A rare account of naval actions on the Glorious First of June. This is the author’s copy, who has contributed one hundred and forty lines of manuscript annotations, mostly on the front endpapers, as well as several corrections to the text.
The Fourth Battle of Ushant took place on 1 June 1794. In France, as here, it is referred to as Bataille du 13 prairial an 2. It was part of a series of engagements trying to prevent the return of French ships (laden with grain) from America. The English fleet, under the command of Lord Howe, were numerically superior against Rear Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse’s larger, and more heavily-armed ships. While both sides claimed victory - tactically for Howe, although the convoy still reached France - both fleets were heavily damaged. It was the first and largest naval battle fought in the French Revolutionary Wars.
This work commences with a historical overview, discusses both the English and French fleets, complemented by the folding tables listing every vessel and its crew, manpower, class and armament. Drawing on other accounts, such as Charles Pancaucke’s Victoires, conquêtes, désastres, revers, et guerres civiles des Français, de 1789 à 1815 (1822), the annotations comment on Pancaucke, and support the general thesis of the French needing not just a larger fleet but also avoiding such actions altogether.
OCLC locates copies at BnF and University of Manchester.
