Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois
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Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois (1748 - 1839) was a French general. In 1808 he was created Comte de Belgrand de Vaubois and still later, his name was inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe (Arc de Triomphe de L'Etoile) in Paris.
Nowadays his deeds are most often remembered in Malta, where he was appointed as a commandant (Commandant en chef des Isles de Malte et du Goze) by Napoleon on June 19, 1798, just seven days after the Knights Hospitaller, rulers of this archipelago from 1530, capitulated and signed proper papers on board L’Orient, Napoleon's flagship. The expedition than set sail for Egypt, with the treasure of the Knights worth five million francs in gold and one million in silver plate also on board of this flagship. ( L’Orient was in the same year, on August 1, destroyed by Nelson's fleet at Abū Qīr Bay in the Battle of the Nile and all these treasures are still on the bottom of sea there.)
3,053 men, 5 companies of artillery and a medical unit remained in Malta and Gozo. Malta, already declared French possession by Napoleon, {and French language was declared to be the official one), waited with a suspended breath for General Vaubois actions and rulings.
At first the French tried to win the support of the Catholic Church, but very soon the Maltese Church found itself severely reprimanded : papal jurisdiction was abolished, civil marriage was declared to be legal, all priests, regular clergy and nuns who were not native of Malta were expulsed, and gold and silver artifacts and paintings were taken from the churches. The staunch pious Maltese were soon disgusted by their new masters. Outraged by the plundering of their churches and faced by an unprecedented financial crisis that had been precipitated by the draining of most of the cash, on September 2, 1798 they rose against the French garrison in Notabile (Città Vecchia or Mdina).Soon both islands were in a state of full rebellion, and the Maltese formed a National Assembly. They dispatched to a petition to Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, their official Suzerain, in Naples, to help them in their struggle against the French occupiers. Though Ferdinand promised much, he did little, soon having enough of his own troubles to worry much about his loyal Maltese subjects.
Nevertheless, on September 18, a Portuguese squadron of four ships began the blockade of Malta. That blockade - although varying in number and national composition of the ships - was almost uninterrupted until French surrender.
Another nemesis of General Vaubois - the chief one was Nelson - Captain Alexander Ball appeared on Nelson's order in Malta on October 12, 1798. Soon the French troops were compelled by the Maltese to fortify and entrench themselves in Valletta and the Three Cities around Grand Harbour. Gozo Island was lost for the French soon after - the French commander there, with his 217 men, surrendered to Captain Ball, who had negotiated the capitulation, on October 28.
With General Vaubois forces besieged in Valletta, Captain Ball's ships continued the blockade and - expecting the imminent French capitulation - Nelson wrote to Ball in January 1799:
"...Respecting the situation of Malta with the King of Naples, it is this – he is the legitimate Sovereign of the Island: therefore, I am of opinion his Flag should fly. At the same time, a Neapolitan garrison would betray it to the first man who would bribe him. I am sure the King would have no difficulty in giving his Sovereignty to England; and I have lately, with Sir Willian Hamilton, got a Note that Malta should never be given to any Power without the consent of England...
"P.S. – In case of the Surrender of Malta, I beg you will not do anything which can hurt the feelings of their Majesties. Unite their Flag with England’s, if it cannot, from the disposition of the Islanders, fly alone."
In February 1799, the Maltese insurgents, having lost hope in an intervention of King Ferdinand, requested Ball to preside over the National Assembly. He had previously landed near the village of Qrendi on the south of the island. He changed the name of the assembly to that of National Congress and put himself at work as chief of government. In March, the Congress appealed to King George III to assume sovereignty over Malta. But no answer came from Pitt’s ministry.
Starving French garrison with General Vaubois got a temporary relief at the beginning of February 1799 - La Boudeuse frigate ran the blockade and entered Grand Harbour but she was the last ship that year to re-supply Vaubois and his men.
On November 1, 1799, Nelson was off Valletta on board the Foudroyant. A new summons to surrender was summarily rejected by Vaubois who was still hoping for relief from France. He wrote : Mindful of being worthy of the respect of your country, as you are with our own, we are resolved to defend this fortress to the last.
Nelson ordered Ball to go ashore and take command of the Maltese forces - about 2,000 Maltese troops along with about 1,500 irregulars, unpaid, ill equipped and half-starving. A hard pressed King Ferdinand agreed to confirm him as Governor of Malta.
The whole Maltese population, running short of essential provisions, was living close to famine so that the siege was turning into a race of which side would starve first.
British and Maltese, together with a Neapolitan contingent of 1,200 men got some relief in January 1800 but General Vaubois waited for a large-scale victualling expedition. The preparations dragged until the freshly made Premier Consul Napoleon Bonaparte put his hands in the project and appointed contre-amiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée to the command. The squadron sailed from Toulon-sur-Mer on February 6, 1800 comprising Le Généreux, one of the two escapers from the Battle of the Nile, three corvettes armed as storeships, and one armed storeship, with 3,000 men, arms, food and ammunitions on board. The expedition ended in disaster - on the morning of February 18, English ships gave chase to the small French squadron off Lampedusa island, at 1.30 p.m. Le Généreux soon struck her colours and Contre-amiral Perrée was killed at the start of the action. The rest of the French convoy returned to Toulon.
The ultimate attempt happened on August 24, when the frigates La Diane and La Justice were sent by Vaubois to run the blockade to France. They were sighted by the Success, chased by the Northumberland and ironically the (captured) Le Généreux. La Diane was taken. La Justice escaped under cover of darkness.
The siege was nearing to its end. All the horses, the mules, the dogs, the cats and the rats of Valletta having been eaten by the French garrison at Malta, Vaubois finally, on September 4, 1800, sent a flag of truce to the British commander Major-General Henry Pigot.
The following day, Pigot and Captain George Martin, RN, negotiated surrender with General Vaubois and contre-amiral Villeneuve. (Ironically - Captain Alexander Ball, as chief of the Maltese, was excluded from the negotiations as the French were not too keen to surrender to the Maltese.) Vaubois was given fair conditions of capitulation and honors of war including the right to keep their arms and spoils. These had cost nothing to the British. General Vaubois, with the French garrison, was quickly repatriated to Marseilles.
