French order of battle in the Expédition d'Irlande facts for kids
The Expédition d'Irlande was a big plan by France to invade Ireland in December 1796. This happened during the French Revolutionary Wars. At the time, Ireland was controlled by Great Britain.
French leaders were encouraged by an Irish group called the Society of United Irishmen. This group wanted Ireland to be independent. The French government, known as the French Directory, thought that invading Ireland would be a great way to hurt Britain. They hoped a large invasion would cause a big uprising among the Irish people. This would force the British to leave Ireland. It would be a huge win for the French Republic. It could also be a good starting point for a future invasion of Britain. General Lazare Hoche, a very successful French commander, was chosen to lead this mission. He was given many soldiers and the entire French Atlantic fleet.
Getting Ready for the Invasion
Getting ready for the invasion took a long time in the autumn. The fleet was not ready to leave Brest until December. The main reason for the delay was poor organization and discipline in the French Navy. Things only got better when the commander at Brest, Vice-amiral Villaret de Joyeuse, was replaced. The new commander was Vice-amiral Morard de Galles. General Hoche was also given direct control over the fleet's discipline.
A Difficult Journey
The French invasion fleet left Brest on December 15. But it was almost immediately scattered. Bad weather, sailors who weren't very experienced, and attacks from British ships caused the fleet to break up. One large warship was even destroyed.
As individual ships and small groups tried to reach the meeting point off Mizen Head in Ireland, the main ship, the frigate Fraternité, was chased far into the Atlantic by a British frigate. It took more than a week for it to return to Ireland. During this time, the rest of the fleet faced the worst winter storms since 1708. They were battered off the landing beaches in Bantry Bay. The weather was too wild to allow any soldiers to land.
The Invasion Fails
By the last week of December 1796, the French fleet was heading back home. They had failed to land even one soldier in Ireland. Several ships were wrecked or sank in the rough seas. A group of British frigates based at Cork managed to capture several French frigates and transport ships in early January.
The main British fleet was ordered to stop the invasion force. However, they moved very slowly. They did not arrive in the Western Approaches until January 13. By then, almost all French ships had either returned or been captured. Two ships, including the flagship Fraternité, were chased by the British fleet but eventually reached safety in Rochefort.
The third ship, the large warship Droits de l'Homme, was stopped by two British frigates. These were led by Captain Sir Edward Pellew. In a running battle, the Droits de l'Homme was destroyed. More than 1,000 French sailors lost their lives.
Aftermath and Losses
In total, France lost 12 ships, either captured or destroyed. Over 2,000 French soldiers and sailors drowned. The Brest fleet was so badly damaged that it could not launch any major operations in 1797. They were even unable to respond when the British fleet faced its own problems with the Spithead Mutiny a few months later.
France tried to invade Ireland again in the summer of 1798. This was in response to the Irish Rebellion. But this attempt also ended badly. All the soldiers who landed were captured a few weeks later at the Battle of Ballinamuck. A third and final invasion effort was defeated and destroyed by a British fleet at the Battle of Tory Island in October 1798.
