The Glorious First of June: Fleet Battle in the Reign of Terror

Hearts of Oak Trilogy #3

by Sam Willis

France, early summer 1794. The French Revolution has been hijacked by the extreme Jacobins and is in the grip of The Terror. While the guillotine relentlessly takes the heads of innocents, two vast French and British fleets meet in mid-Atlantic. The French, in ships painted blood-red and bearing banners proclaiming ‘La République ou la mort!’ are escorting an American grain convoy to Brest to feed a starving population; the British, under the command of Lord Howe, a radical innovator and tactical genius, are bent on destroying it. The ensuing clash would swiftly become known as the hardest-fought battle of the age of sail. Both sides claimed victory. For the French, it represented a strategic success since the convoy and its precious cargo made it safely through. But this outcome came at a heavy material cost. In purely numerical terms ‘the Glorious First of June’ was the greatest British naval victory over her oldest enemy for more than a century: 4,200 French sailors were killed and 3,300 wounded – ten per cent of their entire maritime workforce.

In The Glorious First of June Sam Willis not only tells, with thrilling immediacy and masterly clarity, the gripping story of an epic and complex battle, he places it within the context of The Terror, the survival of the French Revolution and the development of both British and French sea-power in this critical period before the rise of both Nelson and Napoleon. Using countless new sources the human experience and cost of the battle in both Britain and France is described in fascinating detail.

The Glorious First of June is the last in ‘The Hearts of Oak trilogy’ and, like The Fighting Temeraire and The Admiral Benbow, is another thrilling account of the Age of Sail by one of our most exciting young historians.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Military Fiction, 18th Century, Naval History, French Revolution

481 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Dr Sam Willis is a maritime historian and archaeologist and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

He is the author of the best-selling Hearts of Oak Trilogy and the Fighting Ships Series. He has consulted on maritime history for many clients including the BBC, Channel 4, NBC America and Christie's.

Sam's work is coloured by his knowledge and experience of seamanship. Sam's unique approach to maritime history and his vivid style of writing has led to him being described as 'A Nautical Tour de Force'.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 1794. While revolutionary France is in the grip of the Terror, two great fleets, one French, the other British, under the command of the redoubtable Howe approach each other in mid-Atlantic...This is the overall scene of Professor Willis's highly entertaining and informative portrait of the battle known as the Glorious First Of June. This reads-like-a-novel history describes not only the battle and the strategy and operations that enabled it, but Willis also takes the time to tell us about the various and sundry works of art that portrayed the battle, and were wildly popular at the time. There are also helpful biographies of the major characters and brief portraits of the ships involved. I think Willis is correct in stating that the history of the Royal Navy in this period is overly focused on Nelson, so the leaders and battles that preceded or followed him are not examined with sufficient ardor. And unlike many English-speaking authors, he also examines closely the conditions and actions of the French, both their fleet and the political situation in France in general. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable excursion to the era when men had hearts of oak and warships had sails.

[Nicky Gardiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised how gripping this book was. I purchased it after reading the opening few pages in the shop, and was surprised at what an easy read it was. Usually History novels get bogged down to early in facts and become a dry read. This one however was different with the author setting the scene talking of the monuments to this largely overlooked battle. As I was primarily interested in the engagement, it was a little slow when the author went back to inform us of why the battle was importation and the politics leading up to it. But I also understand he had to give it this context. I felt I learnt so much from this book about this time period, from the little nuggets of information, such as this battle led to the English giving out medals for the first time, with the lower ranks making their own. To larger issues such as the political parties in America and how they supported the French against the British, as the French had helped America gain its independence.

I have now ordered the rest of the series (having jumped in on this the third book). I bought this book from the shop the Works for a bargain £4.

[Alex Helling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A legendary battle which has been since overshadowed by Nelson’s victories at the Nile and Trafalgar. In The Glorious First of June Sam Willis provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging look at the first naval battle of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. It is nicely written and well explained even for those who are not too conversant with sailing or how naval battles in the age of sail operate.

I think that the subtitle ‘fleet battle in the reign of terror’ actually fits the content of the book better than the title. This is not just a book about the battle but rather about the clash of the British and French navies in the revolution; how they prepared, how they fought. And wider their impact on culture. It covers the politics of the French revolution which brought about the clash.

