Pierre André de Suffren | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait of Suffren during his service in theMaltese Navy | |
| Nicknames | Jupiter,[1] Satan[2] |
| Born | (1729-07-17)17 July 1729 Saint-Cannat, France |
| Died | 8 December 1788(1788-12-08) (aged 59) Paris, France |
| Buried | Ashes defiled in 1793 by French revolutionaries[3] |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France Hospitaller Malta |
| Branch | French Navy Maltese Navy |
| Years of service | 1743–1784 |
| Rank | Vice admiral (France) General of the Galleys (Malta) |
| Unit | Indian Ocean squadron |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards |  Order of the Holy SpiritOrder of Saint-John of Jérusalem |
Vice-AdmiralPierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez, bailli de Suffren (French:[syfʁɛ̃], also[syfʁɛn]; 17 July 1729 – 8 December 1788)[4] was a French naval officer. Beginning his career during theWar of the Austrian Succession, he briefly served in theMaltese Navy before fighting in theSeven Years' War, where Suffren was taken prisoner by the British at theBattle of Lagos. Promoted to captain in 1772, he served underCharles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing during thenaval battles of the American Revolutionary War, taking part in thesiege of Savannah in 1779.
Suffren was subsequently appointed to serve in theIndian Ocean underThomas d'Estienne d'Orves, but assumed command himself after d'Estienne's death. Leading a large fleet, he fought five intense and evenly matched battles forcommand of the sea against British Vice-AdmiralSir Edward Hughes. Through these battles, Suffren managed to secure French dominance of the Indian Ocean until the conclusion of the war at theTreaty of Paris, although this did not lead to any permanent gains. After his return to France, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral, and died shortly before he was to take command of theBrest squadron of thePonant Fleet.
Pierre André de Suffren was born on 17 July 1729 in the Château deSaint-Cannat to the family of MarquisPaul de Suffren, the third son of an old nobility fromProvence with two daughters and three other sons.[5][6][7][Note 1] In October 1743, as theWar of the Austrian Succession was raging, Suffren, aged 14,[5] went toToulon to undertaken naval studies as aGarde-Marine.[4] However, he spent only 6 months ashore before he was appointed on a ship.[9]
Suffren served on the 64-gunSolide[5] and took part in theBattle of Toulon in 1744. During the battle,Solide engagedHMSNorthumberland.[10]
In the spring of 1745, Suffren transferred toPauline, part of a 5-ship and 2-frigate squadron under CaptainJean-Baptiste Mac Nemara,[Note 2] sent to America to harass British forces.[11][12] At his return, Suffren served on the 60-gunTrident, under Captain d'Estourmel, and took part in theDuc d'Anville expedition.[13]
Suffren graduated from the Gardes-Marine in 1747 as an ensign,[4] and worked on commissioning the brand new74-gunMonarque, under Captain La Bédoyère,[14] in a squadron underDes Herbiers de l'Estenduère.[15] He took part in theSecond Battle of Cape Finisterre on 25 October 1747, where La Bédoyère was killed andMonarque, badly damaged, was captured.[16] Suffren was taken prisoner.[17]
TheTreaty of Aix-la-Chapelle restoring peace, Suffren joined thenavy of the Order of Saint John.[18] He served in several commercial expeditions[19] on galleys of the order, escorting merchantmen and defending them against attacks fromBarbary pirates. In late 1754, Suffren departed Malta to return to Toulon.[18]
In 1756, Suffren had returned to Toulon and had risen tolieutenant. At the outbreak of theSeven Years' War, Suffren was appointed to the 64-gunOrphée, part of a 12-ship squadron underLa Galissonière tasked with ferrying 12,000 men underMaréchal de Richelieu to strikeMenorca. The squadron departed on 10 April, arriving on 17 and landing troops; the British garrison retreated toSt. Philip's Castle and was forced to surrender after theSiege of Fort St Philip.[20] Patrolling betweenMenorca andMallorca to prevent British relief to support Fort St. Philip, La Galissonière intercepted a 13-ship squadron underAdmiral Byng, leading to theBattle of Minorca. The British failed to break the French blockade, and Fort St. Philip fell on 29 July.[21]
