Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville
Encyclopedia
Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville (3 June 1745 – 19 August 1804) was a French
admiral and a hero of the American Revolutionary War
and of the Napoleonic wars
.
, in a family of sailor
s. At the age of 13, he joined the Gardes-Marines ("Naval Guards"), and took part in numerous naval actions during the Seven Years' War
. He took part in his first action in 1759 aboard the Dragon, which was under his father's command. He also served on the Louise and the Intrépide, the Tonnant in 1762, the Garonne in 1763, and the Hardi and the Bricole in 1765.
In September 1768, aged 23, he was promoted to enseigne de vaisseau
. Under pressure from his family, he quit the Navy to become a cavalry officer. He became a captain in April 1769, and served as an aide to the governors of Martinique
and Saint-Domingue
in 1770 and 1771.
In 1772 he rejoined the Navy as "capitaine de brûlot". He served in Rochefort between 1773 and 1776.
and was granted the command of the corvette
the Rossignol, which escorted convoys. He captured two English privateers and three merchantmen.
In the spring of 1780, as captain of the frigate Hermione
, at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War
, he was entrusted with General La Fayette as a passenger on a transatlantic voyage from France to Boston. He took part in the American campaign under the command of Des Touches and was involved in several battles, including a fierce but indecisive action in June 1780 against the 32-gun British
frigate (formerly the USS Hancock
), under the command of James Hawker. He was promoted to capitaine de vaisseau in June 1781.
On 21 July, along with the frigate Astrée (under La Pérouse
), he attacked an English convoy near the coast of New Scotland
in the Naval battle of Louisbourg; the escorts Jack and Thorn were captured, along with three merchantmen, and brought back to Boston. He also took part in the battle of Yorktown.
Latouche-Tréville assumed command of the frigate Aigle which, along with the Gloire, ferried funds and equipment for the fleet of Admiral Vaudreil. On 5 September 1782, he sank the English vessel Hector, but ran aground in the mouth of the Delaware River. There , , and the prize Sophie forced Aigle to strike her colours on 15 September. The British took Aigle into service under her own name. Latouche was freed when the peace was signed in 1783.
In 1784 he succeeded Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
as vice-director of the Harbours and Arsenals. In 1786 he became Inspector General of Gunnery, and in 1787, Chancellor of the Duke of Orléans. In 1788, he added "Tréville" to his name, becoming "Latouche-Tréville".
At the beginning of the French Revolution
, in 1789, Latouche Tréville was a deputy of the Second Estate (the nobility) and a member of the National Constituent Assembly
, taking a liberal posture and contributing to the foundation of the Republic.
In September 1791, after Louis XVI
approved the new constitution, the National Constituent Assembly was disbanded; Latouche-Tréville then took the command of a squadron of four ships of the line that he sailed from Brest
to Toulon
, with his flag on Languedoc
.
He joined contre-amiral Truguet
and supported the operation of the Army of Italy. He also took part in the attack on Sardinia
in October 1792, which turned out to be a failure when the Sardinians repulsed the expeditionary corps, which had landed on 14 February. Latouche-Tréville and Truguet then sailed to Toulon.
On 1 January 1793 war broke out with England. Latouche-Tréville was promoted to contre-amiral
and began planning for an invasion of England. On 28 March his plan for a landing, and in particular the construction of a specialised fleet of light troop transports, was adopted.
In March he took command of the Naval Army of Brest. As soon as he took up his position, subordinates denounced him as a noble. He was arrested in September as a "suspect", at the height of the Terror
. He spent one year in the Force prison and was freed only after the fall of Robespierre
.
Under the Directoire
he was rehabilitated and regained his rank in December 1795. However, he was offered no position and went to Montargis. He was so desperate that in 1799, he ran an announcement in the Moniteur newspaper asking for a position as a privateer.
In 1801, Bonaparte
gave Latouche-Tréville command of a fleet in Brest. Interested by the plans for the invasion of England, Bonaparte and Minister Forfait gave him command of a flotilla in Boulogne
. In this position, on 4 August and 15 August 1801, Latouche-Tréville repelled the attacks of Admiral Nelson.
