Jean François Renaudin
Louis XVI French First Republic | |
---|---|
Service/ | French Navy |
Years of service | 1780–1816 |
Rank | Contre-amiral |
Battles/wars | French Revolutionary Wars |
Awards | Baron of the Empire Name engraved on the Arc de Triomphe (column 40) |
Relations | Cousin to Cyprien Renaudin[1] |
Jean François Renaudin (13 July 1750
Career
Early life
Renaudin was born to a modest family of Saint-Martin du Gua,[2] and joined the merchant navy before enlisting in the French Royal Navy as a suppleant frigate lieutenant in 1779.[5] He served on the fluyt Dorade, on which he took part in four battles.[5] He was promoted to Sous Lieutenant de Vaisseau on 1 May 1786.[4]
At the
The Vengeur du Peuple at the Glorious First of June
Renaudin commanded the
On the next day, at the Glorious First of June, Renaudin led a fierce battle against HMS Brunswick, in which Brunswick and Vengeur disabled each other. As Vengeur could not be rescued by French frigates, Renaudin asked for help from the British.[5]
Renaudin was rescued by HMS Culloden[7] and abandoned his ship with the first British boat, leaving his men behind in disregard for military customs and the 1765 standing order that Captains had to be last to abandon ship,.[8] Though his account of the event insinuated that he was on a boat close to Vengeur when she foundered,[9] he was in fact dining in the mess of Culloden at the moment of the sinking.[10] Taken in captivity in Tavistock, he wrote an account of the fight of Vengeur on 1 Messidor an II (19 June 1794), signed and had it co-signed by his staff, comprising, Jean Hugine, Louis Rousseau, Pelet, Trouvée, Lussot and others.[11]
In France, Renaudin was assumed to be dead, and posthumously promoted to
I am very pleased to tell the Convention that the whole of the crew of Vengeur did not perish (applause). The captain has returned to Brest and has been promoted to the command of the Jemmapes. On this ship, he hopes to repair the loss of Vengeur (applause).[13]
Nevertheless, in 1847,
Remarkably, neither the national Archives, nor the archives of the Navy, nor the archives of the War Council nor Renaudin's personal file mention any court-martial that should have been held automatically for the loss of the ship, in accordance with French law.[16]
Later life
Renaudin was promoted to rear admiral on 29 August 1794,[4] purportedly a posthumous honour,[12] before being exchanged.[3] He was put in command of Jemmapes[17] before obtaining command of the 3rd Squadron of the naval army of the Ocean (the Brest fleet under Admiral Martin), a 6-ship division, on 29 October 1794,[4] with his flag on Jemmapes.[18] In late February 1795, Renaudin's division left Brest to reinforce the naval forces of Toulon, where it arrived on 3 April 1795.[19][20]
On 24 March 1798,
On 23 September 1799,[4] Renaudin became general inspector of oceanic harbours from Cherbourg to Bayonne,.[3] He retired on 4 April 1801,[4] and died in Le Gua.
Honours
- Renaudin's name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe (40th column).
- Three ships of the French navy named Renaudinin his honour.
Notes and references
Notes
References
- ^ Diaz, p.27
- ^ a b Levot, p.430
- ^ a b c d Levot, p.433
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Amis du Patrimoine
- ^ a b c d e f Levot, p.431
- ^ Fonds Marine, p.45
- ^ 1er juin 1794: Le Vengeur livre son dernier combat
- ^ Diaz de Soria, p.27
- ^ Diaz de Soria, p.30
- ^ Fraser, p. 365
- ^ Troude, p. 357.
- ^ a b RENAUDIN Jean-François.Contre-Amiral
- ^ Moniteur, vol.21, p.712
- ^ Alphonse de Lamartine, Histoire des Girondins, volume 2, pp.331-332
- ^ Thiers, p.53
- ^ Diaz de Soria, p.34
- ^ Réimpression de l'ancien Moniteur, vol.21, p.712
- ^ Fond Marine, vol.1 p.136
- ^ a b Rouvier
- ^ Fond Marine, vol.1 p.174
- ^ Fond Marine, vol.1 p.219
- ^ Fond Marine, vol.1 p.223
Bibliography
- Diaz de Soria, Ollivier-Zabulon (1954). Le Marseillois, devenu plus tard le Vengeur du peuple (in French). F. Robert et fils.
- Fraser, James (1840). Critical and miscellaneous essays. Vol. 5.
- Levot, Prosper (1866). Les gloires maritimes de la France: notices biographiques sur les plus célèbres marins (in French). Bertrand.
- Rouvier, Charles (1868). Histoire des marins français sous la République, de 1789 à 1803 (in French). Arthus Bertrand.
- Thiers, Adolphe (1836). Histoire de la révolution française (in French). Vol. 10.
- Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé.
- Réimpression de l'ancien Moniteur (in French). Vol. 21. 1841.
- Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations ; divisions et stations navales ; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome premier : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826) [1]
External links
- RENAUDIN Jean-François.Contre-Amiral, Les Amis du Patrimois napoléonien