Last invasion of Britain
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Fishguard was a military invasion of Great Britain
by Revolutionary France
during the War of the First Coalition. The brief campaign, which took place between 22 February and 24 February 1797, was the most recent effort by a foreign force that was able to land on Britain, and thus is often referred to as the "last invasion of Britain". The invasion was the plan of General Lazare Hoche
, who had devised a three-pronged attack on Britain in support of Irish Republicans under Wolfe Tone. Two forces would land in Britain as a diversionary effort
, while the main body would land in Ireland. However, poor weather and indiscipline halted two of the forces, although the third, aimed at landing in Wales
and marching on Bristol
, went ahead.
The invasion force consisted of 1,400 troops from the La Legion Noire
(The Black Legion) under the command of Irish American
Colonel William Tate, 800 of whom were irregulars
. Transported on four French warships under the command of Commodore Jean-Joseph Castagnier, Tate's forces landed at Carregwastad Head near Fishguard
on 22 February, after a failed attempt to enter Fishguard harbour itself. However, upon landing, discipline broke down amongst the irregulars, many of whom deserted to loot nearby settlements. The remaining troops were met by a quickly assembled group of around 500 British reservists
, militia
and sailors under the command of John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor
. After brief clashes with the local civilian population and Lord Cawdor's forces on 23 February, Tate was forced into an unconditional surrender
by 24 February. Later, the British captured two of the expedition's vessels, a frigate
and a corvette
. Despite all this, Castagnier managed to return to France.
. He proposed to land 15,000 French troops in Ireland
to support Theobald Wolfe Tone and the Irish Republicans at Bantry Bay
. As a diversionary attack to draw away British reinforcements, two smaller forces would land at Great Britain, one in northern England near Newcastle
and another in Wales. The overall aim was to start an uprising against the English using the deep-rooted patriotism and nationalist pride in the Celtic regions of Britain, and march onwards to Bristol
, Chester
, Liverpool
and finally London
.
In December 1796, Hoche's Expedition arrived at Bantry Bay, but was scattered and badly hit by atrocious weather. After being unable to land a single soldier, Hoche decided to set sail and return to France. In January 1797, poor weather in the North Sea along with outbreaks of mutiny and indiscipline also stopped the attacking force on Newcastle, and they too returned to France. However, the third part of the plan went ahead, and on 16 February a force of four French warships left Brest
flying Russian colours and headed for Britain.
in New Orleans, he fled to Paris in 1795. Under his command was La Seconde Legion des Francs, more commonly known as La Legion Noire
("The Black Legion") due to their use of captured British uniforms dyed very dark brown/black. The force consisted of 600 regular troops that Napoleon Bonaparte had not required in his conquest of Italy, and another 800 Republicans, deserters, convicts and Royalist prisoners. They were all well-armed, and some of their officers were Irish.
The naval side of the operation was under the command of Commodore Castagnier. The four French warships were some of the newest and largest in the French fleet: the frigates La Vengeance and La Resistance (the latter being on her maiden voyage), the corvette
La Constance, and a smaller lugger
called Le Vautour. Castagnier's orders from the Directory
were to land the force under Colonel Tate and then rendezvous with Hoche's Expedition returning from Ireland to give them assistance.
The initial plan was to land near Bristol but adverse weather and the treacherous tides of the Severn Estuary forced the fleet to turn around and land at their second choice at Cardigan Bay, on the west coast of Wales. On their way through the Bristol channel, the fleet was spotted from Ilfracombe
. The fleet was spotted off the coast of Pembrokeshire
near St David's
by retired sailor Thomas Williams of Trelythin, and although they were flying British colours, Williams was not fooled and raised the alarm. The four French warships captured a local trading vessel, the sloop
Britannia, carrying a cargo of culm
bound for Fishguard
, whose Captain John Owen warned the French of the dangers of trying to land at Fishguard when it was defended by infantry, cavalry and artillery in Fishguard Fort. The smallest ship, La Vautour, entered Fishguard Harbour to test the waters flying the Union Jack. A single shot from a cannon at Fishguard Fort forced the vessel to turn around and instead, under the cover of darkness, La Legion Noire landed at the secluded bay of Carregwastad, three miles west of Fishguard. By 2 a.m. on 23 February 1797, the French had landed 17 boatloads of troops, 47 barrels of gunpowder, 50 tons of cartridges and grenades, and 2,000 stands of arms. One rowing boat was lost in the surf and sank, with the loss of artillery pieces and ammunition.
