La Hague, or La Hougue, is in the Department of the Manche, in the
north of France. It is to the westward of Cherbourg and on the same
peninsula. It is often confounded with La Hogue, another cape to the
eastward of Cherbourg; and the battle which took place off this point
in 1692, and which gave such a fatal blow to the naval power of Louis
XIV, is generally called, in the histories, La Hogue.
Louis XIV, having seen the failure of the expedition which he had
prepared to attack Ireland, with a view to the re-establishment of
James II, resolved, if possible, to strike a vital blow at England
in another manner. He, therefore, prepared an armament which was to
protect and take part in a descent upon the territory of England,
herself the hereditary enemy of France.
The French King reckoned not only upon the number and force of his
fleet, but also upon the revulsion in public opinion which seemed to
have taken place in England, in regard to King William. Many eminent
persons, among others the famous Duke of Marlborough, were known to
have opened secret relations with James II; and that Prince had reason
to count upon many adherents in the English fleet, which he had for a
long time commanded, previous to his accession. Among others, he is
said to have depended upon Admiral Russel and Rear Admiral Carter.
Louis XIV, confident in the ultimate result of all his designs, laid
down the plan of a naval expedition, by which he would be enabled to
land a force of 30,000 men, fully equipped, upon the English coast.
Tourville was ordered to the command of the French fleet. Aimé Hilarion
de Cottentin, Count de Tourville, was born at the Chateau of Tourville,
in Normandy, in 1642. He entered the Order of Malta while still a boy,
and at the age of eighteen began to serve in the galleys of the Order,
where he soon made a reputation, so much so that he was called to
court, and given the grade of Capitaine de Vaisseau. He served under
the Duke de Beaufort, at the relief of Candia, then besieged by the
Turks; and afterward distinguished himself in the war with Holland; and
still later, distinguished himself at the relief of Messina, which had
revolted against the Spanish rule.
The following year he took part in Duquesne’s brilliant expedition
against the Algerines and Tripolitans, when the Corsairs received the
most crushing blows which had ever been dealt to them, up to that time.
In 1684 he participated in the bombardment of Genoa, and four years
after, in a successful cruise against the Dutch. In the same year he
inflicted a severe bombardment upon Algiers.
In 1689, being now an Admiral, he commanded a fleet which, in
connection with one under D’Estrées, was to support the cause of James
II. This combined fleet succeeded in landing some few men and some
munitions of war in Ireland, but, on the whole, the operation was a
failure. While in command of the French fleet, in the year following,
he had a battle with the Anglo-Dutch fleet, off the Isle of Wight,
which was a most inglorious affair for the English, their Admiral, the
Earl of Torrington, behaving with great want of spirit. The result
was that Tourville captured and burned many of the English ships, not
losing one himself. The sturdy Dutchmen made a good fight, and came off
much better than their English allies.
In 1692, as above stated, Tourville was ordered to the fleet fitted
for a descent on England; and now we shall take up the account of the
battle once more.
The bulk of Tourville’s fleet was in Brest, and as the spring opened he
received orders to sail from that port, enter the Channel, and attack
the English fleet, no matter in what force they might be found, before
they could be reinforced by the Dutch fleet, which was preparing to
join them.
The French King and his ministers had convinced themselves that, in the
event of a collision, a very large part of the English fleet would go
over to the side of the Allies of James II.
All these projects and all these hopes were brought to naught, however,
by head winds and bad weather, which detained Tourville in Brest harbor
for more than a month, while the two squadrons from Rochefort and
Toulon, which should have reinforced him, were prevented by the same
bad weather from joining him in time.
Tourville, supposing that the same winds which had prevented his
leaving Brest had facilitated the junction of the Allies, requested
the permission of the Minister of Marine to remain in Brest until his
expected reinforcements had joined him.
Pontchartrain, at that time minister, and exercising an enormous
influence over the King, ordered him to fight the English fleet,
whether he was strong or weak--“_fort ou faible_.” The minister added,
“It does not become you to discuss the King’s orders. Your duty is to
execute them, and to sail for the Channel at once. Send me word whether
you intend to do so; and, if not, the King will place in command of the
fleet some one who is more obedient and less cautious.”
