Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte

Who was Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte?

Count Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte was a French admiral.

Aged fifteen, he joined the navy as a midshipman and served in Morocco, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean Islands and in India. Noted for his strategic skills, he was called to Paris in 1775 to help the Secretary of State prepare the order to reorganise the Navy. In 1778, as a Squadron Commander, he took part in the Battle of Ouessant on the Saint-Esprit, and then cruised the English seas. During one month, he captured thirteen ships.

During the American Revolutionary War, Picquet de la Motte distinguished himself as a member of Admiral d'Estaing's squadron in Martinique and during the Battle of Grenada and the Siege of Savannah.

On 18 December 1779, he attacked a British squadron under the command of Admiral Hyde Parker that was attempting to blockade a French convoy; such was the success of his action, named the "Combat de la Martinique", that Hyde Parker sent him a letter of congratulation:

In 1781, as commander of a nine-vessel squadron that included three frigates, Picquet de la Motte intercepted the fleet of Admiral Rodney en route from St. Eustatius which had been Captured by the British in February 1781.