Armand Le Gardeur de Tilly

Armand Le Gardeur de Tilly
Born	14 January 1733 Rochefort, France
Died	1 January 1813 La Salle, France
Service / branch	French Navy
Rank	Vice-Admiral
Battles / wars	War of American Independence Battle of Cape Henry Battle of the Saintes

Armand Le Gardeur de Tilly[Note 1] (Rochefort, 14 January 1733 — La Salle, near Champagne, Charente-Maritime, 1 January 1812)[3][4] was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence.

Biography

Le Gardeur de Tilly was the first son born to the family of a Navy captain.[5] [6]

He joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine on 6 July 1750. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 May 1763.[6]

Combat de la Concorde contre la Minerve le 22 août 1778, by Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy.

Le Gardeur was promoted to Captain on 24 October 1778. That same year, he was in command of the frigate Concorde. On 21 August, he captured the British frigate HMS Minerva.[2] His younger brother, also a Navy officer serving on Concorde, was killed in the action.[6][7] The action was celebrated to the point that the Navy Minister commissioned a painting of the battle.[5]

On 18 February 1779, Concorde encountered a 32-gun British frigate, that she fought for three hours before the ships disengaged. Le Gardeur de Tilly was wounded in the action.[2][5][8][Note 2]

In early 1781, Des Touches gave Le Gardeur command of a division comprising the 64-gun Éveillé, the frigates Gentille and Surveillante, and the cutter Guêpe. On 19 February 1781,[10] The squadron met a British convoy, and captured the 44-gun HMS Romulus and 8 transports. They burnt 4 of the transports, sent the others to Yorktown, and took Romulus in French service. [11]

He took part in the Battle of Cape Henry on 16 March 1781,[5][2] and in the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782.[12][13][2]

Le Gardeur de Tilly retired in 1792,[2] with the rank of Vice-Admiral.[5] During the Reign of Terror, Le Gardeur de Tilly was imprisoned, but he was freed at the Thermidorian Reaction.[5]

Notes

1. Contenson calls him "Arnaud",[1] apparently erroneously.[2]
2. Troude and Roche call the British ship HMS Congres, but no ship seems to have borne that name. [8][9]

Citations

1. Contenson (1934), p. 270.
2. Vergé-Franceschi (2002), p. 846.
3. Six (1934), p. 96, Tome 2.
4. Taillemite (1982), p. 205.
5. Contenson (1934), p. 213.
6. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 646.
7. "Monday's Gazette". Derby, Derbyshire, England: The Derby Mercury. London Gazette. 23 October 1778. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2020. The English Frigate the Minerva is taken by the King's Frigate the Concorde, commanded by the Sieur Tilly, and carried into Cape Francois. The Action lasted two Hours within Musket-Shot. Capt. Tilly's Brother, who was Lieutenant of our Ship, died of his Wounds in Half an Hour after the Engagement. The Concorde lost two Seamen and a Soldier, and had 1 1 Men wounded. On the Side of the Minerva the loss has been much more considerable.
8. Troude (1867), p. 47.
9. Roche (2005), p. 123.
10. Roche (2005), p. 233, volume 1.
11. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 358.
12. Troude (1867), p. 140.
13. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 648.

References

• Contenson, Ludovic (1934). La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778-1783). Paris: éditions Auguste Picard. OCLC 7842336.
• Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. pp. 431–434.
• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
• Six, Georges (1934). "Le Gardeur de Tilly (Armand)". Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire: 1792–1814 (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Librairie Historique et Nobilaire. p. 96.

• Taillemite, Étienne (1982). Dictionnaire des Marins français. Paris: Éditions maritimes et dOutre-Mer. ISBN 9782707000316.
• Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé.
• Vergé-Franceschi, Michel (2002). Dictionnaire d'Histoire maritime. Paris: Robert Laffont. ISBN 2-221-08751-8.