In 1757, Suffren transferred to the 80-gunOcéan, flagship of a 6-ship and 2-frigate squadron underJean-François de La Clue-Sabran. The squadron departed Toulon in November, bound for Brest. On 7 December, it calledCartagena to resupply, and found itself blockaded by a British from underHenry Osborne.[21] A relief squadron underDuquesne de Menneville attempted to break the blockade, but was destroyed in theBattle of Cartagena, as La Clue failed tosortie. Suffren witnessed the capture ofFoudroyant andOrphée on 28 February 1758. La Clue's squadron eventually returned to Toulon.[22]
Toulon was blockaded byEdward Boscawen's forces but, on 16 August 1758, La Clue seized an opportunity to make a sortie with 12 ships and 3 frigates. The frigateHMSGibraltar detected La Clue's squadron and reported to Boscawen, who moved to intercept.[23] Meanwhile, the French squadron failed to maintain formation and scattered.[24] In the ensuingBattle of Lagos,Océan ran aground in Almadora Bay and was burnt by the British, in violation of neutrality laws,[25][26] while her crew was taken prisoner, including Suffren.[27][19] He returned to France after several months and was left without employ at sea for several years.[28]
On the return of peace in 1763 Suffren intended again to do the service in the caravans which was required to qualify him to hold the high and lucrative posts of the order. He was, however, named to the command of the 20-gunxebecCaméléon,[28] which he cruised against theBarbary pirates.[12][29] Shortly thereafter, he transferred onSinge, also a 20-gun xebec, part of a squadron underLouis Charles du Chaffault de Besné.[29] He took part in theLarache expedition.[28] In 1767, Suffren was promoted tofrigate captain and called to Brest to serve on the 64-gunUnion, flagship of a squadron headed byBreugnon.[30][29] Upon his return, he was promoted toFrigate captain on 18 August 1767.[31]
After the end of the expedition, Suffren returned to Malta to resume escort duty with the order. He spent four years, rising from Knight to Commander. In February 1772, he was promoted tocaptain in the French Navy, and returned to Toulon to take command of the 26-gun frigateMignonne. He conducted two patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean.[30][29]
In 1776,Duchaffault appointed Suffren to the command of the 26-gun frigateAlcmène. She departed for a training cruise to drill new navy officers.[30] From that time till the beginning of theWar of American Independence he commanded vessels in the squadron of evolution which the French government had established for the purpose of training its officers.[12]
Tensions mounted between France and England in early 1778 in the context of theAmerican Revolutionary War, with theaction of 17 June 1778 constituting a step up announcingFrance's participation in the American Revolutionary War. Suffren was appointed to the fleet ofAdmiral d'Estaing, leading a division comprising the 64-gunFantasque, which he personally captained,[26] and the frigatesAimable,Chimère andEngageante.[32] The mission of his force was to support Franco-American efforts in theBattle of Rhode Island by striking a 5-frigate British squadron anchored inNarragansett Bay, offNewport,[29] comprisingHMSJuno,Flora,Lark,Orpheus andCerebus. On 5 August 1778, Suffren entered the Bay and anchored next to the British, who cut their cables and scuttled their ships by fire to avoid capture.[32][33] The Royal Navy ended up having to destroy ten of their own vessels in all,[34] including five frigates.[26][Note 3]
The French fleet sailed to Martinique, where Suffren's division joined up with it, and from there to Grenada, leading to theBattle of Grenada on 6 July 1779.Fantasque was at the front of the vanguard, preceding the 74-gunZélé.[26] When the two fleets came in contact, she came under fire from the 74-gunRoyal Oak and the 70-gunBoyne, sustaining 62 men killed or wounded.[35][12] After the battle, Admiral d'Estaing sent Suffren with a 2-ship and 3-frigate division to secure the surrender ofCarriacou andUnion Island.[36]
On 7 September 1779, d'Estaing ordered Suffren to blockade the mouth ofSavannah River, to cover the landing of French troops in support of theSiege of Savannah, and prevent British ships from escaping. Suffren led the 64-gunArtésien andProvence, and the frigatesFortunée,Blanche andChimère, sailing into the river and forcing the British to scuttle several ships,[37] notablyHMSRose.
