There is no war without trickery. To deceive the opponent, confuse the trail, pretend your advantage, lead out of the way, and sometimes avoid a battle - this is the canon of seasoned commanders. And although sometimes military historians underestimate the role of bluffing on the battlefield, in the case of a certain Welsh town they must pay the honor ...
Proud Albion has always been hard to come by, but that doesn't mean it wasn't possible. The islanders found out about it even in 1066, when the Norman prince William the Conqueror entered Hastings. The chronicles, however, devote little space to the French invasion of 1797. The Paris directorate, fighting the 1st anti-French coalition, developed a plan of a subversive attack on England.
Iron, fire, patriotism
The general idea of transferring the fire of revolution to other countries was to provoke a rebellion in the British Isles. The first such action was taken a year earlier on the initiative of, among others General Lazare Hoche. He argued that the most dangerous opponent should be dealt a direct and most severe blow. Ireland seemed to be the ideal territory for such an action, whose detachment from England was to mean reducing it to the level of a minor state.
An army of 22,000 was assembled for the operation, supported by a fleet of 17 battleships. Hoche, who considered naval operations a simple thing, adhering to the principle:No maneuvering, no art. Iron, fire, patriotism! - he hoped for the full success of the action. However, as a result of extremely bad weather and the indecision of the commander of the adm. Galles, the whole thing came to nothing.
Gen. Lazare Hoche
The failure did not discourage the organizers and immediately after their return, preparations for the next expedition began. This time Wales was selected as target for landing. On a second try, the directorate did not seem so enthusiastic about the endeavor. A unit of only 1,400 soldiers was assigned to the operation. This so-called Black Legion (from the dark-dyed British captured uniforms) consisted mostly (800 men) of common criminals, deserters and former royalists released from prisons. It was supplemented by 600 soldiers from regular formations, seconded by Bonaparte.
He himself, embroiled in fierce fighting in northern Italy, seemed to see success elsewhere - in Egypt. 4 ships were assigned to support the Black Legion, including 2 modern frigates. The land operation was commanded by Colonel William Tate - an American of Irish descent, who once fought with the British in the American War of Independence.
The French invasion forces left the port of Camaret on February 18, 1797. Tate's plan was to land near Bristol, capture it, and then march north to Chester and Liverpool. It was counted on the common participation of poor tenants and the urban poor. The weather again stood in the way of the implementation of the plan. With no landing near Bristol impossible, Tate set a course for Cardigan Bay in South-West Wales. On February 22, French forces approached Fishguard, but were greeted there by British cannon fire from the local fort. Commander of the French fleet, adm. Castagnier ordered the turn back completely unaware that the defenders had a supply of cannon balls for only three volleys (!).
Desant
Soon Tate's forces were near Carreg Wastad Point, a few kilometers east of Fishguard. February 22 was recorded in the ship's logs as one of the mildest days in February, especially in this part of the world usually damaged by winter Atlantic storms. Finally, the favor of the aura seemed to favor the invaders, as the landing site itself was not the happiest. The area around Carreg Wastad is steep rocky slopes and if only the defenders were better organized, the landing could end in a bloody carnage. Fortunately, there was a small sandy beach just outside the village of Llanwnda. And it is there around On the 17th, the landing of the Black Legion has begun.
Until 2 a.m. on February 23, 17 landing boats were unloaded, with 47 barrels of gunpowder, 50 tons of cartridges and grenades in them. In addition, 2,000 muskets were found on the sands of Britain to be used by the Welsh insurgents. There were some problems, however, when one of the overloaded boats sank, dragging several cannons to the bottom. In general, the last landing in the British Isles was a success and with such a report to the directorate most of the Adm. Castagniera returned to France. Prematurely, however, success was chanted.
Napoleon had much more faith in success in Egypt
After the landing, the French invasion forces definitely lacked enthusiasm and willingness to fight. Most of Tate's troops were more interested in searching for provisions than invading. Attempts were made to encourage local residents to join the sabotage, but after finding a storehouse of wine from a stranded Portuguese ship, matters of state importance definitely receded into the background. The most ordinary plunder has begun. Even a nearby church fell to the looters, and one French officer was later caught trying to sell a stolen plate.
But a bluff
On the morning of February 23, after initial confusion, the locals began to mobilize. They were poorly armed, but they did not lack the will to fight. From one of the temples, lead was taken from the roof to melt it into balls. However, regular forces that could realistically threaten the French were awaited. Sir John Cawdor, appointed defense commander, soon arrived. He managed to gather 250 soldiers of the local militia, 300 reservists, 150 sailors and a couple of guns. There were several skirmishes, not to mention disorderly shootings with the most drunk opponent. To this day, a reminder of these fights and a local attraction is the bullet hole in the old clock in one of the houses in Brestgarn. Cawdor's soldiers and local residents easily seized numerous groups of looters, but none of them overshadowed the performance of the wife of the local shoemaker Jemima Nicholas. Armed with a pitchfork, with the support of a faithful dog, she took a dozen or so French captives whom she escorted to the local church.
In the evening, British forces approached Fishguard. However, they decided not to attack. Maneuvers through the narrow streets of the town could have brought bloody losses from the fire of still dangerous soldiers from regular Tate troops. It was decided to wait for what the morning would bring. Meanwhile, Tate began to realize that his position would not improve, especially since he did not know the real forces of the British. So he sent his officers to Cawdor's headquarters asking about the possibility of conditional surrender. The latter, suggesting having a large numerical advantage, was willing to accept only unconditional surrender. The ultimatum expired on February 24 at 10. In case of rejection, an immediate attack on French positions was announced.
Royal Oak Tavern in Fishguard
In the morning, around 8 The French had not yet made a decision to surrender, and were even getting ready for battle. Then crowds of British people appeared in the distance. However, these were not only regular troops, but huge crowds of Welsh women and children encouraged by Cawdor to dress in traditional costumes - tall black hats and red scarves, which from a distance might resemble the red jackets of British soldiers - mingled with the ranks of the modest forces of the defenders, by multiplying their number. There is also a thesis that it was not Cawdor's persuasion, but mere female curiosity that made them arrive in large numbers on the battlefield. The deception did not have to be deliberate, but the effect was the same - Tate signed an act of unconditional surrender. Two French ships were also taken prisoner. Most of the prisoners returned to the country within a few years. Among them was Tate, who at least achieved something Napoleon could never do - he invaded Great Britain.