Key Facts
- French troops assembled
- 12,000–25,000
- Warships and transports lost
- 12
- Men landed in Ireland
- 0 (except prisoners of war)
- Commanding general
- General Lazare Hoche
- Departure port
- Brest, France
Strategic Narrative Overview
The fleet departed Brest during one of the stormiest winters of the century. Confused orders and severe weather scattered the ships before they could form properly. Although most of the invasion fleet eventually reached Bantry Bay in late December 1796, the commanding officers had been driven off course, leaving the remaining ships leaderless. Amphibious landings were impossible in the extreme conditions, recorded as the worst since 1708, and within a week the fleet abandoned the attempt and dispersed back toward France.
01 / The Origins
During the War of the First Coalition, the French Republic sought to exploit Irish discontent by supporting the outlawed Society of United Irishmen in a planned rebellion against British rule. France calculated that a successful landing would damage British prestige, stretch its military resources, and provide a staging ground for an eventual invasion of Britain itself. In late 1796 the French Directory assembled a large expeditionary force at Brest under General Lazare Hoche.
03 / The Outcome
The expedition ended in disaster: France lost 12 warships and troopships along with thousands of troops and sailors, and no soldiers set foot in Ireland except as prisoners. Captain Edward Pellew of the Royal Navy forced the wreck of the French ship Droits de l'Homme in January 1797. A second attempt in 1798 landed 2,000 men during the Irish Rebellion but also failed, leading to the destruction of the United Irishmen and the end of French efforts to invade Ireland.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Lazare Hoche.
Side B
1 belligerent
Edward Pellew.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.