On 1 March 1780,Louis XVI granted Suffren a 1,500French livre pension in recognition of his services.[38] In April, Suffren was given command of the74-gunZélé, part of a two-ship squadron along withMarseillais, under Captaind'Albert de Rions.[39] They set sail on 19 May 1780 to patrol offPortugal, and joined up with a division under Rear-Admiralde Beausset inCadiz on 17 June.[40] He then joined up with a combined Franco-Spanish fleet under AdmiralLuis de Córdova y Córdova. On 9 August, the fleet intercepted a large British convoy, leading to theaction of 9 August 1780. The British escort, comprising the 74-gunHMS Ramillies, under Captain SirJohn Moutray, and the frigatesThetis andSouthampton, fled before the vastly superior combined fleet. Suffren attempted to give chase, but thecopper sheathing of the British warships gave them a decisive advantage, and he abandoned the pursuit to help with the capture of the merchantmen.[36][12] After the battle, Suffren wrote a letter toAntoine de Sartine,Secretary of State of the Navy, to advocate for the French Navy to copper its own ships.[41][Note 4]
With the outbreak of theFourth Anglo-Dutch War, France and theDutch Republic found themselves allied against theKingdom of Great Britain. The Dutch expected the British to send an expeditionary force to try and capture theirDutch Cape Colony, and Suffren was given command of a 5-ship squadron to reinforce it. The task force comprised the 74-gunHéros (under Suffren) andAnnibal (underTrémignon), and the 64-gunArtésien (underCardaillac),Sphinx (underDu Chilleau) andVengeur (underForbin),[42] as well as the 16-gun corvetteFortune (under LieutenantLusignan), and seven transports[43] carrying theRégiment de Pondichéry, under Brigadier GeneralThomas Conway.[44] All these ships had acopper sheathing, except forFortune andAnnibal.[45]
The squadron departed Brest on 22 March 1781. En route,Artésien, which had originally been appointed to a shorter mission, found herself short on water, and Captain de Cardaillac requested permission to resupply atSantiago. Suffren gave permission but, unwilling to scatter his forces, ordered his entire squadron to move intoPraia Harbour. Arriving there at 0830 the morning of 16 April,Artésien spotted five British warship at anchor; she turned, signalling "enemy ships in sight". Understanding that random chance had put him in contact withGeorge Johnstone's squadron,[46] and disregarding neutrality laws,[26][Note 5] Suffren ordered an immediate attack.[47] At 1000, Suffren's squadron attacked, precipitating theBattle of Porto Praya. Having scattered and disorganised Johnstone's forces, Suffren rushed to The Cape, and arrived atSimon's Bay on 21 June.[48] The Régiment de Pondichéry landed and started fortifying the Cape colony against attacks from land and from the sea, while the fleet repaired its ships and had its sick given medical attention in hospitals ashore.[44]
Johnstone arrived in the morning of 21 July, left two frigates to watch the bay, and sailed on toSaldanha Bay.[44] On 24 July, Suffren set sail with four ships,[Note 6] chased away the British frigates, and patrolled the area around the Cape to ascertain the intentions of the British. Satisfied that Johnstone had renounced attacking the Cape colony, he resupplied and sailed toIsle de France (nowMauritius) with the rest of the squadron, arriving on 28 July.[51]
