Chef de brigade

Chef de brigade

Chef de brigade was a military rank, equivalent to colonel, in the French Revolutionary army, in command of a demi-brigade. Both that unit and that rank were created at the same time, in 1793. The two designations disappeared just before the institution of the French Empire, in 1803, with the...

 (colonel) William Tate was the Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

-American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 commander of the French forces

Military of France

The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...

 known as La legion noire

La Legion Noire

La Légion Noire was a military unit of the French Revolutionary Army. The only action of any note that it took part in was the unsuccessful last invasion of Britain in February 1797....

 which invaded Britain in 1797, resulting in the Battle of Fishguard. The 1200 to 1400-strong force landed at Carregwastad Point, near the Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 port of Fishguard

Fishguard

Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....

, on February 22 but surrendered three days later. This was the last invasion of the British mainland by foreign forces. He disliked the British because his family was murdered by pro-British Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 in the American War of Independence, and advocated Irish republicanism. (J.E. Thomas p 58)