Captain Louis-Philippe, the Marquis de Vaudreuil.
Attachment 41079
Louis-Philippe was born into a family with a rich political and military tradition. His grandfather,
Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, and his uncle
Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnal, were both governors of
Canada; the latter was its last governor, surrendering
Montreal to the British in 1760. Another uncle,
Pierre-François de Rigaud, fought with
Montcalm at the
Battle of Oswego.
His father, also named
Louis-Philippe de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, was a celebrated admiral of the
French Navy, and was in charge of the navy in North America in 1747. Louis-Philippe the elder successfully saved
Desherbiers de l'Etenduère at the
Second battle of Cape Finisterre while commanding the
Intrépide.
Louis XV himself ordered the celebrated
Dutch artist
Charles-André van Loo to paint one of his naval battles; this painting is still in the
Palace of Versailles.
Although his father was born in
Quebec City and there are claims that Louis-Philippe the son was born in
Canada, it is more probable that he was born in
Rochefort, France, as his father was in charge of that city on the west coast of France at the time.
American Revolutionary War.
Vaudreuil was dispatched to America when the French entered the war on the side of the Americans in February 1778. His first engagement came at the
First Battle of Ushant, an island on the north-west part of France near
Brest, where the French Navy and the
British Navy fought to a draw. He was at sea for about five months.
Vaudreuil was on the
Sceptre in the
Battle of the Chesapeake. After one furious engagement with the British navy, Admiral
de Grasse's fleet and the British fleet drifted for miles south of Yorktown and lost sight of each other. De Grasse eventually disengaged and returned to the Chesapeake, where he met the fleet of the Comte de Barras. This combined fleet outnumbered the British fleet, and gave the French control of the bay when the British opted not to attack. This had the effect of cutting the army of
Cornwallis off from resupply and relief, leading to the
Siege of Yorktown and his surrender. Vaudreuil's contribution to this effort was to provide the cavalry of Duke of Lauzun, a foreign legion that was a mix of Russian, Slavic, Polish and German mercenaries in the service of France. He also provided eight hundred men from his ship to
Gloucester Point in defence of a peninsula near Yorktown. Together with the Duke of Lauzun these men fought the cavalry of
Tarleton, and defeated him.
In the 1782
Battle of the Saintes, Vaudreuil was credited with saving most of the French Navy's ships in the disastrous defeat. Since De Grasse was taken prisoner Vaudreuil took command of the entire French fleet in America. Afterward, Vaudreuil was on the ship
Triumphant in Boston harbour. At the conclusion of the war in 1783, he was responsible for bringing the victorious French army of
Rochambeau back to France.
French Revolution.
Vaudreuil, with other Naval officers, forced his way into the Palace of Versailles on the night of October 5–6 to protect the Royal family. He then emigrated to London in 1791, returning to Paris in 1800. Upon returning, he was granted a Naval pension by Napoleon.