Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite

Counter-Admiral Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite (29 September 1766 — 28 August 1826 ) was a French Navy officer best known for his involvement in the Glorious First of June and L'Hermite's expedition during the Atlantic campaign of 1806.

Biography Early career

L'Hermite was born to the family of a counselor to the Bailiwick and Présidial of Cotentin.

French Revolution English Channel and Northern Sea

In February 1793, when war broke out against England, L'Hermite was first officer on the frigate Résolue, and he engaged in commerce raiding in the Channel and off the Atlantic coast of France. Promoted to lieutenant in August 1793, he received command of the Tamise, recently captured from the British by the frigate division to which Résolue belonged. L'Hermitte then led the frigates Seine and Galathée and a corvette to Christiansand, visiting several harbours of the coast of Norway to capture British merchantmen that had fled there. Trapped by cold and disrepair, his ships were forced to spend the winter of 1794-1795 there, where sickness weakened their crews. He returned to France with three prizes, though a storm wrecked Galathée off Penmarch.

Indian Ocean

From February 1796, L'Hermite captained the frigate Vertu in a squadron led by Admiral Pierre César Charles de Sercey, bound for Isle de France. In 1798, he took command of the 46-gun frigate Preneuse. As she attempted to escape by sailing in shallow waters, the 50-gun HMS Adamant cut her retreat. Erratic winds then grounded Preneuse on a coral bank, and she came under fire from the two ships of the line, able to return fire only from her stern chasers. L'Hermite sent his sick and wounded ashore and was taken prisoner by Commodore William Hotham, who boarded Preneuse and burnt her. Ailing, L'Hermite was received with extreme courtesy by Hotham, and release on parole with his staff a few days later. He returned to Isle de France a hero, the population celebrating him and a 15-shot salute being fired in his honour.

Career during the First Empire

L'Hermite returned to France in October 1801, where he was received by Bonaparte, called him "the Brave" and promoted him to ship-of-of-the-line captain. He took command of the 74-gun Impétueux to ferry her from Lorient to Brest, then of the 80-gun Alexandre, and eventually of the 120-gun Vengeur, as flag officer of Admiral Laurent Jean François Truguet. L'Hermitte's rising star came to a halt, however, when Truguet was dismissed after speaking against the rise of the Empire, and for one year l'Hermite was left without a command. He was appointed Officer of the Legion of Honour at the founding of the Order in late 1805.

In 1805, l'Hermite took command of a squadron tasked with raiding commerce in the Atlantic and in the Caribbean, with his flag on the Régulus; the squadron further comprised two frigates and two fireships. The squadron departed Lorient on 31 October 1805 and cruised off the Azores, Cape Verde, the coast of Africa up to Benin, crossed the Atlantic to Brazil, and sailed towards the Caribbean. On 6 January 1806 they captured . In August 1806, a storm dispersed the squadron and L'Hermite lost his frigates, and he was forced back to Brest by an epidemic of scurvy. In the Iroise Sea, he encountered four British ships of the line blockading Brest, but managed to slip past them and enter Brest harbour on 2 September 1806. Having captured approximately 50 ships and goods worth around 10 million francs during his 11-month campaign, L'Hermite was promoted to counter admiral and made a Baron of the Empire.

In October 1808, l'Hermite was put in command of the Rochefort squadron, raising his flag on Ville de Varsovie. He also served as a rapporteur in the council of war convened after the Battle of the Basque Roads. By mid-February, his failing health had forced him to resign his command and he never again occupied a command at sea. In 1811, L'Hermite was appointed as the maritime prefect of Toulon. In 1812, he briefly commanded the Mediterranean Squadron, which did not sail at the time. His chronic illness forced him to rely on captain Christy-Pallière, who supervised the harbour, to relieve him. After the Bourbon Restoration in France in 1814, l'Hermite commanded the Ville de Marseille. Louis XVIII sent him to pick up the Duke of Orléans and his family in Palermo. This task earned l'Hermite the cross of the Order of Saint Louis. During the Hundred Days, L'Hermite declared himself in favour of the King, which caused his immediate dismissal. L'Hermite retired in 1816 with the honorary rank of vice-admiral, and was appointed Knight of the Order of Saint Louis.

Honours

Baron of the Empire Legion of Honour Order of Saint Louis Name engraved on the Arc de Triomphe The steamer aviso L'Hermitte was named in his honour

Portraits Langlois de Sézanne painted two portraits, representing L'Hermite and his wife, which the family gave to the museum of Coutances. A smaller portrait by Fanish, which shows l'Hermite in 1793, is also on display there.