Landowner William Knox had raised the Fishguard & Newport Volunteer Infantry in 1794 in response to the British government's call to arms. By 1797, there were four companies totaling nearly 300 men, and the unit was the largest in the County of Pembrokeshire
. To command this regiment, William Knox appointed his 28-year-old son, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Knox, a man who had bought his commission
and had no combat experience.
On the night of 22 February, there was a social event at Tregwynt Mansion, and the young Thomas Knox was in attendance when a messenger on horseback arrived from the Fishguard & Newport Volunteer Infantry to instruct the Commanding Officer of the invasion. The import of this news was slow to dawn on Knox, but, upon returning to Fishguard Fort, he sent instructions that the Newport Division of the Regiment was to march the seven miles to Fishguard with all haste. Lord Cawdor, Captain of the Castlemartin Troop of the Pembroke Yeomanry Cavalry, was stationed 30 miles away at Stackpole Court in the far south of the county, where the troop had massed in preparation for a funeral the following day. He immediately assembled all the troops at his disposal and set off for the county town of Haverfordwest
along with the Pembroke Volunteers and the Cardiganshire Militia, who were on routine exercises at the time. At Haverfordwest
, Lieutenant-Colonel Colby of the Pembrokeshire Militia had summoned together a force of 250 soldiers, along with Captain
Longcroft who had brought up the press gangs and crews of two revenue vessels based in Milford Haven
, totalling 150 sailors. Nine cannons were also brought ashore, of which six were placed inside Haverfordwest Castle
and the other three prepared for transit to Fishguard
with the local forces. Cawdor arrived, and in consultation with the Lord Lieutenant
of the County, Lord Milford, and the other officers present, Lord Cawdor was delegated full authority and overall command.
The French had already begun to move inland and secure outlying farmhouses. A company of French grenadiers under Lieutenant St.Leger took possession of Trehowel Farm on the Llanwnda Peninsula about a mile from their landing site, and it was here that Colonel Tate decided to set up his headquarters. The French forces were instructed to live off the land, and as soon as the convicts landed on British soil, they deserted the invasion force and began to loot the local villages and hamlets. One group broke into Llanwnda Church to shelter from the cold, and set about lighting a fire inside using the Bible
as kindling and the pews as firewood. However the 600 regulars remained loyal to their officers and orders.
Knox had declared to Colby his intention to attack the French on 23 February if he was not heavily outnumbered. He then sent out scouting parties to assess the strength of the enemy.
Unfortunately for Knox, a hundred men had still not arrived and he learned he was facing a force of nearly ten times his size. Although many inhabitants of the local areas were fleeing with panic, many more were flocking into Fishguard armed with a variety of crude weaponry volunteering to fight alongside the Volunteer Infantry
. Knox had three choices - to attack the French, to defend Fishguard or to retreat towards the oncoming reinforcements from Haverfordwest. He decided to retreat and gave orders for the nine cannons in Fishguard Fort to be spiked
(which the Woolwich
Gunners refused to do) and at 9 a.m. he set off, sending out scouts continuously to reconnoitre the French. Knox and his 194 men met the reinforcements led by Lord Cawdor at Treffgarne, eight miles south of Fishguard
at 1:30 p.m. After a short dispute between the two men, Cawdor assumed command and led the British forces back towards Fishguard.
