Pierre Martin (French Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Admiral Pierre Martin was a French
Navy officer and admiral.
. In 1759, his family fled to Rochefort
as his hometown was taken by the British during the Seven Years' War
.
Martin served as an apprentice on the fluit Saint Esprit. He received instructions in hydrography and became an aspiring pilot in 1769. He sailed to the Indian Ocean. In 1775, serving aboard the frigate Terpsichore, he lost an eye in an accident.
On 2 February 1776, he married Magdelaine Schimellé. A daughter, Marguerite, was born within the year.
as a pilot, and took part in the Battle of Ushant
, the Battle of Grenada
, the Battle of Martinique, where he was wounded, and the Siege of Savannah
.
In 1781, he served aboard the Cérès, in Vaudreuil
's squadron. In 1782, he became an officier bleu, being fast-tracked for a career as an reserve Navy officer.
After the Treaty of Paris
, Martin stayed with the royal Navy and served on a variety of ships in the Caraibs. In 1785, he received command of the corvelle Rossignol, and of the Cousine, based in Senegal, between 1786 and 1791.
In 1788, reforms of the Navy initiated by Marshal Castries
allowed him to be promoted to sub-lieutenant.
The next year, he was promoted to captain and given command of the frigate Hermione
, patrolling the French shores to fend off privateers. He stationed for three months at the entrance of the Loire river to support Republican troops against the Royalists during the War in the Vendée. In September, Hermione ran aground and was destroyed off Le Croisic
, due to an error by a local pilot. Martin was court-martialled for the loss of his ship, and found innocent of any wrongdoing.
In November 1793, Martin rose to contre-amiral. In early 1794, he was given chief command of the Toulon squadron, with his flag on the Sans Culotte
. The squadron, initially 7-ship of the line-strong, with four frigates and one corvette, was soon joined by eight ships from Brest. Martin complained of the low quality of the crews, still ill-trained after the British occupation of Toulon
In 1795, his squadron captured , and fought the Battle of Cape Noli against Hotham
's fleet. In July, another clash between the two fleets resulted in the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
.
With most of his forces blockaded in Toulon harbour, Martin launched numerous small squadrons for limited raids. Martin was promoted to vice-admiral in March 1796 and relieved by Brueys
.
when the charge was founded in 1801, until 1809. When Latouche-Tréville died in 1804, numerous officier petitioned for him to be put in charge of the Mediterranean fleet.
In April 1809, Allemand's insufficiently strong defensive positions gave Admiral Gambier
an opportunity for a strike, leading to the Battle of the Basque Roads
. The resulting loss of four ships and two frigates was blamed on captains, four of whom were court-martialed with one relieved of duty and one, Laffon, of Calcutta
, executed by firing squad, but Allemand's role was never questioned, much to the outrage of the officers. Martin openly expressed his disapproval of the verdict.
Martin fell out of favour and was kept away from responsibilities until the end of the Empire. He retired in 1814, though he was reintegrated during the Hundred Days
. The Bourbon Restauration considered him to be compromised with Napoleon, as he had attempted to communicate plans for an evasion to America. Nevertheless, in 1817, he was confirmed as a Count by Louis XVIII.
Martin died in 1820. His epitaph reads:
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...
Navy officer and admiral.
Youth
Pierre Martin was born to a Canadian family of LouisbourgLouisbourg, Nova Scotia
Louisbourg is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.-History:The town's name was given by French military forces who founded the Fortress of Louisbourg and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, in honour of Louis XV...
. In 1759, his family fled to Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
as his hometown was taken by the British during the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
.
Martin served as an apprentice on the fluit Saint Esprit. He received instructions in hydrography and became an aspiring pilot in 1769. He sailed to the Indian Ocean. In 1775, serving aboard the frigate Terpsichore, he lost an eye in an accident.
On 2 February 1776, he married Magdelaine Schimellé. A daughter, Marguerite, was born within the year.
American War of Independence
Martin served on the MagnifiqueFrench ship Magnifique (1750)
The Magnifique was the lead ship of the 3-ship Magnifique class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.On 15 August 1782, the Magnifique crashed along the rocky shore of Lovells Island, in Boston Harbor, MA, USA...
as a pilot, and took part in the Battle of Ushant
Battle of Ushant (1778)
The Battle of Ushant took place on 27 July 1778, during the American War of Independence, fought between French and British fleets 100 miles west of Ushant, a French island at the mouth of the English Channel off the north-westernmost point of France...
, the Battle of Grenada
Battle of Grenada
The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American War of Independence in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy.-Origins:...
, the Battle of Martinique, where he was wounded, and the Siege of Savannah
Siege of Savannah
The Siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell. The siege itself consisted of a joint...
.
In 1781, he served aboard the Cérès, in Vaudreuil
Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil
Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was second in command of the French Navy during the American Revolutionary War.-Early life:...
's squadron. In 1782, he became an officier bleu, being fast-tracked for a career as an reserve Navy officer.
After the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
, Martin stayed with the royal Navy and served on a variety of ships in the Caraibs. In 1785, he received command of the corvelle Rossignol, and of the Cousine, based in Senegal, between 1786 and 1791.
