# Thomas Louis

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{{short description|Royal Navy officer}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [Rear-Admiral](/source/Rear_admiral_(Royal_Navy))
|name = Sir Thomas Louis
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|Bt}}
|image= Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Louis Bt.jpg
|caption=Portrait by [Lemuel Francis Abbott](/source/Lemuel_Francis_Abbott), 1793
|birth_date=1757
|death_date= 17 May 1807
|birth_place= [Exeter](/source/Exeter), [Devon](/source/Devon)
|death_place= [Alexandria](/source/Alexandria), [Ottoman Egypt](/source/Ottoman_Egypt)
|nickname=
|allegiance= [Great Britain](/source/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain) <br /> [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland)
|branch= [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy)
|service_years= 1769{{ndash}}1807
|rank= [Rear-Admiral of the White](/source/Rear-Admiral_of_the_White)
|unit= 
|commands= 
|battles= {{tree list}}
* [American War of Independence](/source/American_War_of_Independence)
** [Battle of Ushant (1778)](/source/Battle_of_Ushant_(1778))
** [Action of 8 January 1780](/source/Action_of_8_January_1780)
** [Battle of Cape St Vincent (1780)](/source/Battle_of_Cape_St_Vincent_(1780))
* [French Revolutionary Wars](/source/French_Revolutionary_Wars)
** [Battle of the Nile](/source/Battle_of_the_Nile)
* [Napoleonic Wars](/source/Napoleonic_Wars)
** [Battle of San Domingo](/source/Battle_of_San_Domingo)
** [Dardanelles operation](/source/Dardanelles_operation)
{{tree list/end}}
|awards= • [Baronetcy](/source/Baronetcy)<br/>• [Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit](/source/Order_of_Saint_Ferdinand_and_of_Merit)
|other_work=
}}

[Rear-Admiral of the White](/source/Rear-Admiral_of_the_White) '''Sir Thomas Louis, 1st Baronet''' (1758 – 17 May 1807) was a [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) officer who served in the [American War of Independence](/source/American_War_of_Independence) and [French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars](/source/French_Revolutionary_and_Napoleonic_Wars). He was one of [Horatio Nelson](/source/Horatio_Nelson)'s "[band of brothers](/source/Nelson's_band_of_brothers)" in the [Mediterranean campaign of 1798](/source/Mediterranean_campaign_of_1798), commanding a ship of the line at the [Battle of the Nile](/source/Battle_of_the_Nile). Louis subsequently served as second in command at the [Battle of San Domingo](/source/Battle_of_San_Domingo), for which he was made a [baronet](/source/baronet). In 1807, Louis died of an unknown ailment aboard his flagship in [Alexandria](/source/Alexandria) harbour and was buried in [Malta](/source/Malta).

==Early career==
Thomas Louis was born in 1758 to John and Elizabeth Louis. John was a schoolmaster in [Exeter](/source/Exeter), and family legend maintained that his grandfather had been an illegitimate son of King [Louis XIV](/source/Louis_XIV), although this cannot be verified.<ref name="ODNB"/> Louis joined the Navy in 1769 aged eleven, and first went to sea aboard the sloop [HMS ''Fly''](/source/HMS_Fly_(1752)). In 1771 he moved to the larger [HMS ''Southampton''](/source/HMS_Southampton_(1757)) and under her captain [John MacBride](/source/John_MacBride_(Royal_Navy_officer)) he subsequently moved to first [HMS ''Orpheus''](/source/HMS_Orpheus_(1773)) and then to the [ship of the line](/source/ship_of_the_line) [HMS ''Kent''](/source/HMS_Kent_(1762)). In 1775 he gained his first experience of foreign service, joining [HMS ''Martin''](/source/HMS_Martin_(1761)) on the [Newfoundland Station](/source/Newfoundland_Station).