The British lost six ships sunk and one captured. Casualties amounted to 44 dead (including Parker, aide to Nelson), 126 wounded and three prisoners. The French lost one vessel captured. Their casualties numbered eight men killed, 12 missing and 34 wounded.
On 30 October 1801, with the Treaty of Amiens
, Latouche-Tréville was given command of the fleet of Rochefort
, which carried part of the leading 23,000 men of the Army of Rhine for the expedition, under Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse, against rebel black slaves in Saint-Domingue
. Arriving first at Saint-Domingue, he and general Boudet captured Port-au-Prince
and Léogane
. Latouche-Tréville managed to obtain the peaceful surrender of General Laplume, while, in the south, General Leclerc
forced Toussaint L'Ouverture
and Christophe to submit to French authority.
With Villaret de Joyeuse's departure in April 1802, Latouche-Tréville stayed in Saint-Domingue with four ships-of-the-line, nine frigates and five corvettes. After the restoration of slavery, on 20 May 1802, a new rebellion broke out, which overwhelmed the yellow fever-stricken army of General Leclerc. Latouche-Tréville defended the harbours in the south, giving the western part to Admiral Willaumez
. After the English entered the war, and before Rochambeau and his army were captured, Latouche-Tréville obtained a free passage back to France in October 1803 due to his poor health.
He was made a vice-Admiral in December 1803, taking command of the Mediterranean fleet at Toulon. He raised his flag on the Bucentaure
, regularly repelling Nelson's fleet, which blockaded the harbour.
A new plan for the invasion of England was drawn up, with 2,500 vessels. In the plan, Napoleon gave Latouche-Tréville the task of commanding the fleet that would hold the English Channel during the landing.
Admiral Latouche-Tréville died on 18 August 1804, aged 59. He suffered a heart attack after climbing the hill to the signal station to get a view of the English ships blockading the port. His replacement was Admiral Villeneuve
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
admiral and a hero of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and of the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Early life
Latouche Tréville was born in Rochefort-sur-mer, Charente-MaritimeCharente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, in a family of sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s. At the age of 13, he joined the Gardes-Marines ("Naval Guards"), and took part in numerous naval actions during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. He took part in his first action in 1759 aboard the Dragon, which was under his father's command. He also served on the Louise and the Intrépide, the Tonnant in 1762, the Garonne in 1763, and the Hardi and the Bricole in 1765.
In September 1768, aged 23, he was promoted to enseigne de vaisseau
Ranks in the French Navy
The rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels....
. Under pressure from his family, he quit the Navy to become a cavalry officer. He became a captain in April 1769, and served as an aide to the governors of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
and Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
in 1770 and 1771.
In 1772 he rejoined the Navy as "capitaine de brûlot". He served in Rochefort between 1773 and 1776.
American Revolution
In 1776, he transported ammunition from France to the United States of America. In May 1777 he was promoted to lieutenant de vaisseauRanks in the French Navy
The rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels....
and was granted the command of the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
the Rossignol, which escorted convoys. He captured two English privateers and three merchantmen.
In the spring of 1780, as captain of the frigate Hermione
French frigate Hermione (1779)
The Hermione was a 12-pounder Concorde class frigate of the French Navy. She became famous when she ferried General Lafayette to the United States in 1780 to allow him to join the American side in the American Revolutionary War.- History :...
, at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, he was entrusted with General La Fayette as a passenger on a transatlantic voyage from France to Boston. He took part in the American campaign under the command of Des Touches and was involved in several battles, including a fierce but indecisive action in June 1780 against the 32-gun British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
frigate (formerly the USS Hancock
USS Hancock (1776)
The second Hancock was one of the first 13 frigates of the Continental Navy. A resolution of the Continental Congress of British North America 13 December 1775 authorized her construction; she was named for John Hancock...
