Newfoundland expedition
Encyclopedia
The Newfoundland expedition (French
: Expédition à Terre-Neuve, Spanish
: Expedición a Terranova) was a series of fleet manoeuvres and amphibious landings in the coasts of Newfoundland, Labrador
and Saint Pierre and Miquelon carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets during the French Revolutionary Wars
. This expedition, composed of seven ships of the line and three frigates under the orders of Rear-Admiral Richery
sailed from Cadiz
in August 1796 accompanied by a much stronger Spanish squadron, commanded by General Solano
, which had the aim of escorting it to the coast of Newfoundland.
On 28 August 1796 a combined Franco-Spanish squadron of 20 vessels, carrying 1,500 regular troops appeared off the coast of Newfoundland, predicating another crisis. Considerable alarm had been occasioned in England by the first accounts of these events in Newfoundland, the news being to the effect that the French had actually landed 1,500 men at the Bay of Bulls and 2,000 at Portugal Cove in Conception Bay
, from which they were on their march against St. John's. At St. John's the local garrison of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Royal Artillery, the Royal Newfoundland Volunteers, aided by most able-bodied men, established a camp atop Signal Hill
at the beginning of September. A boom was constructed across the harbour and three fire ship
s prepared. French Admiral Joseph de Richery, decided not to land after he saw this force, and after hovering in the area for several days, he chose instead to land at Bay Bulls, 18 miles south of St. John's, on 4 September.
On 4 September the expedition entered the Bay of Bulls, and there being no sufficient force to protect Newfoundland, it was ravaged with fire and destruction, and a great deal of mischief was done to the fisheries. After taking dozens of British prisoners, the combined fleet sailed toward Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which were held by the British at that time, and remained near the islands for two weeks, taking on water and preparing for the voyage back to France and Spain. The combined expedition destroyed over 100 fishing vessels from the Newfoundland fleet and burned fishing stations along the Newfoundland coast, including the English garrison at Placentia Bay
.
at San Ildefonso, by which the latter power was to have in readiness to assist the French a fleet. The treaty was ratified in Paris on 12 September, and on 5 October a declaration of war by Spain against Great Britain was issued from Madrid. The fleet, under the command of Don Juan de Langara
, put to sea from Cadiz. Ten sail of the line under the flag of Rear-Admiral Solano were dispatched to escort a French force consisting of seven sail of the line and three frigates, under Rear-Admiral Richery, upon an expedition against the British settlement of Newfoundland.
In August 1796, both Canada
and Nova Scotia
were stirred by the news that Admiral Richery had escaped the vigilance of Admiral Robert Mann out of Cadiz, and was proceeding to Newfoundland with seven sail of the line and several frigates. Against this force Vice-Admiral Wallace at St. John's could only oppose the old Romney of 50 guns, two 32's and two 16's. Captain Taylor, in the Andromeda
, of thirty-two guns, had parted from the banks with orders to cruise there for the protection of the sea trade. On 3 September he spoke with a schooner
, the master of which informed him that he had seen on the coast an enemy's fleet, consisting of several ships of the line and frigates. Subsequent reports increased alarm on the mainland by telling of French landings in Conception Bay
.
, pictured here in 2007]]
Richery made for St. John's, figuring that with his superior fire power, he could pound Fort Amherst
into submission. With the battery silenced, he could then force his way into the harbour to destroy the town. Outnumbered at sea, the British retired behind the protecting forts and batteries of St. John's and prepared to put up stiff resistance. The steel nerves and the ingenuity of Governor John Wallace proved to be more than a match for Admiral Richery. It was the morning of 2 September 1796 when the French fleet was sighted off the coast. Unfortunately, Wallace did not have a large garrison in St. John's at the time, he developed a plan to fool the French into thinking that St. John's would be too costly to try to take. He had his men erect tents on both sides of the entrance to the Narrows and then marched them to and fro at Fort Amherst and below Signal Hill. Richery was handicapped by having no intelligence of the defenses of St. John's and no pilots for Newfoundland waters. He had to depend for information on John Morridge, master of a fishing ship belonging to Governor Wallace, who was one of the prisoners taken at Bay Bulls. Richery's huge fleet had been hove to off Cape Spear
for the day observing the daunting sight. The next morning, he formed a battle line and drove for the harbour entrance. As they came within the range of those twenty-four pounders at Fort Amherst, his resolve weakened. Tacking the great ships, he headed back out to sea. The ruse
had worked and the town saved. Admiral Richery that had threatened St. John's finally desisted in face of the vigour of the new Governor, Admiral Sir Richard Wallace, who raised volunteers, strengthened the forts, and prepared new batteries.