Until the outbreak of the Anglo-French War, the French colony ofPondichéry maintained a small squadron underFrançois-Jean-Baptiste l'Ollivier de Tronjoli[Note 7], comprising the 64-gunBrillant (under Tronjoli), the 40-gun frigatePourvoyeuse (under CaptainSaint-Orens[Note 8], and three armed merchantmen: the 26-gun corvetteSartine (under du Chayla), the 24-gunBrisson (under Captain du Chézeau), and the 24-gunLawriston.[53] During theSiege of Pondicherry in 1778, Tronjoli had lost some of his ships and escaped to Isle de France with the survivors, arriving there in late September.[54] Pondichéry fell to the British on 17 October.[55] With these reinforcements, the island was guarded by the 64-gunBrillant, the 54-gunFlamand, the frigatesPourvoyeuse andConsolante, and the smallerSubtile (a 24-gun corvette),Elisabeth (afluyt) andSylphide (a 12-gun corvette).[54] Furthermore, on 28 December 1778, the 74-gunOrient[Note 9] departed Brest underThomas d'Estienne d'Orves to reinforce the colony, and on 27 March 1779, so did the 64-gunSévère, under la Pallière, escorting the transportsHercule andTrois-Amis, arriving on 9 August 1779.[57] With four ships of the line now at his disposal, Tronjoli departed on 6 December 1779 to cruise off the Cape, but to no avail, and he returned to Isle de France on 13 January 1780.[58] On 3 February 1780, the 64-gunBizarre departed Lorient to further reinforce Isle de France.[59] After it was confirmed that the British had despatched a squadron underAdmiral Hughes in the Indian Ocean, France sent a convoy comprising the 64-gunProtée andAjax, and the frigateCharmante (under Baron de la Haye),[60] escorting 16 transports ferrying theRégiment d'Austrasie under Brigadier Duchemin de Chenneville.[61] En route, the convoy encountered a British squadron under AdmiralGeorge Rodney, yielding theaction of 24 February 1780 in whichProtée sacrificed herself and tree smaller transports to lure the British away from the others.Charmante returned to Lorient to bring the news of the engagement, while the other survivors sailed on to Isle de France. By 1780, Tronjoly was recalled to France, leaving d'Orves in command with a total of six ships of the line at his disposal.[60]
Suffren arrived at Isle de France on 25 October 1781.[62][63] The island had been selected as the base for French operations in the Indian Ocean, falling under the overall command ofMarquis de Bussy-Castelnau.[64]
On 7 December 1781, d'Orves led a 27-ship fleet to Ceylon, with his flag onOrient. He had 11 ships of the line, 3 frigates and 3 corvettes at his disposal. En route, d'Orves changed his objectif fromTrincomalee toMadras.[65][Note 10] On 19 January,Sévère detected a strange sail, and d'Orves detachedHéros andArtésien to investigate. Suffren closed in, making signals according to tables captured at Porto Praya on the East IndiamanHinchinbrooke, until the ship made signals that he was unable to answer. A chase ensued, and with the night Suffren abandoned the pursuit to rejoin the fleet. On 21, the fleet encountered the same ship again, and again detachedHéros,Artésien andVengeur, but this time with other ships deploying as to ensure communication between the pursuers and the main body of the fleet, allowing Suffren to press on his chase. Suffren caught up with his quarry on 22 around noon and forced her to surrender. She was the 50-gunHMSHannibal, under Captain Christy, which the French pressed into their service asPetit Annibal.[66]
In the following days, d'Orves's failing health deteriorated to the point where he was not fit for duty, and he delegated command to Suffren.[67] The French intended to surprise the British ships anchored in the roads of Madras. The fleet arrived North of Madras on 5 February 1782, and its light units started preying on coastal merchantmen and capturing cargo of rice.[68] However, themonsoon caused strong winds from the South which trapped the French North of Madras, while at the same time favouring the return of Hughes's squadron from Ceylon to Madras.[69] Upon Hughes's arrival,Lord Macartney warned him of the presence of the French squadron, and Hughes anchored his ships under the protection ofFort St. George andBlack Town. On 9 February 1782, Hughes received reinforcements with the arrival of a squadron comprising the 64-gunHMSMonmouth, the74-gunHero, the 50-gunIsis and the armed transportManilla, underJames Alms.
