Battle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf
Battle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf | |||||||
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Part of the naval operations during the War of the First Coalition | |||||||
Rehearsal of a French Invasion as Performed before the Invalids at the Islands of St Marcou on the Morning of ye 7 of May 1798, Thomas Rowlandson | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Great Britain | France | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Charles Price | Captain Muskein | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
500 |
5,000 50 landing craft 6 gunboats | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
5 killed and wounded |
1,200 killed and wounded 500 captured 6 landing craft destroyed 1 gunboat destroyed |
The Battle of the Îles Saint-Marcouf was an engagement fought off the
On 7 May, French forces launched a massed
Background
Throughout the
The Royal Navy regularly supplied the islands with food from Britain, and visiting vessels brought bags of earth that allowed the development of a vegetable garden. Smith supported the islands with several gunvessels, including the converted hoys Badger, Hawke, and Shark, the fireship Nancy, and the Musquito-class floating battery Sandfly, which he had had purpose-built for the defence of the islands. Lieutenant Charles Papps Price, captain of Badger and an unpopular officer who had repeatedly been passed over for promotion, commanded the British occupation; Price spent most of his time on the islands with a prostitute he had brought from Portsmouth.[4]
Since the 1796 French victory in Italy over the Austrians, pressure had been growing in France for direct action against Britain. Command of an army deployed in Northern France and named the Armée d'Angleterre was initially given to General
In April 1798, Muskein was ordered to prepare a squadron of his barges for an attack on the Saint Marcouf Islands. The operation was intended simultaneously to eradicate the British garrison and restore French control of the raiding base, test the effectiveness of the barges in a military
On 9 April the French flotilla was able to leave the Orne River and anchor in the harbour of
Battle
On 6 May the conditions for Muskein's attack were perfect: the calm winds prevented the British warships intercepting his flotilla, and the weak tides prevented disruption of his craft by heavy waves. The British also were aware of the conditions necessary for the attack, and made swift preparations to arm the batteries and line the shore with
At midnight, the island's boat signaled the approach of the French and Lieutenant Price readied the defences. Muskein's force mustered 52 vessels, including a number of brigs that mounted several large cannon and were intended to provide covering fire for the landing barges. The main body of the attacking troops numbered between 5,000 and 6,000 French soldiers drawn largely from coastal defence units based around
The West Island's batteries, under Lieutenant Price, consisted of 17 cannon: four 4, two 6, and six 24-pounder long guns, and three 24, and two 32-pounder carronades.
Aftermath
The battle was a disaster for the French. According to unofficial accounts, they lost approximately 900 men killed or drowned and at least 300 wounded, in addition to the loss of a number of the newly constructed landing craft. In France the newly appointed
In Britain the successful defence of the islands was highly praised and Price was promoted as a reward, although Bourne was not, despite a recommendation in the official report. British losses included a single marine killed and four other personnel wounded.[6] The victory was seen in Britain as a foreshadowing of the likely fate of an attempted invasion and helped ease British fears about the threat of a French amphibious attack.[10] Nearly five decades later the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Isles St. Marcou" upon application to all British participants then still living.[11]
The British strengthened the islands' defences, in case of further attacks, and a number of warships patrolled the area to observe French movements and intercept any flotillas of invasion craft. At the
Notes
- ^ Woodman, p. 102.
- ^ a b c d e f g James (1827), pp. 113–117.
- ^ Macdonell (1890), p. 8.
- ^ a b Woodman (2001), p. 103.
- ^ Gardiner, p. 105.
- ^ a b c d Clowes (1900), pp. 340–343.
- ^ a b Gardiner, p. 106.
- ^ a b "No. 15014". The London Gazette. 8 May 1798. pp. 389–391.
- ^ a b Woodman, p. 104
- ^ a b Gardiner, p. 107
- ^ "No. 20939". The London Gazette. 26 January 1849. p. 238.
- ^ Woodman (2001), p. 164.
References
- ISBN 1-86176-013-2.
- Gardiner, Robert, ed. (2001) [1996]. Nelson Against Napoleon. Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-86176-026-4.
- ISBN 0-85177-906-9.
- Laws, Lt. Col. M.E.S. (1948) "The Defence of St. Marcouf", Journal of the Royal Artillery, Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 298–307.(The Defence of St. Marcouf)
- Macdonell, John Alexander (1890) A Sketch of the Life of the Honourable and Right Reverend Alexander Macdonell, Chaplain of the Glengarry Fencible Or British Highland Regiment, First Catholic Bishop of Upper Canada, and a Member of the Legislative Council of the Province ... (The Glengarrian)
- ISBN 1-84119-183-3.