), under the command of James Hawker. He was promoted to capitaine de vaisseau in June 1781.
Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse
Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
), he attacked an English convoy near the coast of New Scotland
New Scotland
New Scotland may refer to:* the historical name for Nova Scotia, or its colonies* New Scotland, Chatham-Kent, Ontario, in Canada* New Scotland, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, in Canada* New Scotland, New Brunswick, in Canada...
in the Naval battle of Louisbourg; the escorts Jack and Thorn were captured, along with three merchantmen, and brought back to Boston. He also took part in the battle of Yorktown.
Latouche-Tréville assumed command of the frigate Aigle which, along with the Gloire, ferried funds and equipment for the fleet of Admiral Vaudreil. On 5 September 1782, he sank the English vessel Hector, but ran aground in the mouth of the Delaware River. There , , and the prize Sophie forced Aigle to strike her colours on 15 September. The British took Aigle into service under her own name. Latouche was freed when the peace was signed in 1783.
In 1784 he succeeded Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni d'Entrecasteaux was a French navigator who explored the Australian coast in 1792 while seeking traces of the lost expedition of La Pérouse....
as vice-director of the Harbours and Arsenals. In 1786 he became Inspector General of Gunnery, and in 1787, Chancellor of the Duke of Orléans. In 1788, he added "Tréville" to his name, becoming "Latouche-Tréville".
French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, in 1789, Latouche Tréville was a deputy of the Second Estate (the nobility) and a member of the National Constituent Assembly
National Constituent Assembly
The National Constituent Assembly was formed from the National Assembly on 9 July 1789, during the first stages of the French Revolution. It dissolved on 30 September 1791 and was succeeded by the Legislative Assembly.-Background:...
, taking a liberal posture and contributing to the foundation of the Republic.
In September 1791, after Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
approved the new constitution, the National Constituent Assembly was disbanded; Latouche-Tréville then took the command of a squadron of four ships of the line that he sailed from Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
to Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, with his flag on Languedoc
French ship Languedoc (1766)
The Languedoc was a ship of the line of the French Navy and flagship of Admiral d'Estaing. She was offered to King Louis XV by the Languedoc, as part of a national effort to rebuild the navy after the Seven Years' War. She was designed by the naval architect Joseph Coulomb.In 1776, France decided...
.
He joined contre-amiral Truguet
Laurent Jean François Truguet
Laurent Truguet was a French admiral.-Youth up to the Revolution:Of arisocratic origins, and the son of a chef d'escadre, Laurent de Truguet entered the...
and supported the operation of the Army of Italy. He also took part in the attack on Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
in October 1792, which turned out to be a failure when the Sardinians repulsed the expeditionary corps, which had landed on 14 February. Latouche-Tréville and Truguet then sailed to Toulon.
On 1 January 1793 war broke out with England. Latouche-Tréville was promoted to contre-amiral
Ranks in the French Navy
The rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels....
and began planning for an invasion of England. On 28 March his plan for a landing, and in particular the construction of a specialised fleet of light troop transports, was adopted.
In March he took command of the Naval Army of Brest. As soon as he took up his position, subordinates denounced him as a noble. He was arrested in September as a "suspect", at the height of the Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
. He spent one year in the Force prison and was freed only after the fall of Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
.
Under the Directoire
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
he was rehabilitated and regained his rank in December 1795. However, he was offered no position and went to Montargis. He was so desperate that in 1799, he ran an announcement in the Moniteur newspaper asking for a position as a privateer.
Napoleonic Era
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
gave Latouche-Tréville command of a fleet in Brest. Interested by the plans for the invasion of England, Bonaparte and Minister Forfait gave him command of a flotilla in Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
. In this position, on 4 August and 15 August 1801, Latouche-Tréville repelled the attacks of Admiral Nelson.
The British lost six ships sunk and one captured. Casualties amounted to 44 dead (including Parker, aide to Nelson), 126 wounded and three prisoners. The French lost one vessel captured. Their casualties numbered eight men killed, 12 missing and 34 wounded.
