Joseph Krohm

Joseph Krohm (born in 1766 with Neuville, died in 1823 with Saint-Jean-with Angély), said “Krohm Knight”, was a French sailor.

Before the Revolution

He is foam in the royal navy in 1778. As of its first combat against an English division, it is wounded with the head. It is then voluntary on the frigate Engaging it in 1780 then on the vessels the Saint Michel and Famous the . It takes part in the countryside of Suffren in the Indian Ocean and attends almost all its engagements. It is wounded at the time of the seat of Trincomalé then twice to Gondelour.

After the War of American independence, it is voluntary on the frigate the Pomone and is illustrated at the time of the catch to the boarding of a pirate in the port of Vitulo (1787); it wounded twice and is again promoted there at the conclusion of the battle second lieutenant by the chief of squadron Saint Felix.

The Revolution

It is used on different Corvette S and Aviso S for the beginning from the Revolution. It is promoted lieutenant in February 1793 to order the frigate the Charente . Captain since 1794, it receives the command of the vessel the Timoléon within the squadron of the rear-admiral Martin crossing in the Mediterranean. At the time of the Bataille of the Cape Noli (1795) the Timoléon is one of the most engaged vessels and fights during six hours; however Krohm is still wounded there rather seriously; it is constrained to leave the squadron after this battle and manages to regain badly Toulon with its vessel in point.

In 1801, it orders Ulysses , vessel bought in Spain and convoie of the troops twice until Saint Domingue. It orders the Vengeur (118 guns), one of the florets of the French navy in 1804.

Empire

At the end of 1805, it orders the Patriote (74 guns) in the squadron Willaumez initially sent like diversion towards Sainte Helene and the the Antilles. This operation, like the other race campaigns launched at the same time (squadrons of the rear-admiral Leissègues, of the captain German Zacharie, division of the captain Jean Lhermitte) aims at forcing the Royal Navy to detach a certain number of buildings of the defense of the Manche in order to release the access of the England for the troops massed to Boulogne. However the delays in the preparation will make that these squadrons will leave only after the abandonment the project invasion. The Willaumez squadron is dispersed by a hurricane in the zone of the Antilles in the night from August 18th to 19th 1806. Its damaged and isolated buildings at once are continued and attacked by an English division: two vessels and a frigate are lost. The Krohm knight succeeds in joining the Chesapeake where he manages to repair his vessel. However, the Patriote remains blocked by the English blockade of the American coasts and succeeds in escaping and joining the island of Aix only in December 1807, seizing however with the return a large trading vessel. It briefly orders the Ville of Warsaw (80 guns) to Rochefort in 1808 but must leave its functions because of its old wounds whose consequences continue to handicap it.

It is some month indicated later as member of the council of war having to judge four captains following the disaster of the attack by Brûlot S English of the fleet gathered in roads of the island of Aix under the command of the German vice-admiral. The minister Decrès handles the council by wishing that heads fall while preventing that the responsibility for German is not blamed. The Krohm Knight opposes initially so that Laffon, former captain of the vessel the Calcutta , is not condemned and blames explicitly the responsibility for German. It misses a voice to establish a majority deciding the death sentence of Lafon and the rear-admiral Bedout, president of the council of war, applying to the letter the orders of the minister, fact pressure to Krohm all the night until it revises his vote. Lafon will be shot the next morning. Krohm will address in the days which follow to lawyer of the defendants, Faure, copy of its initial vote and a document affirming that it was constrained to vote the death sentence against his conscience. Decrès will never forgive in Krohm its resistance and any more any command to him nor promotion until the end of the Empire will not entrust, including during the Hundred Days.

It is only at the time of First Restoration that it receives a command again, the vessel of 110 guns, the Duc of Angouleme . As much of its pars, it is put in retirement in 1816.

Assessment

Seven wounds, for the majority rather serious, make of Joseph Krohm the captain more wounded its generation. It took part in very many combat and it one of the large captains of its time, one of the men was the most respected its pars, Decrès could thus only hate it. The fact that the “Krohm knight” never reached the amiralat only because of the animosity of the impossible to circumvent minister is a great injustice. For its part Krohm will never forgive itself the role that one made him play at the time of the council of war of Rochefort and will keep a great bitterness of it.

Sources

H.E. Jenkins, History of the French Navy , Mac Donald and Jane' S, London, 1973; Albin Michel, Paris, 1977 for the French translation.
Julien Lafon, History of the scathing attacks of the island of Aix , Paris, 1867.
Danielle and Bernard Quintin, Dictionary of the captains of Napoleon , S.P.M. Paris, 2003.
Woodland Jules, English Scathing attacks in roads of the island of Aix , Arthur Savaète, Paris, 1912.
Documents of Files: SHD, Mar. BB4 283 and 284 (business of the island of Aix)

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