| Action of 28 June 1803 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theblockade of Saint-Domingue | |||||||
 Fight of the Poursuivante against the English ship Hercules, 28 June 1803 Louis-Philippe Crépin, 1819 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| France | Great Britain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean-Baptiste Willaumez Jean-Pierre Bargeau | Henry William Bayntun Charles Brisbane John Hills[1] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 frigate 1 corvette | 3 ships of the line | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 killed 15 wounded 1 corvette captured | Unknown | ||||||
Theaction of 28 June 1803 was the opening engagement of theblockade of Saint-Domingue after the collapse of theTreaty of Amiens and the British declaration of war on France on 18 May 1803 as part of theWar of the Third Coalition.[2]
The French frigatePoursuivante and corvetteMignonne, both partially armeden flûte and unaware of the recently outbreak of war,[3] met three British74-gun ships of the line.Mignonne was overhauled and captured, butPoursuivante, sailing close to shore, managed to outmanoeuvreHMSHercule and deliver araking broadside before escaping intoMôle-Saint-Nicolas.
The feat of a frigate managing to escape a ship of the line yielded high praise forJean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez, who had commandedPoursuivante. A large painting byLouis-Philippe Crépin was commissioned in 1819 to commemorate the event.
_-_Jean-Baptiste_Philibert_Willaumez_(1763-1865)%2c_vice-amiral.jpg)
France had been at peace with Britain since the 1802Treaty of Amiens, allowing First ConsulNapoleon to consolidate France's grasp on theFrench colonial empire. Such efforts were concentrated on the colony ofSaint-Domingue, where theHaitian Revolution had raged since 1791. Napoleon sent theSaint-Domingue expedition under GeneralCharles 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 theWar of the Third Coalition into motion.[4] In late June, this news had yet to reach French forces in Saint-Domingue. On 27 June 1803, the 40-gun frigatePoursuivante, underJean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez, departedLes Cayes bound forCap‑Français,[5] in the company of the 16-gun corvetteMignonne,[6] under Commander[7] Jean-Pierre Bargeau.[1]
Neither of the ships was fully armed or manned:[1]Poursuivante, pierced to mount twenty-four24-pounder long guns on her battery and sixteen8-pounders on her castles,[8] carried only 22 and 12 respectively and, more critically, had only 25 shots for each gun and a crew of only 150 men;[9]Mignonne, nominally carrying sixteen18-pounder long guns,[10][11] was equipped only with twelve12-pounders and an 80-man complement.[1] A 50-ship British convoy[3][5] was sailing offMôle-Saint-Nicolas under escort of three74-gun ships of the line: they were the 74-gunHMSHercule,HMSCumberland andHMSGoliath, under CaptainHenry William Bayntun, CaptainCharles Brisbane and acting captainJohn Hills respectively.[1] In the early morning of 28 June 1803, the two formations came in view of one another.[6]
Spotting two strange sails in-shore, the British escort detached to investigate[1] and Willaumez soon identified the three 74s as British.[5] Unaware of the outbreak of the war[3][12] but suspicious of the intentions of the British, Willaumez prepared a defence in case of attack.[5] At eight, the 74-gunHMSHercule came in range; after signaling the other ships in her division, she hoisted the British flag, promptingPoursuivante to hoist the French colours.[9] Meanwhile,Goliath chasedMignonne and taking advantage of the sea wind whereas the corvette was becalmed, quickly overhauled her; after a few token shots,Mignonnestruck her colours to her overwhelming opponent.[1]
At nine,Hercule fired a ball shot atPoursuivante, initiating the battle.[9] AsHercule closed to the shore to engage, she had less and less water under her keel and came into lighter and erratic winds;[1] although these advantaged the shallower and more maneuverable frigate,Poursuivante lacked the ammunition to energetically answerHercule's fire,[9] and her diminished crew could not simultaneously man her batteries and handle her sails.[13] On the other hand, because she had to ration her fire,Poursuivante aimed careful shots that soon caused significant damage toHercule's rigging.[14][15]
After two hours of mutual cannonade, at eleven,[9] the wind fell and both ships almost came to a sudden halt,[9] their main sailing resource now the gusts of wind from the shore.[14] Taking advantage of this change in the weather, Willaumez ordered his gunners to cease fire and help manoeuver his frigate,[13] quickly coming in position to rakeHercule, only then firing a devastating broadside at her stern.[9][13]Hercule, in order to avoid running aground,[2][16] disengaged,[9] allowingPoursuivante to reach the safety ofMôle-Saint-Nicolas,[15] cheered by the crowd and saluted by the artillery of the forts.[13]
Hercule's rigging had suffered considerably, but she only had a few wounded.[15] Hills was forced to retire with his ship to Jamaica for repairs;HMS Vanguard replacedHercule in Bayntun's squadron.[15] ThoughMignonne served briefly in theRoyal 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,[9] her hull had sustained several shots and her rigging was much damaged.[9] As Cap‑Français lacked the resources to repair the frigate, Willaumez had to sail her back to France.[17]
After Willaumez departed and sailed around the south of Cuba, a violent gust of wind dismastedPoursuivante, forcing Willaumez to make a port call in Baltimore to repair his frigate.[17] When ready, he departed the Chesapeake, avoided the Britishblockade of Saint-Domingue and crossed the Atlantic, reaching Rochefort on 28 May 1804.[17] There, he was intercepted by a British ship of the line, which he battled for 30 minutes before breaking off and finding shelter atÎle-d'Aix.[17]Poursuivante hardly sailed again, and became a hulk in June 1806.[8] Willaumez had been made a Knight in the Order of theLegion of Honour in February. He was promoted to Officer in June, and congratulated by Navy minister Decrès.[17] A large painting byLouis-Philippe Crépin was commissioned in 1819 to commemorate the event;[18] it long decorated the office of the Minister of the Navy,[18] and is now in display at theMusée national de la Marine in Paris.[19]