Louis Edouard Bouët-Willaumez
Encyclopedia
Louis Edouard Bouët-Willaumez (24 April 1808 – 9 September 1871) was a French
admiral
.
He was born Louis Edouard Bouët, the son of a businessman (and mayor of Lambezeller) in Maison-Lafitte, near Paris
. Having joined the French Navy
, in 1824 he embarked on a five-year voyage, first in the Mediterranean (where he saw action at the Battle of Navarino
in 1827) and then in the Indian Ocean
.
In 1829 he was promoted to ship's Ensign
, and served in the Morea expedition
. In 1830 he was part of the blockade and capture of Algiers
, followed by the blockade of Antwerp. Made Lieutenant
in 1834, he was attached to the naval post at La Plata
, from where he was sent to Senegal
. In 1836 took command of the steamship L'Africain, with which he travelled 200 miles inland, up to the waterfall at Felou (les Chutes de Felou) in upper Senegal. He was the only Westerner to return alive, the others having succumbed to disease.
In 1838 Bouët took command of the brig
La Malouine, which charted a trade route along the African coast. Along the way he punished a native tribe that had plundered three trading ships, and signed a commercial treaty with the king of Gabon
in 1839. In July 1840 he carried out a reconnaissance of the bay of Mogador
and established a plan of attack.
Promoted to Lieutenant commander
in 1840, on Le Misus, he took command of the Foreign Division of Africa from 1841 to 1842, when he was named provisional governor of Senegal. In 1843, Bouët began a period of expansion when he captured the port of Saint-Louis
and allowed privately owned trading companies (mainly from Bordeaux
) to handle the administration of the town; he also sent a new mission to Bambuk, and signed a commercial treaty with the ruler of Bondu
. On 15 August 1844 he was attached to the expedition commanded by the Prince de Joinville, which took Mogador using the information that had been collected by Bouët. His reward was to take the trophies back to France, together with a promotion to Captain
.
In 1845 he was adopted by his uncle, Vice-Admiral Willaumez, whose name he took, and married the daughter of Admiral Lemorant — two events that opened a number of doors for him. In that same year, Bouët-Willaumez took command of the steamship Le Caraïbe at Lorient as Flag captain
to Admiral Montagniac de Rocque, and served as Commander of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa. He served as chief of staff of a squadron of twenty-six cruisers.
In 1848 he became commander of the Naval Division of the African Coast, on the frigate Pénélope. During this period he restored French sovereignty over Guinea, and was named Commander of the Légion d'honneur
for courage shown during a bayonet
-charge on land against rebellious tribes. He also took part in a diplomatic mission to negotiate the end of trade with England.
In 1853, promoted to Rear Admiral
, he was named chief of staff of the Mediterranean squadron, under Admiral Hamelin
. During the Crimean War
he took part in the bombardment of Odessa
and attacks on Sebastopol. He was made a commander of the Order of the Bath
by the British government for his services during the war.
In 1859, during the Second Italian War of Independence
, Bouët-Willaumez commanded the French squadron in the Adriatic. After these operations, he was appointed to the committee responsible for coast defences, and oversaw works at the ports of Nice
and Villefranche-sur-Mer
which became part of France at the end of the war.
Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1860, he served as Maritime Prefect of Cherbourg, and in 1861 as Prefect at Toulon
. He commanded the French Mediterranean Fleet in 1864, and was appointed to the Senate of France in 1865.
During the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870, he was named to command a squadron intended to attack the north German coasts, but French defeats on land put an end to these plans.
He died in 1871.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
.
He was born Louis Edouard Bouët, the son of a businessman (and mayor of Lambezeller) in Maison-Lafitte, near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Having joined the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
, in 1824 he embarked on a five-year voyage, first in the Mediterranean (where he saw action at the Battle of Navarino
Battle of Navarino
The naval Battle of Navarino was fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence in Navarino Bay , on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. A combined Ottoman and Egyptian armada was destroyed by a combined British, French and Russian naval force...
in 1827) and then in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
.
In 1829 he was promoted to ship's Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
, and served in the Morea expedition
Morea expedition
The Morea expedition is the name given in France to the land intervention of the French Army in the Peloponnese, between 1828 and 1833, at the time of the Greek War of Independence....