In 1788, reforms of the Navy initiated by Marshal Castries
Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, marquis de Castries
Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix de Castries, marquis de Castries, baron des États de Languedoc, comte de Charlus, baron de Castelnau et de Montjouvent, seigneur de Puylaurens et de Lézignan was a French marshal...
allowed him to be promoted to sub-lieutenant.
Revolutionary wars
In 1792, Martin was promoted to lieutenant and given command of the corvette Espoir, off Senegal.The next year, he was promoted to captain and given command of the frigate Hermione
French frigate Hermione (1779)
The Hermione was a 12-pounder Concorde class frigate of the French Navy. She became famous when she ferried General Lafayette to the United States in 1780 to allow him to join the American side in the American Revolutionary War.- History :...
, patrolling the French shores to fend off privateers. He stationed for three months at the entrance of the Loire river to support Republican troops against the Royalists during the War in the Vendée. In September, Hermione ran aground and was destroyed off Le Croisic
Le Croisic
Le Croisic is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-References:...
, due to an error by a local pilot. Martin was court-martialled for the loss of his ship, and found innocent of any wrongdoing.
In November 1793, Martin rose to contre-amiral. In early 1794, he was given chief command of the Toulon squadron, with his flag on the Sans Culotte
French ship Orient (1791)
The Dauphin-Royal was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the French Revolution, she was renamed Sans-Culotte in September 1792, and eventually Orient in May 1795....
. The squadron, initially 7-ship of the line-strong, with four frigates and one corvette, was soon joined by eight ships from Brest. Martin complained of the low quality of the crews, still ill-trained after the British occupation of Toulon
In 1795, his squadron captured , and fought the Battle of Cape Noli against Hotham
William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham
Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Sir Beaumont Hotham , a lineal descendant of Sir John Hotham....
's fleet. In July, another clash between the two fleets resulted in the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
The Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought on 13 July 1795 off the Hyères Islands, a group of islands off the French Mediterranean coast, about 25 km east of Toulon. The battle was fought between the van of a British fleet chasing the French squadron, and the French rear...
.
With most of his forces blockaded in Toulon harbour, Martin launched numerous small squadrons for limited raids. Martin was promoted to vice-admiral in March 1796 and relieved by Brueys
François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers
Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers, Comte de Brueys was the French commander in the Battle of the Nile, in which the French Revolutionary Navy was defeated by Royal Navy forces under Admiral Horatio Nelson. The British victory helped to ensure their naval supremacy throughout the...
.
Préfet maritime
Martin was put in charge of the forces in Rochefort, and became préfet maritimePréfet Maritime
The Préfet Maritime is a servant of the French State who exercises authority over the sea in one particular region . As a civil servant, he reports to the Prime Minister...
when the charge was founded in 1801, until 1809. When Latouche-Tréville died in 1804, numerous officier petitioned for him to be put in charge of the Mediterranean fleet.
In April 1809, Allemand's insufficiently strong defensive positions gave Admiral Gambier
James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier
Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier GCB was an admiral of the Royal Navy, who served as Governor of Newfoundland, and as a Lord of the Admiralty, but who gained notoriety for his actions at the Battle of the Basque Roads.-Early career:Gambier was born in New Providence, The...
an opportunity for a strike, leading to the Battle of the Basque Roads
Battle of the Basque Roads
The Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
. The resulting loss of four ships and two frigates was blamed on captains, four of whom were court-martialed with one relieved of duty and one, Laffon, of Calcutta
HMS Calcutta (1795)
HMS Calcutta was an East Indiaman converted to a Royal Navy 56-gun fourth rate. This ship of the line served for a time as an armed transport. She also transported convicts to Australia in a voyage that became a circumnavigation of the world. The French 74-gun Magnanime captured Calcutta in 1805...
, executed by firing squad, but Allemand's role was never questioned, much to the outrage of the officers. Martin openly expressed his disapproval of the verdict.
Martin fell out of favour and was kept away from responsibilities until the end of the Empire. He retired in 1814, though he was reintegrated during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
. The Bourbon Restauration considered him to be compromised with Napoleon, as he had attempted to communicate plans for an evasion to America. Nevertheless, in 1817, he was confirmed as a Count by Louis XVIII.
Martin died in 1820. His epitaph reads:
Honours
- Grand officer of the legion of Honour (1804)
- Knight of Saint Louis (1791)
Sources and references
- Six (Georges) : Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l’Empire, Paris, Librairie Historique et Nobiliaire Georges Saffroy, 1934.
- Contre-amiral Granier (Hubert) Histoire des marins français (1789-1815), Marine Éditions, Nantes, 1998
- Thomazi (Auguste) : Les Marins de Napoléon, Tallandier, Paris 1978.
- Comte Pouget : la vie et les campagnes du vice-amiral comte Martin, Paris, 1852.
- Archives nationales (CARAN) – Service Historique de l’Armée de Terre – Fort de Vincennes – Dossier S.H.A.M. Côte : CC7 ALPHA 1 701.
- Côte S.H.A.M., état de services, distinctions sur web.genealogie.free.fr : Les militaires