Captain
Napoleon I
Napoleon I joined the Army of Carteaux acting against Marseille and Toulon.
Siege of Toulon
The republican recapture of Toulon in 1793. Explore the related historical entries from the same archive as the main French Revolution records.
52 matching archive records · Complete source archive: 3,449 records
British Fleet Enters Toulon Harbour
Samuel Hood
Admiral Hood's ships arrived after royalist and federalist opponents of the Convention invited foreign support. The intervention gave the Coalition access to a crucial French naval base.
Saliceti Organizes Republican Response to Revolt
Christophe Saliceti
Representative Saliceti helped direct the recovery of Toulon for the Convention. Retaking the port was important because its fleet and dockyards were major strategic assets.
Spanish Squadron Joins Toulon Intervention
Federico Gravina
Spanish naval forces joined the British led occupation of Toulon. The intervention transformed a domestic rebellion into a major Coalition operation against the Republic.
Allied Command Secures Toulon Outer Anchorage
Samuel Hood
Hood's ships relied on coastal fortifications to protect the fleet. Control of the harbor approaches was therefore central to the survival of the foreign occupation.
Bonaparte Surveys Allied Harbour Defences
Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte studied the positions from which cannon could threaten enemy shipping. He concluded that control of the heights commanding the inner anchorage was vital.
Carteaux Advances Republican Forces toward Toulon
Jean François Carteaux
General Carteaux led French troops advancing against the rebellious port. His army had to overcome fortified approaches protected by royalists and foreign soldiers.
French Siege Batteries Increase Pressure
Jean François Carteaux
Carteaux's troops established positions around Toulon while artillery officers tried to improve their effect. The slow progress revealed the difficulty of besieging a well defended coastal base.
Mission to Army of Italy
Paul Francois Barras
Barras was sent on mission to the Army of Italy and became involved in Republican operations around Toulon.
Representatives Approve Intensified Siege Preparations
Christophe Saliceti
Commissioners attached to the republican army encouraged the accumulation of artillery and manpower. Their intervention connected the siege's conduct to the Convention's political priorities.
Chef de Bataillon
Napoleon I
Napoleon I was appointed Chef de Bataillon at the siege of Toulon.
Major
Napoleon I
Napoleon I was appointed major.
Allies Strengthen Fort Mulgrave Perimeter
Samuel Hood
Coalition soldiers improved the fortifications guarding the key heights above Toulon's anchorage. The redoubt became a major obstacle to the republican plan for retaking the city.
Artillery Plan Targets Little Gibraltar Heights
Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte advocated capturing positions controlling the entrance to the harbor. These heights included the strongpoint later known as Fort Mulgrave or Little Gibraltar.
Toulon Artillery Plan
Napoleon I
Napoleon developed an artillery plan aimed at positions controlling the harbour during the siege of Toulon.
Allied Sortie Ends with O Hara Captured
Charles O Hara
O Hara was wounded and captured during fighting outside Toulon. The incident weakened the Allied land command and encouraged the French besiegers.
Doppet Temporarily Directs Siege Operations
François Amédée Doppet
General Doppet briefly replaced Carteaux during the stalled operation against Toulon. The command changes reflected frustration with the speed and coordination of the republican assault.
Dugommier Assumes Command of Siege Army
Jacques François Dugommier
Dugommier took command after earlier commanders failed to seize the town. He supported a more coordinated effort to capture the strategically decisive fortifications.
Foreign Fleet Supplies Besieged Royalist Forces
Samuel Hood
Hood's ships maintained communications and support for the defending garrison. Allied naval control helped prolong the city's resistance against republican land forces.
Forward French Battery Provokes Allied Sortie
Napoleon Bonaparte
Republican artillery positions outside Toulon drew a counterattack from Allied defenders. Fighting over the batteries demonstrated how much control of artillery sites mattered to the siege.
French Artillery Deploys New Heavy Guns
Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte sought additional cannon and ammunition for siege batteries. Concentrating effective artillery was essential to challenging the enemy's defended positions.
La Poype Commands Eastern Siege Sector
Jean-François La Poype
General La Poype directed French forces attacking from the eastern side of Toulon. His operations complemented the principal assault focused on positions controlling the harbor.
Republican Batteries Threaten Allied Shipping
Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte's guns increasingly challenged ships and coastal defenders occupying the harbor. The growing threat made the capture of the southern heights even more consequential.
Artillery Supports Storming of Fort Mulgrave
Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte's siege guns contributed to the attack on the stronghold overlooking Toulon's anchorage. The capture of the position was decisive because cannon could then threaten the fleet.
Assault on Fort Mulgrave
Napoleon I
Napoleon helped direct the assault on the fortified position known as Fort Mulgrave during the final operations at Toulon.
French Soldiers Capture Little Gibraltar
Jacques François Dugommier
Dugommier's forces captured the fortified height after fierce fighting. The success undermined the enemy position within the harbor and forced the Allies to plan evacuation.
Hood Orders Allied Fleet Evacuation
Samuel Hood
The fall of commanding positions made continued occupation of Toulon untenable. Hood prepared to remove Allied troops and as many ships and refugees as possible.