. In 1830 he was part of the blockade and capture of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, followed by the blockade of Antwerp. Made Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1834, he was attached to the naval post at La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
, from where he was sent to Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
. In 1836 took command of the steamship L'Africain, with which he travelled 200 miles inland, up to the waterfall at Felou (les Chutes de Felou) in upper Senegal. He was the only Westerner to return alive, the others having succumbed to disease.
In 1838 Bouët took command of the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
La Malouine, which charted a trade route along the African coast. Along the way he punished a native tribe that had plundered three trading ships, and signed a commercial treaty with the king of Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
in 1839. In July 1840 he carried out a reconnaissance of the bay of Mogador
Essaouira
Mogador redirects here, for the hamlet in Surrey see Mogador, Surrey.Essaouira is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast. Since the 16th century, the city has also been known by its Portuguese name of Mogador or Mogadore...
and established a plan of attack.
Promoted to Lieutenant commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
in 1840, on Le Misus, he took command of the Foreign Division of Africa from 1841 to 1842, when he was named provisional governor of Senegal. In 1843, Bouët began a period of expansion when he captured the port of Saint-Louis
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
and allowed privately owned trading companies (mainly from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
) to handle the administration of the town; he also sent a new mission to Bambuk, and signed a commercial treaty with the ruler of Bondu
Bondu
Bondu was a state in West Africa, later a French protectorate dependent on the colony of Senegal. It lay between the Faleme River and the upper course of the Gambia River, that is between 13 and 15 N., and 12 and 13 W.-Description:...
. On 15 August 1844 he was attached to the expedition commanded by the Prince de Joinville, which took Mogador using the information that had been collected by Bouët. His reward was to take the trophies back to France, together with a promotion to Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
.
In 1845 he was adopted by his uncle, Vice-Admiral Willaumez, whose name he took, and married the daughter of Admiral Lemorant — two events that opened a number of doors for him. In that same year, Bouët-Willaumez took command of the steamship Le Caraïbe at Lorient as Flag captain
Captain of the fleet
In the Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries a Captain of the Fleet could be appointed to assist an admiral when the admiral had ten or more ships to command....
to Admiral Montagniac de Rocque, and served as Commander of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa. He served as chief of staff of a squadron of twenty-six cruisers.
In 1848 he became commander of the Naval Division of the African Coast, on the frigate Pénélope. During this period he restored French sovereignty over Guinea, and was named Commander of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
for courage shown during a bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
-charge on land against rebellious tribes. He also took part in a diplomatic mission to negotiate the end of trade with England.
In 1853, promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
, he was named chief of staff of the Mediterranean squadron, under Admiral Hamelin
François Alphonse Hamelin
Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin , French admiral, was born in Pont-l'Évêque, Normandy.He went to sea in 1806 as cabin boy with his uncle, Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, on the frigate Vénus. The Vénus was part of the French squadron in the Indian Ocean, and young Hamelin had an opportunity of seeing...
. During the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he took part in the bombardment of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and attacks on Sebastopol. He was made a commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
by the British government for his services during the war.
In 1859, during the Second Italian War of Independence
Second Italian War of Independence
The Second War of Italian Independence, Franco-Austrian War, Austro-Sardinian War, or Austro-Piedmontese War , was fought by Napoleon III of France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia against the Austrian Empire in 1859...
, Bouët-Willaumez commanded the French squadron in the Adriatic. After these operations, he was appointed to the committee responsible for coast defences, and oversaw works at the ports of Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
which became part of France at the end of the war.
Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1860, he served as Maritime Prefect of Cherbourg, and in 1861 as Prefect at Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. He commanded the French Mediterranean Fleet in 1864, and was appointed to the Senate of France in 1865.
During the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870, he was named to command a squadron intended to attack the north German coasts, but French defeats on land put an end to these plans.
He died in 1871.
Writings
- Commerce et raite des noirs aux côtes occidentales d'Afrique. Paris 1848)
- Campagnes aux côtes occidentales d'Afrique. Paris (1850)
- La flotte francaise et les colonies en 1852. Paris (1855)
- Batailles de terre et de mer. Paris (1855)
- Tactiques supplémentaire à l'usage d'une flotte cuirassée. Paris (1864)
Sources and external links
- Amiral Bouet-Willaumez (in French)