This was certainly a most insolent and improper manner for the
minister--who was, by the way, profoundly ignorant of naval matters--to
address the greatest seaman which France, up to that time, had produced.
But Pontchartrain was noted for his arrogant and overbearing official
manners. Tourville having at this time complained of the bad quality of
the powder supplied him, and reporting that it could not be depended
upon, a subordinate of the Ministry of Marine was deputed to reply
to him that “if he found the powder did not carry far enough, he
had only to approach his enemy a little nearer.” There seems to be
absolutely something grotesque and ridiculous in such words, addressed
in such a way, to such a man, had it not been for the sad termination
of the action into which he was driven, against his own professional
convictions.
Tourville put to sea with about fifty-six ships, in place of
seventy-eight which had been promised him. He had hardly got to sea
before Louis XIV received information that the Jacobite plot had
completely failed, and that it was reported that Marlborough and
several other persons of distinction had been arrested; and that the
Dutch and English fleets had effected a junction.
The King at once sent orders, in great haste, to despatch fast-sailing
corvettes to seek for Tourville, and to warn him not to go into the
Channel before he had been joined by the squadrons expected from the
southern ports. This was just what Tourville had asked for, when he
received such an unmerited rebuke from Pontchartrain.
Unfortunately, none of the vessels despatched for the purpose found
him, and he pressed on into the Channel.
On the 19th of May, at daylight, between Barfleur and La Hague, he
found himself in the presence of the Allied fleet, the most powerful
that, up to that time, had ever taken the sea. It consisted of
ninety-nine ships, thirty-six of which were Dutch. Seventy-eight of
these vessels were of more than fifty guns. Admiral Russel’s flag was
flying on board the Britannia, of 100 guns; his Vice-Admiral was Sir
Ralph Delaval, in the Royal Sovereign, 100; and the Rear-Admiral, Sir
Cloudesley Shovel, in the London, 100. There were three other 100-gun
ships in the English fleet. The second division, or “Blue Squadron”
of the English fleet was commanded by Admiral Sir John Ashby, in the
Victory, 100; Vice-Admiral George Rooke, in the Windsor Castle, 90, and
Rear-Admiral Richard Carter. The Dutch fleet was commanded by Admiral
Allemonde.
The total number of guns carried by these ninety-nine ships was 6998;
and they were manned by nearly 41,000 men.
To oppose this great force Tourville had, as we have said, sixty-three
vessels, including seven which had joined him from Rochefort; and about
3500 guns, with a little less than twenty thousand men.
When they made each other out the French fleet bore west of the Allies,
and it was quite hazy, so that neither could tell upon which tack their
opponent was. But soon after sunrise the haze dispersed, and the French
were found to be upon the starboard tack, the same as the van and
centre of the Allies, and forming their line. At 8 A.M. the Allied line
was formed, the Dutch in the van, Admiral Russel in the centre, and
Sir John Ashby in the rear.
Tourville, at sight of the Allies, and making out their force and
numbers, called a council of war on board his flag-ship, the Soleil
Royal. All his officers of any rank or experience advised him to avoid
a battle against such odds. By 9 A.M. the French fleet had stretched
nearly as far to the southward as the Allied fleet; the wind continued
light from the southwest, and the French fleet could with ease have
avoided or delayed an engagement. But Tourville exhibited to his
officers the orders he had received--written orders from the king
himself--and at the sight of these no more was to be said, and at
about half past ten A.M. the French fleet, to the astonishment of the
English, made all sail, and bore down to the attack. It was certainly
an act of temerity, for the division of Admiral Russel himself would
have been not a bad match for the French.
Tourville, with his division, steered straight for that of Russel.
The latter did not avail himself of the advantage of firing as his
adversaries approached, but allowed Tourville to come down in silence
and choose his own distance; at the same time he ordered the Dutch
fleet to tack to the northward. In doing so a Dutch vessel fired at
Tourville, and the whole line at once took it up. Tourville at first
had evidently intended to bear down and cut through the English line;
and had he done this the probability is that the English centre
would have been seriously damaged before the rear or van could have
approached to its assistance, as the light wind dwindled to a calm as
soon as the heavy firing commenced. In bringing to when he did, the
French Admiral relinquished this advantage.