===War with America===

In 1776, during the [American War of Independence](/source/American_War_of_Independence), Louis returned to Europe aboard [HMS ''Thetis''](/source/HMS_Thetis_(1773)) and joined the ship of the line [HMS ''Bienfaisant''](/source/HMS_Bienfaisant_(1758)). He was promoted to lieutenant, and in 1778 participated at the [First Battle of Ushant](/source/First_Battle_of_Ushant), a British victory under [Augustus Keppel](/source/Augustus_Keppel%2C_1st_Viscount_Keppel). He was present at the [action of 8 January 1780](/source/action_of_8_January_1780), where he took command of a captured Spanish ship of the line, the [''Guipuzcoana''](/source/Spanish_ship_Guipuzcoana). A week later, he was back aboard ''Bienfaisant'' as it engaged the Spanish at the [Battle of Cape St Vincent](/source/Battle_of_Cape_St_Vincent_(1780)) and was badly damaged by the larger Spanish battleship [''Fenix''](/source/Spanish_ship_Fenix_(1749)). During the storm which followed the battle, Louis took command of the captured ''Fenix'' and saw her safely to [Gibraltar](/source/Gibraltar).<ref name="ODNB"/>

After repairs, Louis commanded ''Fenix'' on her return to Britain and was joined there by ''Bienfaisant''. In this ship, Louis was involved in the capture of the French [privateer](/source/privateer) [''Comte d'Artois''](/source/French_ship_Comte_d'Artois), which mounted 60 guns. In 1781, Louis moved to the frigate [HMS ''Artois''](/source/HMS_Artois_(1780)) and was given his first independent command, the small [hired armed ship](/source/hired_armed_vessels) {{ship||Mackworth |1779 ship|2}}, which together with the ship ''Lady Mackworth'', escorted coastal shipping between [Plymouth](/source/Plymouth) and the ports on the Bristol Channel. In 1782 he was posted to the [impress service](/source/impressment) in [Sligo](/source/Sligo) and [Cork](/source/Cork_(city)). In early 1783 was made [post captain](/source/post_captain).

During the peace, Louis lived on his half-pay in reserve near [Torquay](/source/Torquay). He married Jacquetta Belfield in early 1784 and the couple had seven children. His eldest son, [John Louis](/source/Sir_John_Louis%2C_2nd_Baronet) would later become an admiral in his own right, and his third son fought with the [Royal Horse Artillery](/source/Royal_Horse_Artillery) at the [Battle of Waterloo](/source/Battle_of_Waterloo).<ref name="ODNB"/>

==Captaincy==

In 1793 France declared war on Britain as part of the [French Revolutionary Wars](/source/French_Revolutionary_Wars) broke out and Louis was immediately recalled to service to command {{HMS|Cumberland |1774 |6}} in the [Channel Fleet](/source/Channel_Fleet). In 1794 he moved to the new {{HMS |Minotaur |1793|6}} under the command of Admiral MacBride, and participated in the [Atlantic campaign of May 1794](/source/Atlantic_campaign_of_May_1794), narrowly missing the [Glorious First of June](/source/Glorious_First_of_June). In 1796 he convoyed supplies to the [West Indies](/source/West_Indies) and then joined the [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean) fleet under [Horatio Nelson](/source/Horatio_Nelson). Two years later, Louis and ''Minotaur'' were present at the [Battle of the Nile](/source/Battle_of_the_Nile) on 1 August 1798. At the battle, ''Minotaur'' fought a two-hour duel against [''Aquilon''](/source/French_ship_Aquilon_(1789)), ultimately forcing her surrender and there is a possibly apocryphal story that Louis was personally thanked by the seriously wounded Nelson, who is reported to have said "Farewell dear Louis, I shall never forget the obligation I am under to you for your brave and generous conduct; and now, whatever may become of me, my mind is at peace".<ref name="ODNB"/>

[[File:Plan and key. The Attack on Boulogne Oct 1804 RMG PZ6989.jpg|thumb|''Leopard'' under Louis at the [raid on Boulogne](/source/raid_on_Boulogne) on October 1804]]