D'Orves died the same day at 1600. Suffren re-appointed his captains to the ships of the squadron: Captain de Lapallière[Note 11] took command ofOrient andCillart that ofSévère; CaptainMorard de Galles, ofPourvoyeuse, and Lieutenant deRuyter, in temporary command ofPetit Annibal, exchanged their positions;Beaulieu went onBellone;[71]Tromelin-Lanuguy took onSubtile; and Galifet tookSylphide. General Duchemin transferred fromOrient toHéros.[70]
On 14 February, the usual monsoon wind from the North-East resumed, allowing Suffren's squadron to sail South. In the evening,Fine, under Perrier de Salvert, came in view of Madras harbour and Hughes's squadron. Seeing Hugues anchored in a very strong defensive position, Suffren decided to sail off the coast,[72] but to his surprise, Hugues left the safety of the forts and gave chase.[73] Suffren deployed a frigate screen to warn his squadron of Hugues' moves, but during the nightPourvoyeuse drifted away from the fleet due to a navigation error, whileFine lost sight of the British ships, and both thus failed to keep Suffren appraised of Hughes's position.[74] In the morning, signals fromFine informed Suffren that HMSMontmouth,Hero,Isis,Aigle andBurford where approaching the French transports. Suffren rushed with his warships to protect the convoy, and Hughes ordered his ships to regroup and form aline of battle.[75] In the morning of 17 February, the fleets were about 6 km apart[Note 12], the British forming a line and had capturedLawriston, while the French were scattered due to an error in interpreting night signals. Suffren formed a line without consideration for the order of battle,[76] and at 1500 he closed in within gun range, starting theBattle of Sadras.
Suffren sustained about 30 men killed and 100 wounded,[77] and light damage to his riggings.[78] At 1900 he broke contact.[77]
Suffren returned toPondichéry, where he arrived on 19 February 1782 and learned that the British squadron was heading forTrincomalee. After consultingHyder Ali, he decided not to land his troops in Pondichéry, and rather to head forPorto Nove, where he arrived on 23 February.[79] Hyder Ali despatchedAndré Piveron de Morlat, the French ambassador, to act as an intermediary between Suffren and himself, along with two of his officiers. Suffren negotiated an agreement that French troops would retain their own command; that a 4,000-man cavalry and 6,000-man infantry force would reinforce them; and that they be paid 24Lakh rupee a year.[80] Suffren landed his troops at Porto Nove, and departed on 23 March to search for the British fleet.
On 10 April, the two fleets came into view, and they spent two days in manoeuvres, trying to gain an advantage on the other.[80] In the morning,Fine captured a British courier and managed to retrieve the dispatches that her captain had thrown overboard, revealing British plans to expel the Dutch from Ceylon.[81] On 12, theBattle of Providien broke out, leaving both squadrons damaged. Suffren retreated to the safety of the Dutch forts ofBatacalo to repair, and tend to those members of his crews who were wounded or suffered from scurvy.[80]
On 3 June 1782, Suffren departed Batacalo and sailed toCuddalore, where he received letters from Hyder Ali requesting that he lay siege toNagapattinam. The French troops reembarked on their transports, whenBellone, which had been left to patrol, came with news that Hughes's squadron was at Nagapattinam. Suffren ordered an immediate departure and found the British ships anchored when he arrived on 6 July 1782.[82] Before the battle, Suffren despatchedPourvoyeuse toMalacca,Résolution toManila, andFortitude andYarmouth to Isle de France, to purchase sparespars, food and ammunition to resupply his fleet. He furthermore keptSylphide andDiligent handy to bring news of the outcome of the battle to Isle de France.[83]
TheBattle of Negapatam ensued. The two fleets exchanged fire to over 4 hours, until Hughes retreated.[82] During the battle, CaptainCillart,[84][Note 13] captain ofSévère, panicked andstruck his colours but two of the officers, named Dieu and Kerlero de Rosbo,[85] refused to surrender and resumed firing.HMSSultan had stopped to launch her boats and take possession ofSévère, and sustained serious damage when the broadsides ofSévère suddenlyraked her.[86] Seeing his hand forced, Cillart ordered his flag hoisted again.[87][Note 14]