Sidney Smith Directs Naval Destruction Operations
William Sidney Smith
British naval officers attempted to destroy French warships and stores that could not be taken away. The demolitions caused major losses to the naval facilities as the Allies withdrew.
Spanish Warships Withdraw from Toulon
Federico Gravina
Spanish vessels joined the Allied evacuation after the collapse of the harbor defense. The departure ended Spain's direct military presence in the occupied port.
Evacuation of Toulon
Napoleon I
The successful artillery operations helped force the Anglo-allied evacuation of Toulon and restored the port to Republican control.
Republican Troops Reenter Toulon
Jacques François Dugommier
The republican army retook the port after the foreign garrison departed. Control of the principal Mediterranean naval base returned to the French Republic.
Brigadier General
Napoleon I
Napoleon I was appointed brigadier general at age 24.
Bonaparte Recommended for Higher Military Rank
Napoleon Bonaparte
The young officer's effective handling of artillery drew notice after Toulon fell. His subsequent promotion marked an important acceleration in his military career.
Bonaparte Reorganizes Guns after Enemy Attack
Napoleon Bonaparte
Following Allied attempts to disrupt forward batteries, Bonaparte continued strengthening the republican gun line. His work sustained pressure on fortifications surrounding the harbor.
Bonaparte Wounded during Final Assault
Napoleon Bonaparte
Bonaparte was wounded in the fighting that led to the capture of the key heights. His role in the siege subsequently attracted favorable attention from republican authorities.
Convention Commissioners Announce Recovery of Port
Christophe Saliceti
Representatives on mission reported the capture of Toulon as a major political and military victory. Restoring the harbor also gave republican authorities control over remaining ships and infrastructure.
Dugommier Prepares Decisive December Assault
Jacques François Dugommier
The French commander assembled forces for an attack against the heavily defended heights. Capturing these works promised to make continued Allied naval occupation impossible.
Dugommier Reviews Damaged Naval Installations
Jacques François Dugommier
Retaking Toulon did not immediately restore the Mediterranean fleet's strength. The siege and Allied destruction had caused losses requiring extensive rebuilding.
Eastern French Columns Support Final Offensive
Jean-François La Poype
La Poype's troops maintained pressure against the eastern defensive sector. Their action helped prevent Allied commanders from concentrating every reserve against the main assault.
Freron Oversees Political Measures around Port
Louis Marie Stanislas Fréron
Representative Fréron was attached to the republican operations and later the reprisals at Toulon. Military recovery of the city became intertwined with punishment of alleged rebels.
Freron Participates in Post Siege Repression
Louis Marie Stanislas Fréron
The recovery of Toulon was followed by severe reprisals against people accused of supporting the royalist revolt. Fréron's role revealed the punitive aspect of republican reconquest.
O Hara Leads Allied Land Defenders
Charles O Hara
British general Charles O Hara assumed important command responsibilities within the Toulon defenses. His troops supported the protection of the harbor fortifications and allied positions.
Toulon Renamed Port la Montagne
Christophe Saliceti
Republican authorities adopted a revolutionary name for the recovered city. The change expressed official condemnation of the revolt and celebration of the victorious Mountain.
Toulon Victory Establishes Artillery Officer Reputation
Napoleon Bonaparte
The siege demonstrated Bonaparte's ability to connect artillery placement with strategic objectives. His growing reputation helped open opportunities for subsequent appointments in the revolutionary armies.
Artillery command outside Toulon
Napoleon Bonaparte
During the republican siege of Toulon, Bonaparte assumed responsibility for improving French artillery positions. His concentration of guns against the allied anchorage was central to the plan for retaking the port.
Capture of Fort Mulgrave positions
Napoleon Bonaparte
French troops captured the fortified heights guarding Toulon's harbour after a difficult assault. Bonaparte's artillery preparations contributed to making the allied naval position untenable.
Fall of Toulon to republican forces
Paul Francois Jean Nicolas Barras
French forces recaptured Toulon in December after occupying positions that commanded the harbor. Barras was a political representative during the victory, which secured an important Mediterranean naval base.
Planning around royalist Toulon
Paul Francois Jean Nicolas Barras
After Toulon passed into the hands of royalists supported by allied fleets, Barras worked with representatives and commanders organizing its recovery. The episode placed civilian political supervisors close to siege operations.
Post-siege repression in Toulon
Paul Francois Jean Nicolas Barras
The recovery of Toulon was followed by harsh punishments against people accused of supporting the royalist occupation. Barras and other representatives were associated with the republican authority that supervised the aftermath.
Promotion after Toulon victory
Napoleon Bonaparte
The recapture of Toulon established Bonaparte's reputation as an unusually capable artillery officer. He received promotion to general of brigade following the operation.
Siege artillery planning gains support
Paul Francois Jean Nicolas Barras
Republican officers advanced an artillery-centered plan to force the allied fleet from Toulon's harbor. Barras was among the Convention representatives overseeing the military effort in which Bonaparte distinguished himself.
Aftermath of Toulon Reprisals Remains Contested
Louis Marie Stanislas Fréron
Political violence following the reconquest continued to shape local memories and national controversy. Revolutionary justice in the port exemplified the difficulties of reconciling security with civilian protection.