Louis Antoine de Bougainville

Biography

; Origin Brother of the historian Jean-Pierre de Bougainville, it is wire of a notary.

He makes studies pushed with the college of the University and watch of the particular aptitudes for the studies of mathematics and right.

He is initially lawyer with the Parlement of Paris, then he enters the military career.

In 1754, it is named embassy secretary to London and becomes member of the Royal Society on January 8th 1756.

; Canada It is named aide-de-camp of François Chevert, then it is sent in 1756 to the Canada as captain of dragons and assistance-of-camp of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, which charges it, in 1758 to go to ask the government Louis XV of the reinforcements to maintain the colony. After the death of Montcalm in 1759, it directs the retirement and it is named Colonel.

; Falklands In 1761, it is distinguished on the edges from the the Rhine. When peace is concluded in 1763, it is named Commander and slips by with two ships, the Aigle and the Sphinx , towards the Falkland Islands to establish a colony there.

; The voyage around the world Accompanied by a naturalist, a draftsman and an astronomer, it starts from Brest on December 15th 1766 for a voyage around the world aboard the frigate the Sulky person , accompanied by the flute (Freighter) the Star . The two ships gain the South America.

With the Brazil, the botanist Philibert Commerson discovers the flower which it will name later Bougainvillée. After having given the Falkland Islands to the Spaniards, by order Louis XV, it crosses the Magellan Strait, explores the immense one and dangerous Archipel of Tuamotu and wets with Tahiti which has just been discovered in April 1768 by Samuel Wallis. It there remains less than ten days, then sets out again with young person Tahitien voluntary, Aotourou, which makes the way until Paris then which dies during the return voyage, after a stopover in the island of France (today island Maurice).

He explored a few weeks later the island which bears its name. He discovers then the majority of the islands Samoa, which he calls islands of the Navigators, re-examines the islands Holy Spirit of Pedro Fernández de Quirós (called Vanuatu since their accession with independence in 1980). He skirts the Louisiades, finds the the Solomon Islands and can finally supply himself with the Moluques.

He returns to Saint-Malo on March 16th 1768 and publishes in 1771 his Description of a voyage around the world , where he evokes the myth, with the perfume then sulfurous, of the “Polynesian paradise”. Initially believing to have discovered Tahiti, whereas it had been preceded by Samuel Wallis and that James Cook would make there a stay much more prolonged, Bougainville sees moreover the scientific contributions of its voyage eclipsed by the ambiguous character of the success of its work. It nevertheless made make with the geography Oceania of great progress, finding islands new, specifying the situation of many others, giving on manners of the natives of the interesting information. This book causes a reaction of Denis Diderot, which publishes in 1772 its Supplément with the voyage of Bougainville .

; War of independence of the United States of America It then embarks on Terpsichore in 1775 and on the Recluse in 1776. It orders in 1777 the Bien-Aimé , then, of 1778 with 1779, the Guerrier . Promoted chief of squadron on December 8th 1779, it orders several vessels in the war of independence of the United States. It fights the admiral Hood, in the Martinique, and takes part on September 5th 1781 in the Bataille of bay of Chesapeake. It turns over in the Army with the rank of Brigadier.

Its behavior with the battle of Holy, on April 12th, 1782, was more curious. With the head of its division of six vessels, it gave up its admiral, the Count de Grasse, and the twelve other vessels French with the catches with the English ships under the orders of the admiral Rodney. Bougainville claimed not to have included/understood the signals of its flagship to define the operation. It was however easy for him to make make half-turn with its division and to reconsider in the one hour space the place of the combat. By doing this, it would have caused panic among English surrounding the French vessels. Many witnesses overpowered the desertion from Bougainville to the lawsuit of Lorient in 1784. However, Bougainville was released, because its judgment had been embarrassing for the ministers, taking into account its relations…

; Revolution and Empire It forms a project of forwarding to the North pole, which is refused to him by the minister Loménie de Brienne. There remains faithful to Louis XVI at the time of the Révolution. It is charged in 1790 to order the naval army of Brest. Vice-admiral in 1791, not having been able to restore the order in this undisciplined troop, it withdraws service. He leaves the marine after having refused the ministry in of it 1792 to devote itself to the study of sciences.

He is stopped during the Terreur and is released following the fall of Robespierre. Free associate of the Academy of Science since 1789, it is elected member of the Institut of France and member of the Bureau of longitudes in 1796.

; Patron of the horticulture He knew and impassioned himself for the plants, and its garden was remarkable. When the taste for the pinks starts to develop, it provides to its garden chief Aubin Cochet the capital for its installation like Pépiniériste rosierist, the first in the Brie.

; Filled dignities Napoleon Bonaparte the roof of dignities: senator in 1799, large officer of the Legion of honor in 1804, Count d' Empire in 1808. It chairs the council of war which judges the persons in charge of the Bataille of Trafalgar in 1809. It will be its last official function.

; Burial Its heart rests with the Cimetière of the Martyrdom to Montmartre, its body rests with the the Pantheon of Paris.

Publications

Treated integral calculus, to serve of following the Analysis of the small infiniments of Mr. marquis of the Hospital (2 volumes, 1754-1756) - Text in line 1 2
Voyage around the world by the frigate of the King the Sulky person and the flute the Star in 1766,1767,1768, and 1769 (2 volumes, 1772)
historical Test on old and modern navigations in the septentrional high latitudes . (Reports of the Academy of Science)
historical Note on the savages of septentrional America . (Reports of the Academy of Science)
Written on Canada: memories, newspaper, letters , published under the direction of Roland Lamontagne, Editions of the Pelican, Sillery (Quebec), 1993

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