Suffren cruised off Nagapattinam to observe the moves of the British ships, and seeing them idle, returned to Cuddalore to repair.[89] On the way,HMSRodney joined up ascartel withHéros, with Captain James Watt ofHMSSultan[90] bringing a letter from Hughes demanding that Suffren hand overSévère after her surrender. Suffren answered that he was unaware thatSévère had surrendered and promised to launch an investigation, and also warned that without orders from his government he was not at liberty to give away his ships.[89]
Following the incident withSévère, Suffren relieved Cillart of duty and sent him back to Isle de France to be returned to France andcourt-martialed.[91] He also dismissedMaurville ofArtésien,Forbin ofVengeur and De Ruyter ofPourvoyeuse, as well as three more junior officers.[87] Command ofArtésien went toSaint-Félix; that ofVengeur went toCuverville, himself replaced by LieutenantPerier de Salvert at the command ofFlamand; Lieutenant Maureville de Langle was promoted to the command ofSévère; Lieutenant de Beaumont le Maître received command ofAjax, replacingBouvet de Précourt; andBrillant went toBeaulieu, himself replaced onBellone byPierrevert.[92] Later, Beaulieu returned toBellone after Pierrevert's death in theaction of 12 August 1782,[93] and from then on Lieutenant de Kersauson captainedBrillant.[94]
On 25 July 1782, Hyder Ali arrived atBahour under the gun salutes of the fortress and the whole French squadron. The next day, a 500-man cavalry troop under General Ghulam Ali Khan escorted Suffren, six of his captains and several officers to the encampment of Hyder Ali's army for a meeting with him.[87] Suffren announced that Bussy-Castelnau had arrived to Isle de France with 6 ships of the line, 2 frigates and transports carrying 5,000 soldiers. He also informed Hyder Ali that a French frigate had intercepted a British schooner carrying Colonal Horn to Nagapattinam. Hyder Ali responded with luxurious gifts to Suffren and his officers, or with gifts represented by their equivalent value in rupees. He then ajourned the meeting until the next day.[95][Note 15]
On 27, Hyder Ali invited Suffren and Piveron to a private dinner, with European-style seating in deference to his guests.[96][Note 16] Suffren reported on the battles against Hughes, and they reviewed plans of operations against the British. Hyder Ali was especially concerned by British advance on theMalabar Coast and the risk that theMaratha Empire would switch sides, ally with the British and start a war with Mysore.[Note 17] The next day,Fine joined the squadron with a prize carrying British colonel Horn, of theMadras Army, andLézard brought news of the arrival ofBussy-Castelnau, with the 74-gunIllustre and the 64-gunSaint Michel, on the theatre of operations.[97]
Meanwhile, the French squadron was effecting repairs, especially to its rigging, andPourvoyeuse sailed toMalacca to pick upspars.[98][99] In early August, Suffren learnt that the British fleet had departed Nagapattinam and was embarking troops in Madras, bound for an unknown destination. Suffren departed at once forTharangambadi in the hope of discovering the British plans. Failing to do so, he sailed to Batticaloa, where he arrived on 8 August to findConsolante, arrived from Isle de France three days earlier. FromConsolante, Suffren learnt that Bussy'sIllustre andSaint Michel were awaiting him atGalle with 8 transports of troops and supplies. Suffren had sent a light ship to Trincomalee, which returned announcing that the British ships were not there. Suffren then decided to lay siege to Trincomalee.[98]
On 21 August, the two ships of the convoy arrived. Suffren had ammunition from the convoy distributed among his warships to replenish their magazines, and explained his intentions to the captains.[98] The same day, the cutterLézard arrived, bringing despatches. The letter, dated from 22 November 1781, notably carried official approval of Suffren's conduct at the Battle of Porto Praya, granted the requests he had made to appoint his officers, and promoted him toChef d'Escadre.[100] Furthermore, a letter fromEmmanuel de Rohan-Polduc,Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, informed him that he was promoted to Bailiff (Bailli) of theSovereign Military Order of Malta.[101][102]
On 25 August, the fleet set sail and formed a battle line, soon arriving in view of the forts of Trincomalee. 2,000 men quickly landed, with siege artillery, ammunition and three days worth of rations. By 29, the French had completed their siege battery emplacements, and they started bombarding the fort. On 30, at 0900, Suffren sent a message to the fort of Trincomalee to negotiate its capitulation. CaptainHay MacDowall surrendered the fort in exchange for its 1,000-man garrison to be sent to Madras.[101][103] The next day, Captain Quelso, low on water, surrenderedFort Ostenburg under the same conditions.[104]
