was far to the east, on its way to Britain. Willaumez also missed a chance to meet Admiral Warren, who had returned to the Atlantic to search for him.
The Great Hurricane
Willaumez's squadron was now smaller, his main target had escaped, and food was running low. He decided to sail for Newfoundland. He hoped to avoid Cochrane and Warren and attack convoys and fishing fleets there.
On August 18, Willaumez was northeast of Puerto Rico when a fierce hurricane hit his squadron. After the storm, Willaumez found his flagship, Foudroyant, badly damaged and completely alone. With temporary masts, Foudroyant slowly sailed for Havana, Cuba, to make repairs.
For almost a month, Willaumez saw nothing. But on September 15, near Havana, the British frigate HMS Anson appeared. Willaumez sent a boat to Havana for help. Anson opened fire. Foudroyant was much larger but too damaged to maneuver quickly. Anson fought for a while but then pulled away. Spanish ships came out to help Foudroyant, and it safely anchored in Havana.
The rest of Willaumez's squadron was less lucky. All were badly damaged and blown northwest towards the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. There, they met Strachan's squadron, which had also been caught in the hurricane but was less damaged.
On September 14, three British ships, HMS Belleisle, HMS Bellona, and HMS Melampus, spotted a French ship sailing with temporary masts. It was the French ship Impétueux, badly damaged and leaking. It was trying to reach a US harbor.
The French commander immediately steered Impétueux towards the coast and ran his ship aground. Even though the ship was on US soil, Melampus opened fire. British boats boarded Impétueux. They took the remaining French crew as prisoners. The British then set the wreck on fire.
The destruction of Impétueux on US territory caused complaints from French officials. Two other French ships, Éole and Patriote, had sheltered in Annapolis. Patriote took over a year to repair. Éole was never repaired and was broken up in 1811. Another frigate, Valeureuse, also sheltered in the Delaware River but was later broken up. The flagship Foudroyant did return to France in February 1807.
Only two ships from the original squadron returned to France right away. Vétéran had separated before the storm. Captain Bonaparte managed to attack a convoy traveling from Quebec to Britain. He ignored the small escort ship and captured six merchant vessels, setting them on fire.
On August 26, Bonaparte was nearing the French coast when British ships chased him. Bonaparte's officers used their local knowledge to guide Vétéran into the tiny port of Concarneau. This was the first time a ship of the line had ever anchored there. Even though Bonaparte had left his admiral without orders, he was praised for attacking the Quebec convoy and was promoted. The other surviving ship, Cassard, arrived at Rochefort several weeks later.
Besides the main squadrons, the French sent other smaller forces into the Atlantic. These were either secret missions or meant to distract the British. One was an expedition to West Africa under Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien L'Hermite. He attacked undefended merchant ships and slave ships. He returned to France in September 1806.
Another force was made of frigates that had survived the Battle of Trafalgar and were hiding in Cadiz. In February 1806, a storm allowed four French frigates and a brig to escape. The British frigate HMS Hydra chased them. The French abandoned the slower brig and escaped. This force, led by La Meillerie, visited Senegal and Cayenne but didn't cause much damage to British trade. They returned to France in July 1806.
The British also sent more forces to intercept Willaumez. Admiral William Cornwallis kept a strong force off Brest. This blockade was so effective that only one French ship of the line, Régulus, entered or left Brest in 1806.
One of the British ships, HMS Mars, intercepted La Meillerie's squadron on its way back. It captured the frigate Rhin on July 17.
In September, Commodore Sir Samuel Hood took over the blockade off Rochefort. He had a big success on September 25, 1806. He intercepted a French squadron of seven frigates and corvettes. They were sailing from Rochefort to the French West Indies with supplies.
Hood's six ships of the line sighted the French force early on September 25. Hood's larger ships had the advantage. The French commander, Soleil, realized he would be caught. He sent three ships south and one north, keeping three to delay the British.
The lead British ship, HMS Monarch, engaged the French. Soleil ordered his frigates to target Monarch's rigging to slow it down. Monarch was damaged but stayed in contact until Hood's flagship, HMS Centaur, and HMS Mars joined the fight. Four French frigates were captured. British casualties were nine killed and 29 wounded, including Hood, who lost an arm.
L'Hermite's force was also caught in the same hurricane that scattered Willaumez's ships. His ships were damaged and scattered. Most managed to slip through the British blockade and return to France. But on September 27, 1806, the frigate Président was trapped in the Bay of Biscay by a British squadron. Its captain surrendered without a fight.
What Happened Next
After 1806, there were no other large-scale naval campaigns in the Atlantic during the Napoleonic Wars. Minor operations by single French ships continued. But the heavy losses in 1805 and 1806 greatly weakened the French navy. Lord Barham, the British naval chief, said the victory at San Domingo meant they no longer feared "another predatory war in the West Indies."
The campaign showed how hard it was to find and stop French squadrons in the huge Atlantic Ocean. They were only vulnerable near their own harbors or in smaller areas like the Caribbean. The British learned that keeping a strong blockade was very important to protect their trade. Napoleon was annoyed by the British blockade. He started a huge shipbuilding program. By 1808, he had over 80 ships of the line to challenge the British.
Images for kids
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Duckworth's Action off San Domingo, 6 February 1806, Nicholas Pocock
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Allemand's squadron in pursuit of the Calcutta convoy, 25 September 1805, Thomas Whitcombe
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The Battle of San Domingo, 6 February 1806, with H.M.S. Canopus Joining the Action, Thomas Lyde Hornbrook
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The London Man of War capturing the Marengo Admiral Linois, 13 March 1806, Contemporary engraving by "W. C I"
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Vétéran entering Concarneau, Michel Bouquet
See Also
- List of ships of the line of the French Navy
- List of ships of the line of the Royal Navy