On 30 October 1801, with the Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
, Latouche-Tréville was given command of the fleet of Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
, which carried part of the leading 23,000 men of the Army of Rhine for the expedition, under Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse, against rebel black slaves in Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
. Arriving first at Saint-Domingue, he and general Boudet captured Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
and Léogane
Léogane
Léogâne is a seaside town in Ouest Department, Haïti. It is located in the eponymous arrondissement, the Léogâne Arrondissement. The port town is located about West of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. The town was at the epicenter of the 12 January 2010 earthquake, and was catastrophically...
. Latouche-Tréville managed to obtain the peaceful surrender of General Laplume, while, in the south, General Leclerc
Charles Leclerc
Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc was a French Army general and husband to Pauline Bonaparte, sister to Napoleon Bonaparte.-To 1801:...
forced Toussaint L'Ouverture
Toussaint L'Ouverture
François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture , also Toussaint Bréda, Toussaint-Louverture was the leader of the Haitian Revolution. His military genius and political acumen led to the establishment of the independent black state of Haiti, transforming an entire society of slaves into a free,...
and Christophe to submit to French authority.
With Villaret de Joyeuse's departure in April 1802, Latouche-Tréville stayed in Saint-Domingue with four ships-of-the-line, nine frigates and five corvettes. After the restoration of slavery, on 20 May 1802, a new rebellion broke out, which overwhelmed the yellow fever-stricken army of General Leclerc. Latouche-Tréville defended the harbours in the south, giving the western part to Admiral Willaumez
Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez
Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez was a French sailor and admiral of the First French Empire....
. After the English entered the war, and before Rochambeau and his army were captured, Latouche-Tréville obtained a free passage back to France in October 1803 due to his poor health.
He was made a vice-Admiral in December 1803, taking command of the Mediterranean fleet at Toulon. He raised his flag on the Bucentaure
French ship Bucentaure (1804)
Bucentaure was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Latouche Tréville, who died on board on 18 August 1804....
, regularly repelling Nelson's fleet, which blockaded the harbour.
A new plan for the invasion of England was drawn up, with 2,500 vessels. In the plan, Napoleon gave Latouche-Tréville the task of commanding the fleet that would hold the English Channel during the landing.
Admiral Latouche-Tréville died on 18 August 1804, aged 59. He suffered a heart attack after climbing the hill to the signal station to get a view of the English ships blockading the port. His replacement was Admiral Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar....
.
Trivia
- "I have no doubt that as soon as he will receive a mission, he would be the kind of man who, to accomplish it and execute his orders, would risk encountering and fighting us". – Horatio Nelson.
- "...from the time of his meeting Captain Hawker in the Iris, I never heard of his acting other than as a poltroon and a liar. Contempt is the best mode of treating such a miscreant." -- Horatio Nelson
- Three warships of the French NavyFrench NavyThe French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
have been named in his honour, including the presently operational F70 typeGeorges Leygues class frigateThe Georges Leygues class is a class of anti-submarine frigates of the French Navy. They are polyvalent , due to their Exocet and Crotale missile complement, making them especially suitable for defence of strategic positions, demonstrations, or highseas escorts.The superstructures were built as to...
frigate Latouche-TrévilleFS Latouche-TrévilleLatouche-Tréville is a F70 type anti-submarine frigate of the French Marine Nationale. She is the third French vessel named after the 18-19th century politician and admiral Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville....
; see (French ship Latouche-TrévilleFrench ship Latouche-TrévilleThree ships of the French Navy have borne the name Latouche-Tréville in honour of the 19th century politician and admiral Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville....
for the others).
- Commonly repeated mistake about Latouche-Tréville's record is the "battle against the Chesapeake (March 1781)" In fact, Latouche-Tréville participated in the often forgotten Battle of Chesapeake Bay. This error can be traced to George Six's Dictionnaire Biographique des Généraux et Amiraux Français de la Révolution et de l'Empire 1792–1814, 1934, and often cited from there.