Siege of Toulon (1793)
The insurrection of the 31st of May to the 2nd of June 1793 triggered a Federalist revolt that quickly engulfed Toulon. Local Federalists evicted the Jacobin chapter from their city, but they were soon replaced by more numerous French Royalists. Xavier Lebret d'Imbert commanded these Royalist forces and requested help from the First Coalition. An Anglo-Spanish fleet arrived on the 28th of August carrying 13,000 British, Spanish, Neapolitan, and Sardinian troops. D'Imbert delivered the port of Toulon to these Allied powers. The city hoisted the royal fleur de lys flag on the 1st of October. They declared eight-year-old Louis XVII as king of France. This move created a mortal threat for the French Republic because Toulon held one-third of its naval ships of line. Without this base, France could not challenge the Allies at sea.
Chief of Artillery Elzéar Auguste Cousin de Dommartin was wounded at Ollioules in September 1793. Napoleon Bonaparte appeared before him after escorting powder wagons to Nice. Augustin Robespierre and Antoine Christophe Saliceti imposed the young captain upon the wounded officer. Bonaparte had been present since the Avignon insurrection in July 1793. He requisitioned equipment and cannon from surrounding areas including Marseille and Avignon. His activity resulted in acquiring 100 guns for the Republican force. Local populace members were blackmailed into supplying animals and supplies to the besieging army. Retired artillery officers were compelled to re-enlist under pressure from his political friends. Bonaparte instructed much of the infantry in deploying and firing the newly acquired artillery pieces. He wrote a letter to the Committee of Public Safety requesting assistance due to incompetent staff officers. The problem of manning the guns remained difficult despite these intensive training efforts. On the 19th of October he was promoted to Chief of Battalion. He organized a grand battery called the Convention on the hill of Arènes facing the enemy fortifications.
Fort Mulgrave stood on the summit of the hill of Cairo and was named after British commander Henry Phipps. It was supported by three smaller forts called Saint-Phillipe, Saint-Côme, and Saint-Charles. French troops nicknamed this impregnable assemblage Little Gibraltar. A weak detachment under Major General Henri François Delaborde failed to conquer it on the 22nd of September. Carteaux sent only that small force because he remained reluctant about the operation. François Amédée Doppet replaced Carteaux on the 11th of November but panic caused an attack against Fort Mulgrave on the 15th to fail. General Jacques François Dugommier took command on the 17th of November and immediately recognized the value of Bonaparte's plan. The battery Jacobin was established on the ridge of l'Evescat on the 20th of November. The Men Without Fear battery appeared on the 28th of November while Chasse Coquins were constructed between them on the 14th of December. Anglo-Neapolitans executed a sortie and captured the battery of the Convention. A counterattack led by Dugommier and Bonaparte pushed them back and captured British General Charles O'Hara. During the night of the 16th of December a general assault began on Little Gibraltar and fighting continued all night. Bonaparte received a thigh injury from a British sergeant with a bayonet. Marmont placed artillery there against l'Eguillette and Balaguier after the position was taken in the morning.
Admiral Juan de Lángara ordered Don Pedro Cotiella to take three ships into the arsenal to destroy the French fleet. Sir Sidney Smith volunteered to accompany him with his ship Swallow and three British ships. Cotiella sank Toulon's hulks including the disarmed former British frigate Montréal and the French frigate Iris. These ships contained gunpowder stores for the entire fleet and were anchored some distance from the city. Dock gates had been barred against attack and manned by 800 former galley slaves freed during the retreat. Captain Charles Hare brought the fire ship HMS Vulcan into the New Arsenal at 20:00. He lit fuses at 22:00 but was badly wounded by an early detonation as he attempted to leave. Fire parties set alight warehouses and stores ashore creating an inferno across the harbour. The powder ship suddenly exploded blasting debris in a wide circle and sinking two of the British boats. Smith led Swallow back towards the Old Arsenal but found Republican soldiers had captured it intact. He turned to two disarmed ships of line named Héros and Thémistocle which lay in inner roads as prison hulks. The French Republican prisoners on board consented to be safely conveyed to shore as Smith's men set empty hulls on fire.
Convention troops entered the city on the 19th of December after the evacuation was complete. Paul Barras and Stanislas Fréron directed the subsequent suppression of Royalists with extreme bloodiness. Between 700 and 800 prisoners were shot or slain by bayonet on Toulon's Champ de Mars. Bonaparte received treatment for his injuries from Jean François Hernandez and was not present at the massacre. He was promoted to brigade general on the 22nd of December while already en route to Nice as artillery commander. A gate called Porte d'Italie evokes his departure from the old walls of the city. The Convention changed the name of the city to La Montagne as punishment for its rebellion. The British fleet rescued 14,877 Toulonnais from the city during the evacuation. Witnesses reported scenes of panic where stampeding civilians were crushed or drowned in their haste to escape. Robust carried more than 3,000 civilians from the harbour while Princess Royal held another 4,000. Elphinstone's squadron retrieved all Allied soldiers without losing a single man despite fires spreading through dockyards.
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Common questions
Who commanded the Royalist forces during the Siege of Toulon in 1793?
Xavier Lebret d'Imbert commanded these Royalist forces and requested help from the First Coalition. He delivered the port of Toulon to the Allied powers after local Federalists evicted the Jacobin chapter.
When did Napoleon Bonaparte receive his promotion to Chief of Battalion during the siege?
On the 19th of October he was promoted to Chief of Battalion while organizing a grand battery called the Convention on the hill of Arènes facing the enemy fortifications. This occurred after he had acquired 100 guns for the Republican force through requisitioning equipment from surrounding areas.
What date did French troops enter the city of Toulon after the evacuation?
Convention troops entered the city on the 19th of December after the evacuation was complete. Paul Barras and Stanislas Fréron directed the subsequent suppression of Royalists with extreme bloodiness between that date and the following days.
How many civilians were rescued by the British fleet during the Siege of Toulon?
The British fleet rescued 14,877 Toulonnais from the city during the evacuation. Robust carried more than 3,000 civilians from the harbour while Princess Royal held another 4,000 as witnesses reported scenes of panic where stampeding civilians were crushed or drowned.
Which forts formed the impregnable assemblage known as Little Gibraltar in 1793?
Fort Mulgrave stood on the summit of the hill of Cairo and was named after British commander Henry Phipps. It was supported by three smaller forts called Saint-Phillipe, Saint-Côme, and Saint-Charles which French troops nicknamed this impregnable assemblage Little Gibraltar.