Tate was now having serious problems of his own. Discipline had collapsed amongst the convicts when they had discovered the locals' supply of wine (a Portuguese ship had been shipwrecked on the nearby coast a few weeks previously) and morale in general was low. The invasion was beginning to lose its momentum. The convicts began to rebel and mutiny against their officers and others had simply vanished during the night. Those left loyal were the regular troops, such as the Grenadiers. In farmhouses all over the Llanwnda Peninsula, the French lay drunk and sick. The Welsh people were now obviously hostile to the French, and already six Welshmen and French soldiers had been killed in clashes. Many of the Irish and French officers began to counsel surrender, and the departure of Castagnier and the naval squadron that morning meant there was no escape route open.
By 5 p.m., the British had arrived back in Fishguard, and Cawdor decided to attack before dusk. The 600 men, dragging their three cannons behind them, marched up the narrow Trefwrgi Lane from Goodwick
towards the French position on Garngelli. Lieutenant St.Leger and the Grenadiers had made their way down from Garngelli and prepared an ambush behind the high hedges of Trefwrgi Lane. A volley of musketry and grenades poured into a tightly compressed column at point blank range would have been devastating and resulted in heavy casualties on the British side. Luckily for Cawdor, he decided to turn around and head back to Fishguard due to the failing light and he avoided the ambush a few hundred yards ahead.
Sands, otherwise the French would be attacked.
The following morning, at 8 a.m. on 24 February 1797, the British forces lined up in battle order on Goodwick Sands. Up above them on the cliffs, the inhabitants of the town came to watch and await Tate's response to the ultimatum. Tate tried to delay it but eventually accepted the terms of the unconditional surrender, and at 2 p.m., the sounds of the French drums could be heard leading the column down to Goodwick
. The French piled their weapons and by 4 p.m., the French prisoners were marched through Fishguard on their way to temporary imprisonment at Haverfordwest
. Meanwhile, Cawdor had ridden out with a party of his Pembroke Yeomanry Cavalry to Trehowel Farm to receive Tate's official surrender. Unfortunately the actual document has been lost.
After brief imprisonment, Tate was returned to France in a prisoner exchange in 1798, along with most of his invasion force.
On 9 March 1797, HMS St Fiorenzo
, under the command of Sir Harry Neale, was sailing in company with Captain John Cooke's
HMS Nymphe, when they encountered La Resistance, which had been crippled by the adverse weather in the Irish Sea en-route to Ireland, along with La Constance. Cooke and Neale chased after them, engaging them for half an hour, after which both French ships surrendered. There were no casualties or damage on either of the British ships, while the two French ships lost 18 killed and 15 wounded between them. La Resistance was re-fitted and renamed HMS Fisgard and La Constance became HMS Constance. Castagnier, on board Le Vengeance, made it safely back to France.
the battle honour "Fishguard". This regiment has the unique honour of being the only regiment in the British Army, regular or territorial, that bears a battle honour for an engagement on the British mainland. It was also the first battle honour awarded to a volunteer unit.
The heroine of the hour was Jemima Nicholas
, who, with her pitchfork, went out single-handedly into the fields around Fishguard and rounded up 12 French soldiers and 'persuaded' them to return with her to town where she locked them inside St Mary's Church.
It is thought the French troops may have mistaken local women like her, in their traditional tall black hats and red cloaks, for British Grenadiers when they stood on the cliffs above the British force lined up on Goodwick Sands at the surrender.
The wreck of a rowing boat believed to belong to the invasion fleet was found in 2003 and lies off Strumble Head
.
In August of the following year, another French force landed in County Mayo
, Connaught
, in the west of Ireland. In contrast to the debacle at Fishguard, this expedition saw some bloody fighting in which hundreds were killed in the Battle of Castlebar
.
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
by Revolutionary France
French First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
during the War of the First Coalition. The brief campaign, which took place between 22 February and 24 February 1797, was the most recent effort by a foreign force that was able to land on Britain, and thus is often referred to as the "last invasion of Britain". The invasion was the plan of General Lazare Hoche
Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was a French soldier who rose to be general of the Revolutionary army.Born of poor parents near Versailles, he enlisted at sixteen as a private soldier in the Gardes Françaises...
, who had devised a three-pronged attack on Britain in support of Irish Republicans under Wolfe Tone. Two forces would land in Britain as a diversionary effort
Feint
Feint is a French term that entered English from the discipline of fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or even none, will...