In France, the public were informed that Richery had forced the surrender of St. John's and captured large quantities of shipping and sent more than a thousand sailors as prisoners to Santo Domingo. Not until October did authentic information reach England, when it was learned that the French admiral had given up the larger plan of an assault on St. John's and had left the coast on 29 September. Two days previously, Admiral Murray had arrived at Halifax from Bermuda. Although presented to him were still confused, the apparent lack of transports and troops indicated that the expedition was a raid rather than a serious attempt to take Newfoundland.
Comte Allemand, to raid the Bay of Castles (Labrador) with Duquesne
, Censeur, and Friponne while Richery himself proceeded to Saint Pierre and Miquelon with the Victoire, Barras, Jupiter
, Berwick
, and Révolution
74s, and frigates Émbuscade and Félicité
to visit a like treatment upon its shore establishments. Delayed by head winds and fogs, M. Allemand does not enter the bay of Castles until 22 September; by which time most of the vessels had departed for Europe. The French commodore sent an officer with a flag of truce demanding the surrender of the town. This was refused, but the approach of the squadron compelled the British commanding officer to destroy the fishing-stages. Finding this to be the case, M. Allemand stood away from the coast, and, as M.Richery had done, steered homeward. On 5 November, the latter, with his division, entered the port of Rochefort: and on the 15th M. Allemand with his, was equally fortunate, in reaching Lorient.
in March 1802, and in that year, 71 Newfoundland and 58 British bankers prosecuted the fishery. It declined again with the outbreak of war in 1803 and recovered somewhat after the Battle of Trafalgar
in October 1805, but declined again during the Anglo-American war of 1812–14
.
novelist Arturo Pérez-Reverte
cites this expedition in one of his books. (See Cape Trafalgar, page 63)
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Expédition à Terre-Neuve, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Expedición a Terranova) was a series of fleet manoeuvres and amphibious landings in the coasts of Newfoundland, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
and Saint Pierre and Miquelon carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. This expedition, composed of seven ships of the line and three frigates under the orders of Rear-Admiral Richery
Joseph de Richery
Rear-Admiral Joseph de Richery was a French naval officer. He distinguished himself in the French Navy in the American Revolutionary War. From 1781 until 1785 he served in the Indian Ocean under Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez...
sailed from Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in August 1796 accompanied by a much stronger Spanish squadron, commanded by General Solano
Jose Solano y Bote
Don José de Solano y Bote Carrasco y Díaz , marquess of Socorro, was a Spanish Naval officer.He served an extensive career in the Spanish Navy starting at the age of 16 until his death in 1806. Shortly after joining the Spanish navy in 1742, he participated in the Battle of Toulon , where the...
, which had the aim of escorting it to the coast of Newfoundland.
On 28 August 1796 a combined Franco-Spanish squadron of 20 vessels, carrying 1,500 regular troops appeared off the coast of Newfoundland, predicating another crisis. Considerable alarm had been occasioned in England by the first accounts of these events in Newfoundland, the news being to the effect that the French had actually landed 1,500 men at the Bay of Bulls and 2,000 at Portugal Cove in Conception Bay
Conception Bay
Conception Bay is a Canadian bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. The bay indents the Avalon Peninsula with the opening of the bay to the Atlantic Ocean at the northeast. It is bounded by Cape St. Francis in the south and Split Point near Bay de Verde in the north...
, from which they were on their march against St. John's. At St. John's the local garrison of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Royal Artillery, the Royal Newfoundland Volunteers, aided by most able-bodied men, established a camp atop Signal Hill
Signal Hill
-Places:in Canada * Signal Hill, Calgary, neighborhood and hill in Calgary, Alberta* Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, provincial electoral district for the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Canada...
at the beginning of September. A boom was constructed across the harbour and three fire ship
Fire ship
A fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, deliberately set on fire and steered into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy ships, or to create panic and make the enemy break formation. Ships used as fire ships were usually old and worn out or...
s prepared. French Admiral Joseph de Richery, decided not to land after he saw this force, and after hovering in the area for several days, he chose instead to land at Bay Bulls, 18 miles south of St. John's, on 4 September.
On 4 September the expedition entered the Bay of Bulls, and there being no sufficient force to protect Newfoundland, it was ravaged with fire and destruction, and a great deal of mischief was done to the fisheries. After taking dozens of British prisoners, the combined fleet sailed toward Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which were held by the British at that time, and remained near the islands for two weeks, taking on water and preparing for the voyage back to France and Spain. The combined expedition destroyed over 100 fishing vessels from the Newfoundland fleet and burned fishing stations along the Newfoundland coast, including the English garrison at Placentia Bay
Placentia Bay
Placentia Bay is a body of water on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It is formed by Burin Peninsula on the west and Avalon Peninsula on the east. Fishing grounds in the bay were used by native people long before the first European fishermen arrived in the 16th century. For a time, the...