The engagement which now followed was terribly destructive, especially
in the centre. The English especially attacked the Soleil Royal, on
which Tourville showed the Admiral’s Standard of France. At times she
had to sustain the fire of five or six ships at once. She was finally
so cut up in sails, rigging, and spars, that she had to be towed out of
action. It is said that the English excelled the French in rapidity of
fire, delivering three broadsides to two of the French.
During the fight between the centre divisions the English rear division
cut in two a French division commanded by Admiral Pannetier, and turned
the flank of the French rear. This would have been most disastrous for
the latter had not the greater part of Ashby’s division pursued four
or five vessels of Pannetier, in place of turning again upon the mass
of the French. Gabaret, the French rear commander, was thus enabled to
hold his own against the rest of Ashby’s division, while a portion of
his ships went to the relief of Tourville, who was sore beset, as we
have seen. Coëtlogon, who commanded the succoring ships, was an old
friend and comrade of Tourville’s, and he determined to save his chief
or to die with him. He made so vigorous an attack that he not only
extricated the Soleil Royal, but even made Russel’s division, strong as
it was, temporarily give way.
A dense fog now came on, and firing ceased, as they could not
distinguish friend from foe, the ships drifting together, with the
tide. Gabaret, with the ships of the rear division which were left him,
profited by the respite, to fall in astern of Tourville’s line, and
they then anchored. Russel’s division not doing so immediately, drifted
off to some distance.
The killed and wounded in this day’s fight were very numerous, on both
sides. The English ship Eagle, a 70, lost seventy men killed and one
hundred and fifty wounded. Among the English killed was Rear-Admiral
Carter, whom the French always insisted had promised James II to
abandon William, while he was revealing to the latter the French plans
against him.
Ashby’s ships having now abandoned the pursuit of Pannetier’s, that
Admiral joined Tourville, and a brisk fire was once more opened.
Happily for the French, it was just then impossible for Russel to come
up, owing to lack of wind and a strong tide, or the French fleet must
have been crushed, as it lay between him and Ashby.
The Dutch division had been held in check by the French van division,
owing to the ability with which its Commander, d’Amfreville, had
preserved the weather gage. Possibly, also, the Dutch did not fight
with their whole heart for those who, as they said, had sacrificed them
off Beachy Head, some years before.
Night was now coming on, and Admiral Ashby, becoming uneasy at his
separation from the rest of the fleet, determined to rejoin Russel. To
do this he had to pass through the French fleet, and succeeded in doing
so, with some loss.
The French fleet having anchored to stem the flood tide were soon left
far to the westward by the English, who kept under way. On the morning
of the 20th the bulk of the French vessels were seen nine or ten miles
to the westward, and a general chase ensued.
Thus far no French ships had been taken, and only one or two destroyed.
Tourville gathered most of his vessels, except eight or ten which had
made for Brest, when chased off the day before, and finding many of
them much injured, ordered them to endeavor to reach any port they
could, in Normandy or Brittany. In the unfortified places they were at
once stranded, and as much of their armament and stores were saved as
possible. Some fifteen of their finest ships, in this position, were
soon afterward burned by the English, and it was this which pointed
out more forcibly to the French government the necessity of a military
port either at La Hague or Cherbourg, as had been repeatedly urged by
Colbert and Vauban.
Had the English understood the intricate navigation about the Channel
Islands and Saint Malo as well as the French did, there is no doubt
that they would have secured some of the French ships as trophies. As
it was, not one was brought in to an English port.
The moral effect of a victory remained the same, however, rendering
William III more firm upon his throne, while the hopes of James II were
completely dissipated.
Louis XIV, the real author of the defeat suffered by his fleet, wrote
to Tourville the following singular letter:--
“I have had so much joy in learning that, with forty-four of my ships,
you have fought, for a whole day, ninety of my enemies, that I feel no
sorrow for the great loss which I have suffered.”
This letter was intended, no doubt, to soothe the wounded feelings of
Tourville. Indeed, Louis seems to have taken upon himself the whole
responsibility of the defeat, as he should have done.
The following year he bestowed upon Tourville, in company with the Duke
de Villars, Marquis de Boufflers, the Duke de Noailles, and Catinat,
the baton of a Marshal of France.