, while the main body would land in Ireland. However, poor weather and indiscipline halted two of the forces, although the third, aimed at landing in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and marching on Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, went ahead.
The invasion force consisted of 1,400 troops from the La Legion Noire
La Legion Noire
La Légion Noire was a military unit of the French Revolutionary Army. The only action of any note that it took part in was the unsuccessful last invasion of Britain in February 1797....
(The Black Legion) under the command of Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
Colonel William Tate, 800 of whom were irregulars
Irregular military
Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military organization, or to the type of tactics used....
. Transported on four French warships under the command of Commodore Jean-Joseph Castagnier, Tate's forces landed at Carregwastad Head near Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
on 22 February, after a failed attempt to enter Fishguard harbour itself. However, upon landing, discipline broke down amongst the irregulars, many of whom deserted to loot nearby settlements. The remaining troops were met by a quickly assembled group of around 500 British reservists
Military reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
, militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
and sailors under the command of John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor
John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor
John Campbell of Cawdor, 1st Baron Cawdor of Castlemartin was the son of Pryse Campbell and Sarah Bacon.He married Lady Isabella Caroline Howard, daughter of Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle and Lady Margaret Caroline Leveson-Gower, on 28 July 1789...
. After brief clashes with the local civilian population and Lord Cawdor's forces on 23 February, Tate was forced into an unconditional surrender
Unconditional surrender
Unconditional surrender is a surrender without conditions, in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. In modern times unconditional surrenders most often include guarantees provided by international law. Announcing that only unconditional surrender is acceptable puts psychological...
by 24 February. Later, the British captured two of the expedition's vessels, a frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
and a corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
. Despite all this, Castagnier managed to return to France.
Initial phases
The invasion was the plan of General Lazare HocheLazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was a French soldier who rose to be general of the Revolutionary army.Born of poor parents near Versailles, he enlisted at sixteen as a private soldier in the Gardes Françaises...
. He proposed to land 15,000 French troops in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to support Theobald Wolfe Tone and the Irish Republicans at Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay
Bantry Bay is a bay located in County Cork, southwest Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km wide at the head and wide at the entrance....
. As a diversionary attack to draw away British reinforcements, two smaller forces would land at Great Britain, one in northern England near Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and another in Wales. The overall aim was to start an uprising against the English using the deep-rooted patriotism and nationalist pride in the Celtic regions of Britain, and march onwards to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and finally London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In December 1796, Hoche's Expedition arrived at Bantry Bay, but was scattered and badly hit by atrocious weather. After being unable to land a single soldier, Hoche decided to set sail and return to France. In January 1797, poor weather in the North Sea along with outbreaks of mutiny and indiscipline also stopped the attacking force on Newcastle, and they too returned to France. However, the third part of the plan went ahead, and on 16 February a force of four French warships left Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
flying Russian colours and headed for Britain.
French landing
Colonel William Tate, an Irish-American from South Carolina, was the Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force. He had fought against the British during the American War of Independence, but after a failed coup d'etatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in New Orleans, he fled to Paris in 1795. Under his command was La Seconde Legion des Francs, more commonly known as La Legion Noire
La Legion Noire
La Légion Noire was a military unit of the French Revolutionary Army. The only action of any note that it took part in was the unsuccessful last invasion of Britain in February 1797....
("The Black Legion") due to their use of captured British uniforms dyed very dark brown/black. The force consisted of 600 regular troops that Napoleon Bonaparte had not required in his conquest of Italy, and another 800 Republicans, deserters, convicts and Royalist prisoners. They were all well-armed, and some of their officers were Irish.
The naval side of the operation was under the command of Commodore Castagnier. The four French warships were some of the newest and largest in the French fleet: the frigates La Vengeance and La Resistance (the latter being on her maiden voyage), the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
La Constance, and a smaller lugger
Lugger
A lugger is a class of boats, widely used as traditional fishing boats, particularly off the coasts of France, Scotland and England. It is a small sailing vessel with lugsails set on two or more masts and perhaps lug topsails.-Defining the rig:...
called Le Vautour. Castagnier's orders from the Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
were to land the force under Colonel Tate and then rendezvous with Hoche's Expedition returning from Ireland to give them assistance.