.
Background
On 19 August a treaty of alliance, offensive and defensive, between France and Spain was signedSecond Treaty of San Ildefonso
The Second Treaty of San Ildefonso was signed on August 19, 1796 between the Spanish Empire and the First French Republic. Based on the terms of the agreement, France and Spain would become allies and combine their forces against the British Empire.-See also:...
at San Ildefonso, by which the latter power was to have in readiness to assist the French a fleet. The treaty was ratified in Paris on 12 September, and on 5 October a declaration of war by Spain against Great Britain was issued from Madrid. The fleet, under the command of Don Juan de Langara
Juan de Lángara
Juan Francisco de Lángara y Huarte was a Spanish naval officer and Minister of Marine.-Life and career:He was born at Coruña, Galicia, the son of a renowned Basque family...
, put to sea from Cadiz. Ten sail of the line under the flag of Rear-Admiral Solano were dispatched to escort a French force consisting of seven sail of the line and three frigates, under Rear-Admiral Richery, upon an expedition against the British settlement of Newfoundland.
In August 1796, both Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
were stirred by the news that Admiral Richery had escaped the vigilance of Admiral Robert Mann out of Cadiz, and was proceeding to Newfoundland with seven sail of the line and several frigates. Against this force Vice-Admiral Wallace at St. John's could only oppose the old Romney of 50 guns, two 32's and two 16's. Captain Taylor, in the Andromeda
HMS Andromeda
Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Andromeda, after the Greek heroine Andromeda. was a 28-gun sixth rate launched in 1777 and lost in a hurricane in 1780. was a 32-gun fifth rate launched in 1784, placed on harbour service from 1808 and broken up in 1811. was a 24-gun sixth rate,...
, of thirty-two guns, had parted from the banks with orders to cruise there for the protection of the sea trade. On 3 September he spoke with a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, the master of which informed him that he had seen on the coast an enemy's fleet, consisting of several ships of the line and frigates. Subsequent reports increased alarm on the mainland by telling of French landings in Conception Bay
Conception Bay
Conception Bay is a Canadian bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. The bay indents the Avalon Peninsula with the opening of the bay to the Atlantic Ocean at the northeast. It is bounded by Cape St. Francis in the south and Split Point near Bay de Verde in the north...
.
Attempt on St. John's
|Richery believed that, because his firepower was superior, he could destroy Fort AmherstPort-la-Joye–Fort Amherst
Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst is a National Historic Site of Canada in Prince Edward Island, Canada, commemorating the location's double distinction in hosting both the oldest permanent European settlement on Ile Saint-Jean and the first military fortification on the island to be built by the British...
, pictured here in 2007]]
Richery made for St. John's, figuring that with his superior fire power, he could pound Fort Amherst
Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst
Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst is a National Historic Site of Canada in Prince Edward Island, Canada, commemorating the location's double distinction in hosting both the oldest permanent European settlement on Ile Saint-Jean and the first military fortification on the island to be built by the British...
into submission. With the battery silenced, he could then force his way into the harbour to destroy the town. Outnumbered at sea, the British retired behind the protecting forts and batteries of St. John's and prepared to put up stiff resistance. The steel nerves and the ingenuity of Governor John Wallace proved to be more than a match for Admiral Richery. It was the morning of 2 September 1796 when the French fleet was sighted off the coast. Unfortunately, Wallace did not have a large garrison in St. John's at the time, he developed a plan to fool the French into thinking that St. John's would be too costly to try to take. He had his men erect tents on both sides of the entrance to the Narrows and then marched them to and fro at Fort Amherst and below Signal Hill. Richery was handicapped by having no intelligence of the defenses of St. John's and no pilots for Newfoundland waters. He had to depend for information on John Morridge, master of a fishing ship belonging to Governor Wallace, who was one of the prisoners taken at Bay Bulls. Richery's huge fleet had been hove to off Cape Spear
Cape Spear
Cape Spear, located on the Avalon Peninsula near St. John's, Newfoundland, is the easternmost point in North America , excluding Greenland and the portions of Alaska west of the 180th parallel of longitude . Cape Spear is close to Blackhead, an amalgamated area of the City of St. John's, about...
for the day observing the daunting sight. The next morning, he formed a battle line and drove for the harbour entrance. As they came within the range of those twenty-four pounders at Fort Amherst, his resolve weakened. Tacking the great ships, he headed back out to sea. The ruse
Ruse of war
A ruse of war, or ruse de guerre, is an action taken by a belligerent in warfare to fool the enemy in order to gain intelligence or a military advantage against an enemy.-Modern history:* American Civil War General George Meade's General Order No...
had worked and the town saved. Admiral Richery that had threatened St. John's finally desisted in face of the vigour of the new Governor, Admiral Sir Richard Wallace, who raised volunteers, strengthened the forts, and prepared new batteries.
