Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil

Infobox Military Person
name=Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil
lived=October 281724 – December 141802


caption=Amiral Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil
"
nickname=
placeofbirth=Rochefort, France
placeofdeath=Paris, France
branch=French Navy
serviceyears= French Army: 1778-1783
rank=Amiral only second to Count de Grasse
unit=The Spectre, The Triomphant
commands=
battles=Yorktown Naval Battle

*American Revolutionary War
**Battle of Ouessant
**Battle of Yorktown
**Battle of the Saints
**Protection of Boston Harbour
awards=Order of Saint-Louis
relations=
laterwork=

Louis-Philippe Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil (October 28, 1724 – December 14, 1802) was second in command of the French Navy during the American Revolutionary War.

Early life

Louis-Philippe's father, of the same name, was born in Québec City of Philippe de Vaudreuil, and his Acadian wife Soulange who was nursing the sons of Duke the Berry in Versaille soon after leaving for France, so his grandfather was the governor of Quebec (Canada) from 1703 to 1725, while his grandmother was very close to Louis XIV.

Since Philippe had 12 children in Québec City, many of them are famous. And many of his grandsons are also famous.

His uncle was none other than Pierre de Vaudreuil de Cavagnal of the capitulation of Montréal in 1760.

Another, named Pierre-François de Vaudreuil was also in the fight with Montcalm in the Battle of Oswego.

Louis Philippe, the father, was a celebrated admiral of the French navy, and was in charge of the navy for North America in 1747. Louis-Philippe, the father, successfully saved de L'Estudère at the second battle of the finistere while on the ship "the Terrible". Louis XV himself ordered a celebrated Dutch artist Peter VanLoo to paint one of his naval battles; this painting is still in the Versaille Castle.

Although his father Louis-Philippe was born in Québec City and one site tell us that he was himself born in Québec, the truth is probably that he was born in Rochefort in France. This is based on a picture of the time we have of him where his native city is written: Rochefort, France. This would make more sense, since his father was put in charge of the city of Rochefort in the east coast of France.

Events of the war

Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil was dispatched in America when the French entered the war on the side of the Americans in February 1778. His first engagement came at the Battle of Ouessant, an island on the north-west part of France near Brest, where the French Navy and the British Navy fought to a draw.

The Second battle of the Capes in front of Yorktown

Louis-Philippe was on the "Septre" in the Second Battle of the Capes. After one furious engagement with the British navy De Grasse and the British navy drifted for miles south of Yorktown and lost sight of each other.

But De Grasse had the brilliant idea to come back to Yorktown faster and when the British saw he was in control of the Bay they didn't attack him. Cornwallis' army was trapped. The Americans won with the aid of the French and the United States gained its independence.

In front of Yorktown at Gloucester Point

Louis-Philippe original contribution to the American Revolution was to provide the cavalry of Duke de Lauzun. This cavalry of foreign legion was a mixed lot of Russian, slavish people, polish and German mercenary to the service of France.

Louis-Philippe also provided 800 men from his ship to Glouster Point in defense of a peninsula right in front of Yorktown.

Together with Duke de Lauzun they fought the cavalry of Tarleton, the cavalry of "the Patriot" movie fame with Mel Gibson, and defeated him. This prevented Cornwallis from getting help.

With Washington was the French Chastellux, and his aide-de-camp was Jean Louis de Rigaud Vicomte de Vaudreuil another of his cousin.

While in Paris Joseph-Hyacinthe de Vaudreuil, another cousin, was a friend of Beaumarchais.

After Yorktown, The Battle of the Saints

In 1782 in the Battle of the Saints, Louis-Philippe is credited with saving most of the French Navy's ships from the disastrous defeat. But since De Grasse was taken prisoner Vaudreuil became in command of the entire French fleet in America.

Vaudreuil protecting Boston in 1782

After the Battle of the Saints in 1782, Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil was on the ship "Triumphant" in Boston harbour. From Boston he order LaPérousse to attack Manitoba by using the James Bay passage.

At the conclusion of the war in 1783, Louis-Philippe was in charge of bringing the victorious French army of Rochambeau back to France.

References

1. Picture of Louis-Philippe from a Montreal Museum :
* http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/fr/collection/artefacts/M1050&section=196

2. Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil at Yortktown :
* http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/marine.htm

External links

In the Washington paper you can read the lettres between Washington and Vaudreuil while he was in Boston in 1782. In one of the link you will find a British Carricature of Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil with D'Estaing, Bougainville and De Grasse. The British had just lost their empire to them and were frustrated by them, so after the British victory of the Saint in 1782 they made this. But the joke was on them. The French had won.

* [1] [http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/marine.htm Vaudreuil at Yortktown]
* [2] [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html The Washington Papers contains letters from Vaudreuil]
* [3] [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp62154 Carricature of Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil]
* [5] [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15311a.htm The Vaudreuil familly, second site]
* [6] Pierre, the uncle of Louis-Philippe was with Montcalm
* [7] [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=35190 Philippe biography of his grand-father]
* [8] Philippe, the grand-father was governor of Canada
* [9] [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_de_Rigaud_de_Vaudreuil Picture of his grand-father Philippe]