action of 28 June 1803

File:Delaval (d'après) - Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez (1763-1865), vice-amiral.jpg

France had been at peace with Britain since the 1802 Treaty of Amiens, allowing First Consul Napoleon to consolidate France's grasp on the French colonial empire. Such efforts were concentrated on the colony of Saint-Domingue, where the Haitian Revolution had raged since 1791. Napoleon sent the Saint-Domingue expedition under General Charles Leclerc to restore direct French rule and slavery in the colony. Meanwhile, the Treaty of Amiens proved to be an unsuitable settlement of Anglo-French differences; its application by both parties became erratic and tensions grew. On 18 May 1803, Britain declared war on France, setting the War of the Third Coalition into motion.Guérin, p.300 In late June, this news had yet to reach French forces in Saint-Domingue. On 27 June 1803, the 40-gun frigate Poursuivante, under Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez, departed Les Cayes bound for Cap‑Français,Hennequin, p.242 in the company of the 16-gun corvette Mignonne,Troude, vol.3, p.286 under CommanderFonds Marine, p.286 Jean-Pierre Bargeau.James, p.187

Neither of the ships was fully armed or manned: Poursuivante, pierced to mount twenty-four 24-pounder long guns on her battery and sixteen 8-pounders on her castles,Roche, p.359 carried only 22 and 12 respectively and, more critically, had only 25 shots for each gun and a crew of only 150 men;Hennequin, p.243 Mignonne, nominally carrying sixteen 18-pounder long guns,Roche, p.185Roche, p.309 was equipped only with twelve 12-pounders and an 80-man complement. A 50-ship British convoy was sailing off Môle-Saint-Nicolas under escort of three 74-gun ships of the line: they were the 74-gun HMS Hercule, HMS Cumberland and HMS Goliath, under Captain Henry William Bayntun, Captain Charles Brisbane and acting captain John Hills respectively. In the early morning of 28 June 1803, the two formations came in view of one another.

Spotting two strange sails in-shore, the British escort detached to investigate and Willaumez soon identified the three 74s as British. Unaware of the outbreak of the warLevot, p.555 but suspicious of the intentions of the British, Willaumez prepared a defence in case of attack. At eight, the 74-gun HMS Hercule came in range; after signaling the other ships in her division, she hoisted the British flag, prompting Poursuivante to hoist the French colours. Meanwhile, Goliath chased Mignonne and taking advantage of the sea wind whereas the corvette was becalmed, quickly overhauled her; after a few token shots, Mignonne struck her colours to her overwhelming opponent.

At nine, Hercule fired a ball shot at Poursuivante, initiating the battle. As Hercule closed to the shore to engage, she had less and less water under her keel and came into lighter and erratic winds; although these advantaged the shallower and more maneuverable frigate, Poursuivante lacked the ammunition to energetically answer Hercule{{'}}s fire, and her diminished crew could not simultaneously man her batteries and handle her sails.Guérin, p.306 On the other hand, because she had to ration her fire, Poursuivante aimed careful shots that soon caused significant damage to Hercule{{'}}s rigging.Guérin, p.305

After two hours of mutual cannonade, at eleven, the wind fell and both ships almost came to a sudden halt, their main sailing resource now the gusts of wind from the shore. Taking advantage of this change in the weather, Willaumez ordered his gunners to cease fire and help manoeuver his frigate, quickly coming in position to rake Hercule, only then firing a devastating broadside at her stern. Hercule, in order to avoid running aground,Troude, vol.3, p.287James, p. disengaged, allowing Poursuivante to reach the safety of Môle-Saint-Nicolas,James, p.188 cheered by the crowd and saluted by the artillery of the forts.

Hercule{{'}}s rigging had suffered considerably, but she only had a few wounded. Hills was forced to retire with his ship to Jamaica for repairs; {{HMS|Vanguard|1787|6}} replaced Hercule in Bayntun's squadron. Though Mignonne served briefly in the Royal Navy, there is no record of her actually being commissioned; she grounded and was condemned in 1804. Poursuivante had ten men killed and fifteen wounded, her hull had sustained several shots and her rigging was much damaged. As Cap‑Français lacked the resources to repair the frigate, Willaumez had to sail her back to France.Hennequin, p.245

After Willaumez departed and sailed around the south of Cuba, a violent gust of wind dismasted Poursuivante, forcing Willaumez to make a port call in Baltimore to repair his frigate. When ready, he departed the Chesapeake, avoided the British blockade of Saint-Domingue and crossed the Atlantic, reaching Rochefort on 28 May 1804. There, he was intercepted by a British ship of the line, which he battled for 30 minutes before breaking off and finding shelter at Île-d'Aix. Poursuivante hardly sailed again, and became a hulk in June 1806. Willaumez had been made a Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour in February. He was promoted to Officer in June, and congratulated by Navy minister Decrès. A large painting by Louis-Philippe Crépin was commissioned in 1819 to commemorate the event;Hennequin, p.244 it long decorated the office of the Minister of the Navy, and is now in display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris.{{Cite web|url=http://www.patrimoine-histoire.fr/Patrimoine/Paris/Paris-Musee-de-la-Marine.htm|title=Musée de la Marine de Paris|website=www.patrimoine-histoire.fr}}

{{Reflist|22em}}

• {{cite book|title=Histoire maritime de France|last=Guérin|first=Léon|author-link=Léon Guérin|year=1857|publisher=Dufour et Mulat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=guFcnon3mZ4C|language=fr|volume=6}}
• {{cite book|title=Biographie maritime ou notices historiques sur la vie et les campagnes des marins célèbres français et étrangers|last=Hennequin|first=Joseph François Gabriel|year=1835|publisher=Regnault éditeur|location=Paris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vto5AAAAcAAJ|language=fr|volume=1}}
• {{cite book|last=James|first=William|author-link=William James (naval historian)|year=2002|orig-year=1827|title=The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 3, 1800–1805|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-907-7}}
• {{cite book|title=Les gloires maritimes de la France: notices biographiques sur les plus célèbres marins|last=Levot|first=Prosper|author-link=Prosper Levot|year=1866|publisher=Bertrand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=08O_XGLO43QC|language=fr}}
• {{Cite book|first=Onésime-Joachim|last=Troude|author-link=Onésime-Joachim Troude|year=1867|publisher=Challamel ainé|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rhIR5D5quFYC|title=Batailles navales de la France|language=fr|volume=3}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

Category:Naval battles of the Haitian Revolution

Category:Conflicts in 1803

Category:June 1803

Category:Nord-Ouest (department)

Category:1803 in the French colonial empire

Category:1803 in Haiti

Category:Naval bombing operations and battles

Category:Naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars involving the United Kingdom