In France, the public were informed that Richery had forced the surrender of St. John's and captured large quantities of shipping and sent more than a thousand sailors as prisoners to Santo Domingo. Not until October did authentic information reach England, when it was learned that the French admiral had given up the larger plan of an assault on St. John's and had left the coast on 29 September. Two days previously, Admiral Murray had arrived at Halifax from Bermuda. Although presented to him were still confused, the apparent lack of transports and troops indicated that the expedition was a raid rather than a serious attempt to take Newfoundland.
Bulls Bay
On 4 September the French squadron entered the bay of Bulls. The town surrendered on their approach. Admiral Richery plundered and destroyed the entire settlement and shipping, including the fishing-stages, driving the inhabitants into the woods. 57 buildings and 47 fishing ships were captured along with more than 400 prisoners.Chateau Bay
On 5 September, Richery detaches Adm. Zacharie Jacques ThéodoreZacharie Allemand
Zacharie Jacques Théodore Allemand, was a French admiral.- Early career :Allemand was born to a captain of the East Indian Company. Orphaned at an early age, he started his sailing career at 12 as an apprentice on Superbe, an East Indiaman...
Comte Allemand, to raid the Bay of Castles (Labrador) with Duquesne
French ship Duquesne (1787)
The Duquesne was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.It directed in 1793, under captain Vence, an important convoy of Levant then escaped the hostile monitoring from a squadron Anglo-Spanish....
, Censeur, and Friponne while Richery himself proceeded to Saint Pierre and Miquelon with the Victoire, Barras, Jupiter
French ship Jupiter (1789)
The Jupiter was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.Between 1791 and 1793, she was based in Saint-Domingue. In March 1794, she was renamed Montagnard...
, Berwick
HMS Berwick (1775)
HMS Berwick was a 74-gun Elizabeth-class third rate of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 April 1775, to a design by Sir Thomas Slade. She fought the French at the Battle of Ushant and the Dutch at the Battle of Dogger Bank...
, and Révolution
French ship Thésée (1790)
The Thésée was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. As Révolution, she took part in the Expédition d'Irlande under Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley.- External links :*...
74s, and frigates Émbuscade and Félicité
French frigate Félicité (1785)
The Félicité was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. Captured by the British Navy and sold to the State of Haiti, she entered Haitian service as Améthyste.-French service:In 1792, she traveled to the Caribbean Sea...
to visit a like treatment upon its shore establishments. Delayed by head winds and fogs, M. Allemand does not enter the bay of Castles until 22 September; by which time most of the vessels had departed for Europe. The French commodore sent an officer with a flag of truce demanding the surrender of the town. This was refused, but the approach of the squadron compelled the British commanding officer to destroy the fishing-stages. Finding this to be the case, M. Allemand stood away from the coast, and, as M.Richery had done, steered homeward. On 5 November, the latter, with his division, entered the port of Rochefort: and on the 15th M. Allemand with his, was equally fortunate, in reaching Lorient.
Raid on Saint Pierre and Miquelon
As Richery had previously done at the bay of Bulls, he destroyed all the buildings, vessels, and fishing-stages of the inhabitants, claiming the islands to France but leaving them unpopulated. Approximately 225 houses, 17 large scaffolds, 8 large buildings, 80 fishing boats and 80.000 quintals of cod were burnt to the ground. Admiral Richery hoisted the French flag on the island of St. Pierre, which had surrendered to a force from Halifax years before, but had been left without a garrison, though a number of British fishermen had taken possession and built a town. Richery's squadron then divided, and a portion sailed for the coast of Labrador to intercept the homeward-bound fleet from Quebec while Admiral Richery remained near Cape Breton with four sail of the line and a frigate.Aftermath
The combined fleets of France and Spain had destroyed upwards of 100 merchant vessels, and made a great many prisoners: part of whom were sent in a cartel to Halifax, and the remainder about 300 in number, were carried into France and Spain. The British bank fisheries in Newfoundland recovered following the signing of the Treaty of AmiensTreaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
in March 1802, and in that year, 71 Newfoundland and 58 British bankers prosecuted the fishery. It declined again with the outbreak of war in 1803 and recovered somewhat after the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in October 1805, but declined again during the Anglo-American war of 1812–14
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Popular literature
The SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
novelist Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for twenty-one years . His first novel, El húsar, set in the Napoleonic Wars, was released in 1986. He is well known outside Spain for his "Alatriste" series of novels...
cites this expedition in one of his books. (See Cape Trafalgar, page 63)