Childers Incident facts for kids
The Childers Incident happened on January 2, 1793. It was when British and French forces first fired at each other during the French Revolutionary Wars. This was the start of a long war between the two countries that lasted 23 years.
After the French Revolution in 1789, the relationship between Britain and France became very bad. France was in a state of political and social chaos. One important place for French republican activity was the main naval base at Brest in Brittany.
On January 2, 1793, a small British warship called HMS Childers entered the Roadstead of Brest. Its mission was to check how ready the French fleet was for war. As Childers sailed into the Goulet de Brest, French forts started firing at it. Even though the British ship showed it was neutral, the firing continued. Childers was hit by a 48-pound (22 kg) cannonball, but no one on board was hurt. The ship managed to get away. This event was small, with little damage and no injuries. But it showed how much the relationship between Britain and France had worsened. War officially began on February 1, 1793.
Why Did Tensions Rise?
After the French Revolution in 1789, the new French Republic had problems with its European neighbors. In 1791, Austria and Prussia said they supported the French King Louis XVI. In 1792, Austria and Prussia became allies. France's government then declared war on Austria in April 1792. This first conflict was called the War of the First Coalition.
Britain stayed neutral at first. The British Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, did not like the violence of the French Revolution. But he also did not want to join the other European monarchies in a war. Still, the Royal Navy (Britain's navy) got ready for war, just in case.
The French Atlantic Fleet, however, was not in good shape. The main naval base at Brest had seen a big mutiny (a rebellion by sailors) in 1790. By 1791, many French naval officers were leaving their jobs. Even with these problems, the French fleet was strong. It had grown and improved during the 1780s. In fact, the taxes raised to pay for the French Navy were one reason the Revolution started.
The Childers Incident Unfolds
The strength of the French Atlantic fleet worried the British Admiralty (the British navy's leaders). In late 1792, they ordered a small British ship, the 14-gun brig HMS Childers, to check on the French fleet. Commander Robert Barlow was in charge of Childers.
On January 2, 1793, Childers was nearing the entrance to the Roadstead of Brest. The sky was cloudy, and the wind was light and tricky. The only way into Brest harbour is through a narrow waterway called the Goulet de Brest. This waterway is surrounded by heavily fortified shores.
As Childers entered the Goulet, a fort on the southern shore fired a warning shot. It passed over the ship and landed in the sea. Commander Barlow thought the fort fired because his ship was not flying a flag. So, he ordered the British naval flag and the pennant of the Channel Fleet to be raised. This clearly showed Childers was a neutral British warship.
Barlow let Childers drift closer to shore with the tide. The French fort then raised tricolour flags and red pennants. Other forts along the Goulet did the same. As Childers drifted much closer, it suddenly came under heavy fire. The forts had very large 48-pounder cannon.
With the ship under fire and the wind too calm to sail, Barlow ordered his crew to use oars. They tried to pull the ship away from the French forts. Childers was a small ship, making it a hard target. Soon, a fresh breeze helped them sail away from the crossfire. One shot hit the ship, smashing a 4-pounder cannon on deck into three pieces. But luckily, no one on the crew was hurt.
What Happened Next?
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After getting Childers safely away, Commander Barlow returned to Britain. He arrived on January 4 after sailing through a strong gale in the Channel. He anchored at the small Cornish port of Fowey. Barlow then took a fast coach directly to the Admiralty in London. He arrived on January 11, carrying the 48-pound (22 kg) cannonball as proof of the incident.
Historian William James called this incident a sign of "strong hostility" from the new French Republic. However, another historian, Edward Pelham Brenton, wrote in 1825 that the French might have been right to be hostile. He said that Childers should not have been "prying into the equipments at Brest" so close to the forts. He suggested that if a French ship had done the same near a British port, Britain would have likely attacked it.
On January 24, the French ambassador was sent away from Britain. This happened after King Louis XVI was executed in Paris on January 21. On February 1, the French government officially declared war on Great Britain.
The naval war in the Atlantic began in March 1793. A French battle squadron briefly sailed out before a mutiny forced it to return. The war between Britain and France, which started in the Goulet on January 2, 1793, lasted until 1815. There was only a short 14-month break in 1802–1803.