The initial plan was to land near Bristol but adverse weather and the treacherous tides of the Severn Estuary forced the fleet to turn around and land at their second choice at Cardigan Bay, on the west coast of Wales. On their way through the Bristol channel, the fleet was spotted from Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England with a small harbour, surrounded by cliffs.The parish stretches along the coast from 'The Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and 4 miles along The Torrs to Lee Bay toward the west...
. The fleet was spotted off the coast of Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
near St David's
St David's
St Davids , is a city and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Lying on the River Alun on St David's Peninsula, it is Britain's smallest city in terms of both size and population, the final resting place of Saint David, the country's patron saint, and the de facto ecclesiastical capital of...
by retired sailor Thomas Williams of Trelythin, and although they were flying British colours, Williams was not fooled and raised the alarm. The four French warships captured a local trading vessel, the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Britannia, carrying a cargo of culm
Culm
Culm, in botanical context, originally referred to a stem of any type of plant. It is derived from the Latin word for 'stalk' and now specifically refers to the above-ground or aerial stems of grasses and sedges....
bound for Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
, whose Captain John Owen warned the French of the dangers of trying to land at Fishguard when it was defended by infantry, cavalry and artillery in Fishguard Fort. The smallest ship, La Vautour, entered Fishguard Harbour to test the waters flying the Union Jack. A single shot from a cannon at Fishguard Fort forced the vessel to turn around and instead, under the cover of darkness, La Legion Noire landed at the secluded bay of Carregwastad, three miles west of Fishguard. By 2 a.m. on 23 February 1797, the French had landed 17 boatloads of troops, 47 barrels of gunpowder, 50 tons of cartridges and grenades, and 2,000 stands of arms. One rowing boat was lost in the surf and sank, with the loss of artillery pieces and ammunition.
Landowner William Knox had raised the Fishguard & Newport Volunteer Infantry in 1794 in response to the British government's call to arms. By 1797, there were four companies totaling nearly 300 men, and the unit was the largest in the County of Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. To command this regiment, William Knox appointed his 28-year-old son, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Knox, a man who had bought his commission
Sale of commissions
The sale of commissions was a common practice in most European armies where wealthy and noble officers purchased their rank. Only the Imperial Russian Army and the Prussian Army never used such a system. While initially shunned in the French Revolutionary Army, it was eventually revived in the...
and had no combat experience.
On the night of 22 February, there was a social event at Tregwynt Mansion, and the young Thomas Knox was in attendance when a messenger on horseback arrived from the Fishguard & Newport Volunteer Infantry to instruct the Commanding Officer of the invasion. The import of this news was slow to dawn on Knox, but, upon returning to Fishguard Fort, he sent instructions that the Newport Division of the Regiment was to march the seven miles to Fishguard with all haste. Lord Cawdor, Captain of the Castlemartin Troop of the Pembroke Yeomanry Cavalry, was stationed 30 miles away at Stackpole Court in the far south of the county, where the troop had massed in preparation for a funeral the following day. He immediately assembled all the troops at his disposal and set off for the county town of Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...
along with the Pembroke Volunteers and the Cardiganshire Militia, who were on routine exercises at the time. At Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...
, Lieutenant-Colonel Colby of the Pembrokeshire Militia had summoned together a force of 250 soldiers, along with Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
Longcroft who had brought up the press gangs and crews of two revenue vessels based in Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
, totalling 150 sailors. Nine cannons were also brought ashore, of which six were placed inside Haverfordwest Castle
Haverfordwest Castle
Haverfordwest Castle is a castle located in the town centre at Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, south Wales, located in a naturally defensive position at the end of a strong, isolated ridge. The castle was established during Norman times in 1120 but much of the architecture remaining today is dated to...
and the other three prepared for transit to Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
with the local forces. Cawdor arrived, and in consultation with the Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
of the County, Lord Milford, and the other officers present, Lord Cawdor was delegated full authority and overall command.
