June 1st, 1794 - The Glorious First of June

Conflict: War of the First Coalition

Combatants: British vs. French

Location: Atlantic Ocean

Outcome: British victory

In an effort to interdict a convoy of food bound for France from the United States, the British dispatched Admiral Lord Richard Howe and a fleet of twenty-six ships-of-the-line. After four days of pursuit, a battle ensued off the coast of Brittany. During the engagement, Admiral Louis Villaret de Joyeuse's fleet had one ship sunk and six more seized by the British before he retreated from the battle.

The Glorious First of June by Philip James de Loutherbourg

Points of Interest:

• This engagement is also known as the Second Battle of Ushant.

• Although Howe won the battle, the food convoy still arrived safely in Brest.

Admiral Richard Howe, 1726-99, 1st Earl Howe by John Singleton Copley

Louis-Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse, vice-admiral (1750-1812) by Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin

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Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1990). The Napoleonic Source Book. New York: Facts on File.