Glorious First of June

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The Glorious First of June was a naval battle fought over several days culminating on June 1, 1794 between a British fleet under Lord Howe and a French fleet under Admiral Louis Villaret-Joyeuse. While a tactical victory for the British, it was a strategic victory for the French as a vital food convoy was able to reach France.

Contents

History

Between 1780 and 1790, France, Spain, Great Britain and Holland spend funds they don't necessarily have to increase the size of their respective battle fleets. France and Holland add an addition 50,000 tons in battleships to their fleets while Spain increases its fleet by 40,000 tons and Great Britain grows by 80,000 tons. The numbers are impressive when considering the larger navies are building new three and four decked ships and arming them with more than one hundred guns; however, while the French in particular have the ships, she does not have the men trained to handle them, nor the money to actually launch them. Britain however has mostly recovered from the loss of the American colonies by 1787 and she is building at a furious pace to keep the French and Spanish navies in check.

By 1791, Louis XVI reign in France is in trouble. In July of 1789, the Bastille prison is taken by revolutionaries and in 1791 a new Constitution, curtailing the powers of the king, is in place. The National Assembly forms in the spring of 1792 and in August of that year the royal family is imprisoned after trying to escape France. In December, Louis XVI is tried for treason and found guilty; he is beheaded in January 1793 and France is declared a republic. Great Britain immediately declares war on the new republic, and sends ships to blockade the French port of Brest with another to patrol the Mediterranean around Toulon.

The Glorious First of June

The French fleet under the command of Admiral Louis Villaret-Joyeuse is sent from Brest to protect a shipment of grain coming from America. Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse's fleet consists of twenty-six ships ranging from smaller 18-gun frigates to seventy-fours and one hundred plus guns ships of the line. His flag is the Montagne. Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse slips past the Brest blockade in May of 1794, while the British are cruising the Atlantic looking for the grain convoy consisting or 117 ships.

The British fleet is under the command of Admiral Lord Howe. Howe's fleet consists of twenty-five ships, mostly large seventy-fours and one hundred gun ships of the line; his flag ship is the HMS Queen Charlotte. Howe knows about the grain shipment, and is sent from Spithead to intercept the French convoy. When he discovers Villaret-Joyeuse is not in Brest, Howe sets course for the Atlantic to find the grain convoy.

Howe and his fleet cruise the Atlantic for eight days without finding either the grain convoy or Villaret-Joyeuse. On May 28, 1794, Howe is four hundred miles from Ushant when he comes upon Villaret's fleet. There is an exchange of gunfire, but firing stops due to a dark night and very heavy seas.

Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse has control of the action on May 29, 1794 as his fleet has the weather-gage; but Villaret chooses not to engage Howe directly. Howe, however, does manage to cut the French line and separate the last five ships of Villaret's fleet. The British take two and damage the other three, gaining the weather-gage for the next day.

Howe is poised to take the French fleet the next day, but fog and drizzle only allow for the occasional glimpse of sails and the sound of bells, he can't engage in the bad weather. The ships sail within a few miles of each other for the next two days waiting for the weather to clear; Villaret uses the opportunity to lead the British to the north and west away from the presumed course of the grain convoy.

Howe still controls the weather-gage on June 1, 1794. The fog clears during the night and with the morning clear and sunny, Howe presses his attack. Howe's plan is to cut the French line in several places to windward, thus preventing any of the French ships to escape. The plan however is beyond the sailing ability of many of Howe's captains; though seven of Howe's ships do succeed in breaking the French line and the French are forced to engage.

Howe's carefully scripted plan is upset by so many of his ships not able to break through, and the battle becomes a free for all. French and British ships are badly damaged and in some cases, sunk, but before the day is out, it is clear British gunnery is superior and Villaret breaks off leaving six ships behind as prize. The butcher's bill for the engagement is predictably high with 1500 French killed and another 2000 wounded. The British fleet fares some what better with only 287 killed and another 800 wounded. An additional 3000 French are taken in the prize ships as prisoners.

Aftermath

The engagement is forever known as the First of June as the battle was fought far from any landmark to name it. It was immortalized as The Glorious First of June after a playwright by the name of Richard Brinsley created a new production for the Royal Theater called The Glorious First of June and the name stuck.

Both sides claim the Glorious First as a victory. The British claim a victory through the engagement and success in breaking the French line and taking or sinking seven of Villaret's ships in addition to the five taken or damaged at the end of May. The French also claim victory as Villaret fulfills his mission of protecting the grain convoy. While Howe is fighting far to the north and west, the grain fleet succeeds in arriving in Brest intact.

Howe is initially criticized for not pressing his advantage and chasing the disabled French ships, but after three days of fighting and hard sailing, Howe and his ships are not up to the task, many ships are dismasted or otherwise damaged, his crews exhausted and they cannot pursue the escaping French.

Villaret confessed years after the battle that he acted the way he did to preserve his head. According to an account given to Captain Brenton, a naval historian, Villaret had been told the grain convoy must arrive in Brest or he would pay the price of failure at the guillotine. He told Captain Brenton the loss of a few ships was minimal when considering he had saved the convoy and his life. "While you admiral amused himself refitting them, I saved my convoy and I saved my head."

In the Canon

Stephen requests Thomas Pullings to explain the Glorious First of June to Cecilia Williams.
The cook on Surprise, Johnson, is three legged as his own two had been shot away at the Glorious First of June and he added a third "seized to his bottom" in addition to the two the hospital provided.
Mowett's book of poetry would be published on June 1 in honor of the Glorious First of June
Mowett's book has been moved from June 1 to Trafalgar Day then to the anniversary of Camperdown.
Clarissa asks Lt. West, to describe his part in the Glorious First of June to Mr. Martin. West was wounded in the battle. (The following pages also contain a description of the engagement)

References

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