The French had already begun to move inland and secure outlying farmhouses. A company of French grenadiers under Lieutenant St.Leger took possession of Trehowel Farm on the Llanwnda Peninsula about a mile from their landing site, and it was here that Colonel Tate decided to set up his headquarters. The French forces were instructed to live off the land, and as soon as the convicts landed on British soil, they deserted the invasion force and began to loot the local villages and hamlets. One group broke into Llanwnda Church to shelter from the cold, and set about lighting a fire inside using the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
as kindling and the pews as firewood. However the 600 regulars remained loyal to their officers and orders.
Knox had declared to Colby his intention to attack the French on 23 February if he was not heavily outnumbered. He then sent out scouting parties to assess the strength of the enemy.
23 February
By the morning of 23 February, the French had moved two miles inland and occupied strong defensive positions on the high rocky outcrops of Garnwnda and Carngelli, obtaining an unobstructed view of the surrounding countryside. Things were going well for Tate.Unfortunately for Knox, a hundred men had still not arrived and he learned he was facing a force of nearly ten times his size. Although many inhabitants of the local areas were fleeing with panic, many more were flocking into Fishguard armed with a variety of crude weaponry volunteering to fight alongside the Volunteer Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
. Knox had three choices - to attack the French, to defend Fishguard or to retreat towards the oncoming reinforcements from Haverfordwest. He decided to retreat and gave orders for the nine cannons in Fishguard Fort to be spiked
Touch hole
A touch hole is a small hole, through which the propellant charge of a cannon or muzzleloading gun is ignited. In small arms, the flash from a charge of priming held in the flash pan is enough to ignite the charge within...
(which the Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
Gunners refused to do) and at 9 a.m. he set off, sending out scouts continuously to reconnoitre the French. Knox and his 194 men met the reinforcements led by Lord Cawdor at Treffgarne, eight miles south of Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
at 1:30 p.m. After a short dispute between the two men, Cawdor assumed command and led the British forces back towards Fishguard.
Tate was now having serious problems of his own. Discipline had collapsed amongst the convicts when they had discovered the locals' supply of wine (a Portuguese ship had been shipwrecked on the nearby coast a few weeks previously) and morale in general was low. The invasion was beginning to lose its momentum. The convicts began to rebel and mutiny against their officers and others had simply vanished during the night. Those left loyal were the regular troops, such as the Grenadiers. In farmhouses all over the Llanwnda Peninsula, the French lay drunk and sick. The Welsh people were now obviously hostile to the French, and already six Welshmen and French soldiers had been killed in clashes. Many of the Irish and French officers began to counsel surrender, and the departure of Castagnier and the naval squadron that morning meant there was no escape route open.
By 5 p.m., the British had arrived back in Fishguard, and Cawdor decided to attack before dusk. The 600 men, dragging their three cannons behind them, marched up the narrow Trefwrgi Lane from Goodwick
Goodwick
Goodwick is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. Goodwick was a small fishing village in the parish of Llanwnda, but in 1887 work commenced on a railway connection and harbour, and the village grew rapidly to service this...
towards the French position on Garngelli. Lieutenant St.Leger and the Grenadiers had made their way down from Garngelli and prepared an ambush behind the high hedges of Trefwrgi Lane. A volley of musketry and grenades poured into a tightly compressed column at point blank range would have been devastating and resulted in heavy casualties on the British side. Luckily for Cawdor, he decided to turn around and head back to Fishguard due to the failing light and he avoided the ambush a few hundred yards ahead.
French surrender
That evening, two French officers arrived at the Royal Oak where Cawdor had set up his headquarters on Fishguard Square. They wished to negotiate a conditional surrender. Cawdor bluffed and replied that with his superior force he would only accept the unconditional surrender of the French forces and issued an ultimatum to Colonel Tate. He had until 10 a.m. on 24 February to surrender on GoodwickGoodwick
Goodwick is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. Goodwick was a small fishing village in the parish of Llanwnda, but in 1887 work commenced on a railway connection and harbour, and the village grew rapidly to service this...
Sands, otherwise the French would be attacked.
