u/stiF_staL

Admiral De Grasse sailed from the West Indies with additional French expeditionary forces, secured victory at the Chesapeake, denying Cornwallis evacuation by sea.

Maj. Gen. Lafayette, Washington’s son in arms who pinned Cornwallis and nearly one quarter of Britain’s North American forces in Yorktown.

Lt. Gen. Rochambeau, Commander-in-chief of the Expédition Particulière. Upon learning of Admiral de Grasse’s imminent arrival, Rochambeau urged Washington to abandon his New York campaign in favor of Virginia; while during their march, they learned of Cornwallis’s position.

OTD the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia began, lasting from 28 September to 19 October 1781. While the American Revolutionary War formally ended in 1783, the Siege of Yorktown marked the beginning of the end to conflict. After then Lt. General Cornwallis, signed the Articles of Capitulation, the collapse of British political support accelerated and with it any notion of major offensive campaign against the Americans.

Today, America enjoys the idea of revolutionary fervor defeating one of the world's greatest empires. The Revolutionary mythos often overlooks the true impact of the French soldiers and seamen that fought for American independence. That is to say, without these three, and the thousands of other Frenchmen, the Stars and Stripes would likely not fly so proudly as it does today.

A quick thanks to our French members, from an American.

"Billy Culmer...was...a midshipman at the age of fifty-seven. Hard-drinking, scared of no man and a protégé of Lord Hood, Culmer let himself be talked into taking the examination for Lieutenant a second time. Old enough to be the father of the captain examining him, he lost his patience over a seamanship question about how to handle a ship in what he considered an impossible situation, told them it was humbug and that he would let the ship 'go on shore and be damned, and wish you were all on board her'. The examiners gave him a certificate, but after two commissions as Lieutenant he died in 1802."

- Life in Nelson's Navy by Dudley Pope

In 1812, Britain stood alone against Napoleon when a memorandum reached the Prince Regent, future King George IV, from an innovative sea captain. A proposal in which Lord Thomas Cochrane presented two new weapons, “temporary mortars” and “stink vessels;” each intended to ease the Royal Navy’s costly dependency on blockades.

The mortar, or “explosion ship,” functioned on four main components, a chamber, breech, charge, and projectile. Its size and material, however, brought challenge; a mortar functioned to contain and direct its energy whereas a ship’s ignited magazine, or charge, made for an unchecked explosion. 

Taking this into account, Cochrane traded rigging and decks for a ship’s bare hull braced, to shape a chamber, with heavy timber. A breech in the form of decommissioned material, then laid embedded in clay to contain the detonation, allowing both components to direct the blast upward as effectively as skill and resources permitted. Once cleared for action, the charge sat thousands of barrels of powder topped with thousands more projectiles and animal carcasses.  

The stink vessel, or “sulphur ship,” followed behind the mortar. Its design was simple, exchanging the breech and charge for an upper deck. Here, an unfortunate crew sailed near enemy vessels and fortifications upon landward winds. Once provided, the crew kept a thick spread of charcoal and sulphur alight. The effects of which released a repugnant, choking gas with intent to dispel the enemy both aboard and ashore. Where the enemy's position cleared, a beachhead was established to secure otherwise unattainable fortifications. 

A secret committee, composed of Prince Frederick Augusts, Lord Keith, and Sir Edward Pellew, was formed, invested in deliberation upon such a radical proposal. The committee regarded Cochrane's designs with distinction; however, Cochrane’s estimations betrayed him. Previous experiments convinced the captain three well-handled mortars would cripple a French squadron. Such weapons may very well break the conventions of naval warfare beyond repair and invite devastation into British ports. Not only did the committee reject his proposal; they swore him to secrecy. Thus, blockade duty remained monotonous and costly as ever. 

"You will be good as to recall that I have not asked for command of this squadron. What is more, I have always sought out a practical and useful career, as opposed to one filled with glory."

• Vice-Admiral Pierre Charles Villeneuve.

TLDR: Nelson and Napoleon unkowingly sailed past each other when Napoleon was heading to the Levant to begin his campaign in Egypt, as Nelson was sent to intercept the French fleet

Between the Wars of the First and Second Coalition, Britain stood alone at war with France. Charles IV sued for peace, subsequently binding the Spanish Navy to French service. As Napoleon liberated Lombardy and threatened Vienna, an Austria with no course of action capitulated. Nearly a dozen kingdoms made peace, thus the First Coalition collapsed, compelling Britain to cede the Mediterranean to Franco-Spanish dominance. Her control of the English channel remained, of course, making a French invasion impossible; however, a sea now void of British supremacy lent opportunity to the French.

The Levant lay open as an indirect path to peace for France, as Britain could not be struck directly. The French intended to cripple Britain’s economic ascendancy by seizing her strategic routes through Egypt, a geo-economic masterkey to British India. Besides, the Directoire was in need of ridding an overly ambitious Corsican from Paris. France proved equal to the task – 13 ships of the line, 13 frigates, and 300 transport vessels delivering Napoleon and his Armée d’Orient to Alexandria – its destination, however, remained clandestine by design.

While the invasion fleet’s presence was futile to conceal, France successfully secreted its intentions, to such a great extent its rank and file did not know their destination. The pacified Coalition entertained a notion of intrigue as Britain endured deep apprehension; this French enigma could not be tolerated. The Royal Navy tasked Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson with investigating the mysterious fleet at Toulon, which France put to sea shortly before his arrival. Despite a hampering of limited scouting vessels, Nelson deduced Egypt to be the French destination upon news from Malta. Napoleon secured the island as a forward base; a decision which later brought Tsar Paul I to the Second Coalition.

Their paths nearly converged on a moonless, opaque night after Napoleon departed Malta, each sailing unaware of the other’s presence just a few miles away. To Nelson's misfortune, Providence guided Napoleon safely from Lombardy to Alexandria, yet the Rear-Admiral’s efforts rendered him indispensable to Britain

Both fleets met at the Nile on the evening of 1 August 1798, when Nelson greeted the anchored French fleet with his 14 ships of the line and one sloop. The Armée d’Orient disembarked with relative safety. However, if successful, Napoleon would lie stranded as Britain seized the Mediterranean where Nelson’s wake may very well rejuvenate the Coalition. If unsuccessful, Revolutionary tides would produce rogue waves across Europe as Britain is forced to her knees, paving the way for a French hegemony.

Meme and info on Malta coming soon

meme and info on the Battle of the Nile.

https://history-maps.com/warmap/napoleonic-wars/event/battle-of-talavera

I know this sounds absurd and that napoleon had never been a naval officer at any time of his life. But, given he had already proven to be a military genius, what if he dedicated to the art of naval warfare, studying it and maybe learning from great commanders of the past?

I know it isnt that simple and that french success on land wasnt solely based on "napoleon is a genius" and had many other important factors.

It would also be considerably risker for him that land battles, thats true.

Anyway, thats just an idea I had, probably very unrealistic. I just noticed that France usually did poorly in some areas when he wasnt present in person (for example, Spain) and the naval theater was a place where he was never present, so perhaps his greatest fragility specially considering the navy was the main british strength