On 3 September, the British fleet arrived. Suffren reembarked his troops and moved to intercept, leading to theBattle of Trincomalee.[105] The French line fought disorganised, especially afterVengeur caught fire and had to distance herself from the other ships. The flag ofHéros was shot away by British fire and Suffren had new French ensigns hoisted to continue the fight. After an hour and a half, night fell and the battle ended. Suffren was furious at the conduct of his captains, whom he accused of abandoning him.[106] The next day, the British fleet had disappeared, and Suffren returned to Trincomalee, where he arrived in the evening of 7 September 1782.[107]
When the French squadron arrived at Trincomalee in the evening of 7 September 1782 after the Battle of Trincomalee, its ships were seriously damaged.Héros, in particular, was leaking and had lost her foremast and mainmast. The ships anchored to effect repairs, which the crew completed in two weeks.[107] Around that time, CaptainsTromelin,Saint-Félix andla Landelle-Roscanvec, who could not get along with Suffren, requested to be relieved. So didMorard de Galles, who was wounded and weakened. On 23 September 1782, Suffren sentPulvérisateur to Isle de France under M. Le Fer to bring despatches to GovernorFrançois de Souillac, with the four captains aboard.[108] This yielded another reshuffle:Annibal went to Captaind'Aymar,Artésien to Captain de Vigues,Saint-Michel to Dupas,Petit-Annibal toBeaulieu,Bizarre to Lieutenant Tréhouret de Pennelé,Fine to Saint-Georges,Bellone toVillaret-Joyeuse,Consolante to Malis, andLézard to Dufreneau.[109]
Meanwhile, Suffren received news that Hyder Ali had left Cuddalore with his army to fight in the North, leaving the city vulnerable to a British attack from Madras. As Cuddalore was a crucial supply depot, it was imperative for Suffren to protect it. Suffren departed Trincomalee on 1 October to reinforce Cuddalore,[107] arriving on 4 October. The expected British attack did not happen, and on 12 October, the change in monsoon forced both fleets to shelter in harbour. Hughes anchored at Bombay,[110] while Suffren chose to sail toAceh. By choosing Aceh, Suffren avoided both being driven away from the battlefield as he would have by choosing Isle de France, and the climate of Trincomalee which he feared would be detrimental to his crew.[110]
The French squadron left Cuddalore on 15 October 1782 and arrived at Aceh on 1 November.Pourvoyeuse andBellone arrived shortly after with spare parts, and the fleet spent the following weeks tending to the sick and effecting repairs.[111] After a while, a corvette arrived from Isle de France, bringing news that a 3-ship squadron underAntoine de Thomassin de Peynier was about to arrive, escorting a convoy ferrying troops and ammunitions, as well as Bussy-Castelnau.[112]
Suffren's fleet set sail on 20 December to return to Coromandel. On the way, it raided the British colony ofGanjam, destroying a number of merchantmen. On 12 January 1783, the frigateHMSCoventry, unaware of the presence of the French fleet and mistaking its ships for East Indiamen, approached and had to surrender. From the prisoners, Suffren learnt of Hyder Ali's death. The fleet continued to Cuddalore, arriving there on 1 February.[112] Peynier's squadron of 3 ships and 1 frigate arrived shortly afterwards with 30 transports, survivors of a much larger convoy that had lost a number of ships to the elements and to the British.[113]
With the return of favourable weather, Suffren expected and feared Hughes's attack, as his own ships were either damaged after long cruises, or had at best only received field repair at Aceh. He therefore quickly landed his troops at Cuddalore and set sail for Trincomalee. Unfavourable winds made progression difficult and as Suffren's squadron entered the bay,Fine reported 17 sails closing in.[113] The French squadron retreated into the safety of Trincomalee and started repairing.[114]