The following morning, at 8 a.m. on 24 February 1797, the British forces lined up in battle order on Goodwick Sands. Up above them on the cliffs, the inhabitants of the town came to watch and await Tate's response to the ultimatum. Tate tried to delay it but eventually accepted the terms of the unconditional surrender, and at 2 p.m., the sounds of the French drums could be heard leading the column down to Goodwick
Goodwick
Goodwick is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. Goodwick was a small fishing village in the parish of Llanwnda, but in 1887 work commenced on a railway connection and harbour, and the village grew rapidly to service this...
. The French piled their weapons and by 4 p.m., the French prisoners were marched through Fishguard on their way to temporary imprisonment at Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...
. Meanwhile, Cawdor had ridden out with a party of his Pembroke Yeomanry Cavalry to Trehowel Farm to receive Tate's official surrender. Unfortunately the actual document has been lost.
After brief imprisonment, Tate was returned to France in a prisoner exchange in 1798, along with most of his invasion force.
On 9 March 1797, HMS St Fiorenzo
HMS St Fiorenzo (1794)
HMS St Fiorenzo was a 38-gun fifth rate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served with the French Navy as the Minerve, before the British captured her during the French Revolutionary Wars. She went on to serve under a number of the most distinguished naval commanders of her age, in theatres...
, under the command of Sir Harry Neale, was sailing in company with Captain John Cooke's
John Cooke (Royal Navy officer)
Captain John Cooke was an experienced and highly regarded officer of the British Royal Navy during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the first years of the Napoleonic Wars. Cooke is best known for his death in hand-to-hand combat with French forces during the...
HMS Nymphe, when they encountered La Resistance, which had been crippled by the adverse weather in the Irish Sea en-route to Ireland, along with La Constance. Cooke and Neale chased after them, engaging them for half an hour, after which both French ships surrendered. There were no casualties or damage on either of the British ships, while the two French ships lost 18 killed and 15 wounded between them. La Resistance was re-fitted and renamed HMS Fisgard and La Constance became HMS Constance. Castagnier, on board Le Vengeance, made it safely back to France.
Legacy
In 1853, amidst fears of another invasion by the French, Lord Palmerston conferred upon the Pembroke YeomanryPembroke Yeomanry
The Pembroke Yeomanry were formed in 1794, by Lord Milfordwhen King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was Prime Minister of Great Britain, and across the English Channel, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its King and which possessed a...
the battle honour "Fishguard". This regiment has the unique honour of being the only regiment in the British Army, regular or territorial, that bears a battle honour for an engagement on the British mainland. It was also the first battle honour awarded to a volunteer unit.
The heroine of the hour was Jemima Nicholas
Jemima Nicholas
Jemima Nicholas , also known as Jemima Fawr, was a Welsh heroine who led the women of Pembrokeshire into battle in what is known as the last invasion of Britain. When the contingent arrived, she reached for a pitchfork and captured 12 French soldiers who were drunk at the time...
, who, with her pitchfork, went out single-handedly into the fields around Fishguard and rounded up 12 French soldiers and 'persuaded' them to return with her to town where she locked them inside St Mary's Church.
It is thought the French troops may have mistaken local women like her, in their traditional tall black hats and red cloaks, for British Grenadiers when they stood on the cliffs above the British force lined up on Goodwick Sands at the surrender.
The wreck of a rowing boat believed to belong to the invasion fleet was found in 2003 and lies off Strumble Head
Strumble Head
Strumble Head is a rocky headland in north Pembrokeshire, Wales.It gives its name to Strumble Head Lighthouse and Strumble VOR, a way point in many trans-atlantic flights....
.
In August of the following year, another French force landed in County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Connaught
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
, in the west of Ireland. In contrast to the debacle at Fishguard, this expedition saw some bloody fighting in which hundreds were killed in the Battle of Castlebar
Battle of Castlebar
The Battle of Castlebar occurred on 27 August near the town of Castlebar, County Mayo, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. A combined force of 2,000 French and Irish routed a force of 6,000 British militia in what would later became known as the "Castlebar Races", or Races of...
.