Reflecting this we don’t get first sight of each other’s fleets until nearly halfway through the book (p.146) and those raring to get to the titular 1st of June need to wait until p.185, 3/5ths of the way through, as the battle lasted 3 days with the first of June the decisive endgame. And it is over quickly; by page 203. I feel short changed! But Willis does spend a lot of time analysing why the British won after the pages of action (and quite a bit before too) with a whole host of reasons from differences in sailing, ship design, willingness to come other ships design, and gunnery. For example, in gunnery the difference between French linstocks (matchlock) and British gunlock (flintlock) (p.210).

Willis ably makes the case that we should not look at the Glorious 1st June through the prism of a later string of naval victories stretching over the next twenty years of the Napoleonic wars. When this battle was fought the most recent naval battles had been in the American War of Independence when the Royal Navy could at best be considered to have drawn with their French opponents and the lack of complete command of the ocean cost Britain the Thirteen Colonies (p.101). Although the French navy was badly affected by the chaos of the terror it also had positive effects for example on their willingness to fight to the bitter end rather than surrender so a British victory was in no way a foregone conclusion.

However, I feel Willis overreaches in attributing wide ranging consequences to the battle. Particularly the end of the Terror and downfall of Robespierre (p.296) which I don’t feel is very well justified. That said it does provide useful closure to the arc of the narrative the book takes through the French Revolution so worth the inclusion even if you don’t agree with Willis on the battle having this impact.

I think this is the first book on naval history that I have read that has more than a chapter devoted to art (chapter 4, but also a considerable chunk of chapter 9). The battle both benefited from, and helped bring about, a revolution towards realism in art so the battle could be said to have a considerable legacy beyond the military.

This is an excellent book on the clash of navies in the first half of the revolutionary wars. It is accessible to those who have never read maritime history before. And those whose primary interest is not the navy – for example late 18th Century politics, society, or art – will find plenty to keep them engaged.

[Mark Bowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may seem wrong to carp about a book on an extremely interesting topic written with so much enthusiasm. But in a way it is the enthusiasm which seems to get in the way of good historical writing. In a perhaps laudable attempt to keep it lively Willis uses language casually; to take one example, he writes of ships' rigging as it "splintered and cracked" but rigging is made of rope - how can it splinter and crack? Language is a precision tool and if it is used like a hammer its edge is blunted for all of us.
More significantly, some of Willis's statements and interpretations are of doubtful veracity. He states that the First of June was the first battle of the 18th century in which an admiral deliberately tried to break the enemy line, which it wasn't. He argues that the Royal Navy in 1794 was inexperienced, not having fought a fleet action for 'a generation'. In fact it was only 12 years since the Battle of the Saints (in which Rodney broke the French line) and 11 since the Battle of Cuddalore - not even half a generation. Many of the senior commanders, warrant officers and ratings in the British fleet at the First of June were highly experienced. Some of them had fought not only in the American War of Independence but in the Seven Years War. Willis's description of Cornwallis's Retreat (1795) is also slightly misleading; Cornwallis certainly did make use of false signals but that was not the 'only' reason that he was not overwhelmed by the French - it was also due to the stubborn resistance of the outnumbered British ships and the reluctance of the French to push home their advantage.
I applaud Willis's determination to see the battle in its contemporary context, unfettered by the hindsight of what happened later, and to view Howe as a precursor to Nelson rather than somehow lost in his shadow. The placing of the battle in the broaader context of the French Revolution, and particularly The Terror, is also prasieworthy but I found the book hard to read. That may be just me though.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant! I have not read any of the others in the series, but I most very will. Sam sets the story and the context well and uses contemporary examples to explain the story to the reader. The story is for all levels of interest from the causal historian to the academic. My favourite example of his story telling was his comparison between the celebrations at home following the 1st of June to that of the fever pitch of a Football World Cup! So worth the read!

[TG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping more battle and less politics. But a good book anyway.

[Mark Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book, and a throughly good read

[Koit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good overview of this first fleet action of the French Revolution. The author has certainly done his best to bring to life Lord Howe's greatest victory.

I also value the way in which Mr Willis has brought in artists and the public, and added their opinions and reactions to the account of the battle.

[Lashonda Slaughter Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores a very important naval battle between French and British forces in the Atlantic in 1794. What makes the book so readable is Willis's amazing ability to describe the events like a novelist with the research and scholarship of an academic.... amazing book.

[Richard K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice background as well on the French revolution

[Graham Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Willis Is an excellent author. This book takes you right back . It is deep and detailed and thoroughly readable.

[Ethan S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know if there is a better author than Sam Willis for this stuff. Top-notch, I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read from him and this was no exception.