Raids on Boulogne

Overview

The raid on Boulogne in 1801 was a failed attempt by elements of the Royal Navy led by Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson to destroy a flotilla of French vessels anchored in the port of Boulogne, a fleet which was thought to be used for the invasion of England, during the French Revolutionary Wars. At dawn on 4 August, Nelson ordered five bomb vessels to move forward and open fire against the French line. Despite the inferior gunpowder of French artillery and the high number of shots fired by the bomb vessels, the British sustained more casualties and withdrew. The night of 16 August Nelson returned and tried to bring off the flotilla, attacking with seventy boats and nearly two thousand men organized into four divisions, but the attack was successfully repelled by the defenders, led by Admiral Latouche Tréville.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The August 1801 raid on Boulogne was part of the Royal Navy's effort to neutralize the French invasion flotilla assembling at the port during the final phase of the French Revolutionary Wars. Nelson's attempt to destroy or capture the anchored French vessels failed on both occasions he led forces against them. The earlier August 4 bombardment by bomb vessels inflicted fewer losses than the British sustained before a withdrawal. The larger night attack on August 16, deploying seventy boats and nearly two thousand men in four divisions, was repelled by the French defenders under Latouche Tréville, who inflicted 126 casualties on the attacking force. The twin failures demonstrated that the French flotilla could not be easily neutralized from the sea, leaving the invasion threat formally unresolved until the Peace of Amiens brought the war to a close the following year.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)