On 24 May, Hughes's squadron passed off Trincomalee. A few days later, a ship brought letters from Bussy-Castelnau announcing that Cuddalore was besieged and blockaded.[114] Suffren departed Trincomalee on 11 June 1783 and passed off Tharangambadi on 16, when the frigate screen signaled 18 ships in view. Suffren transferred onto the frigateCléopâtre to personally reconnoitre the situation. The two fleets approached each other in the evening manoeuvered without engaging. In the morning, the French found themselves at the entrance of Cuddalore Bay, while the British squadron was further off at sea.[115] Suffren anchored his ships and spent the night reinforcing his crew with 1,200 soldiers from ashore.[116] On 18 June, Suffren set sail and the two squadrons chased each other for two days, trying to gain an advantage. Finally, on 20, the two fleets came in contact and engaged, starting theBattle of Cuddalore at 1530.[116]
On 25, Hughes retreated to Madras,[117] and on 29, a British frigate came as a cartel,[118] bringing news of the preliminary agreements to theTreaty of Paris that had been signed on 9 February 1783, and Hughes's offer of a ceasefire. Suffren accepted. On 25 July, the frigateSurveillante arrived from Europe with news of thePeace of Paris and orders to Suffren to return to France, leaving 5 ships under Peynier in the Indian Ocean.[119]
Suffren's squadron arrived at Trincomalee on 8 August. Most of it remained there until October. Suffren himself sailed to Pondichéry on 15 September withHéros andCléopâtre to confer with Bussy, arriving on 17. There, he learnt of his promotion toLieutenant général des Armées navales.[120] He departed for Trincomalee on 26, arriving on 29. The fleet departed for Europe on 6 October.[121] On his way, Suffren called the Cape of Good Hope, and had stayed there for a few days when Hughes's squadron arrived, with unfavourable winds.HMSExeter ran aground,[122] and both the British and French ships launched their boats to provide assistance.[123]
Suffren arrived at Toulon on 26 March 1784. Summoned to Versailles, he was received by Navy MinisterCastrie and by Louis XVI, and much celebrated.[123] A fourth position ofvice-admiral was created especially for Suffren, the decree stipulating that it would be suppressed after his death.[124]
In October 1787, with the implementation of theEden Agreement, tensions again flared up between France and England, and it was feared that a new conflict was looming. As a precaution, Louis XVI ordered the Brest squadron be readied, and he appointed Suffren to command it, leaving him the choice of his captains. As he prepared for the journey to Brest, Suffren's health suddenly declined. He died in Paris on 8 December 1788.[125]
Suffren was generally recognised as an able commander. TheEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition called him "perhaps the ablest sea-commander that France ever produced'.[126] InThe Influence of Sea Power upon History,Mahan writes:
The military situation... demanded first the disabling of the hostile fleet, next the capture of certain strategic ports. That this diagnosis was correct is as certain as that it reversed the common French maxims, which would have put the port first and the fleet second as objectives.[127]
Lacour-Gayet cites Suffren's instructions before theBattle of Sadras as reminiscent of Nelson's style, in that he was giving advance instruction for a variety of scenarios and was attempting to take the British in a cross-fire and destroy their squadron.[128] In 1942, AdmiralErnest King listed his five favourite admirals of the past asJervis,Nelson,Tromp, Suffren andFarragut.[129]
On the other hand,Las Cases, who had served as a lieutenant in the navy, described Suffren to Napoléon as "A hard man, very weird, egoistic in the extreme, bad-tempered, poor comrade in arms, liked of no one."[130][Note 18] More recently,François Caron stated "while Chevalier de Suffren displayed an indisputable bravery and an incomparable tactical insight, an analysis of his action shows it to be banal and disappointing."[131]
Rémi Monaque offers a more nuanced assessment, finding Suffren an aggressive and innovative commander comparable to Ruyter and Nelson,[132] but also one whose lack of didactic qualities and social graces made him misunderstood and disliked by his captains, and thus failed to develop his full potential.[133]
Eight ships of the French Navy have been namedSuffren in honour of Suffren de Saint Tropez.
A number of streets and avenues through France are named in Suffren's honour. In Paris, theAvenue de Suffren runs alongside theChamp de Mars.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Suffren Saint Tropez, Pierre André de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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