This was fought during the War of American Independence (1775–83) when the American rebels, with no significant naval power of their own, had allied with the French. The Reign of Terror ended and the French revolution survived.
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When linked with a series of victories on land, the Republic now considered itself militarily secure. The French navy, however, acquitted itself with some skill by luring the British away from the grain convoy, which made it safely to Brest. The morale and manpower of the French navy never recovered from this early blow, which had a direct bearing on the subsequent generation of British naval dominance. Nevertheless, the British captured or destroyed seven enemy ships of the line – they could have taken four or five more – and captured thousands of French sailors. Jeanbon Saint-André, a representative of the de facto government, the Committee of Public Safety, sailed with the French fleet and energised its sailors who fought ferociously. The British fleet, led by the elderly but experienced Admiral Earl Howe, cut through the French line of battle at numerous points, disrupting their formation. The food was crucial to France, which had been weakened by revolution and civil war.ĭespite its name the battle was fought over almost a week of intermittent action, with significant large-scale battles fought on both 28 and 29 May, but the largest clash occurred on 1 June. The French fleet left Brest to shepherd home a grain convoy from America.
This was the first fleet battle of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, fought at the height of the Reign of Terror.
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