In September 1799, Louis, under the command of [Thomas Troubridge](/source/Thomas_Troubridge), participated in operations in conjunction with [Neapolitan](/source/Kingdom_of_Naples) royal troops, to expel the French from [Rome](/source/Rome) and extinguish the nascent [Roman Republic](/source/Roman_Republic_(18th_century)). The French general [Garnier](/source/Pierre_Dominique_Garnier) having negotiated a capitulation, [Civitavecchia](/source/Civitavecchia) and [Corneto](/source/Tarquinia) were seized by 200 British marines while Louis, with a small party of the ''Minotaur'''s crew, rowed up the [Tiber](/source/Tiber) and hoisted the [Union Flag](/source/Union_Flag) to fly from Capitol over [Rome](/source/Rome) itself.<ref>The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1799, 128 - 129.</ref><ref>'Louis, Sir Thomas, first baronet', in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography</ref> In 1800, ''Minotaur'' was [Lord Keith](/source/Lord_Keith)'s flagship at the [Siege of Genoa](/source/Siege_of_Genoa_(1800)) and the following year Louis commanded her at the invasion of Egypt. Following the [Peace of Amiens](/source/Peace_of_Amiens), Louis briefly took command of {{HMS |Conqueror |1801 |6}}. Less than a year later he was promoted to [Rear-Admiral of the White](/source/Rear-Admiral_of_the_White), raised his flag in the [fourth rate](/source/fourth_rate) {{HMS |Leopard |1790 |6}}, commanded by [Francis Austen](/source/Francis_Austen), and oversaw 40 small craft seeking to disrupt French invasion preparations at the [raid on Boulogne](/source/raid_on_Boulogne) in October 1804.<ref name="ODNB"/>

==Trafalgar and San Domingo==
In 1805, Louis and Austen joined Nelson's fleet in the Mediterranean, taking over [HMS ''Canopus''](/source/HMS_Canopus_(1798)). ''Canpous'' participated in the chase across the Atlantic after [Villeneuve's](/source/Pierre_Charles_Silvestre_de_Villeneuve) fleet and the ensuing blockade of [Cádiz](/source/C%C3%A1diz). On 2 October, Nelson dispatched ''Canopus'' to Gibraltar to collect supplies for the fleet, despite strenuous objections from Louis that they would miss the forthcoming battle. Despite Nelson's assurances that they would not, on 21 October the Franco-Spanish fleet sallied out and was destroyed at the [Battle of Trafalgar](/source/Battle_of_Trafalgar) without Louis.<ref name="ODNB"/>

Disappointed at these events, Louis was sent under [John Thomas Duckworth](/source/John_Thomas_Duckworth) in late 1805 to pursue a French squadron that had reached the West Indies. The British force reached the French in February 1806 off the coast of [San Domingo](/source/San_Domingo) and in a lengthy [battle](/source/Battle_of_San_Domingo) drove the French flagship and another ship of the squadron ashore in flames and captured the rest. In reward of his service at this action, Louis was presented with a gold medal (his second after the Nile) and made a [baronet](/source/baronet). He returned to the Mediterranean later in the year, but had contracted an illness and spent sometime convalescing.<ref name="ODNB"/> This period was disturbed in November 1806 however when Duckworth was sent by [Lord Collingwood](/source/Cuthbert_Collingwood) to reconnoitre the [Dardanelles](/source/Dardanelles).

thumb|upright|Early 19th-century portrait of Louis

Three months later Louis led a division of Duckworth's force in a major attempt to force passage of the channel in what later became known as the [Dardanelles Operation](/source/Dardanelles_Operation). Although Duckworth's force reached [Constantinople](/source/Constantinople) they were heavily battered by enemy fire and were forced to withdraw soon afterwards, ''Canpous'' suffering severely from massive stone shot fired from Turkish cannon. For his service in this operation, Louis was highly praised by Duckworth.<ref>p.63, Howard</ref>

Louis returned with the fleet to [rejoin British forces](/source/Alexandria_expedition_of_1807) in Alexandria, Egypt, but the unidentified sickness that had plagued him in the West Indies returned and he became gravely ill. He died in May 1807 and his body was transferred to [Malta](/source/Malta) for burial, being interred at [Manoel Island](/source/Manoel_Island). His death was widely mourned in the fleet, particularly among the common sailors, with whom he had always been popular.<ref name="ODNB">[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17034 Louis, Sir Thomas], ''[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography)'', C. H. H. Owen, Retrieved 3 April 2008</ref>

==Namesakes==
The Royal Navy has named two ships after Louis.  The first {{HMS|Louis|1913|6}} was a [destroyer](/source/destroyer) launched in 1913 which saw service during [World War I](/source/World_War_I) before being wrecked in 1915.<ref>Colledge, J. J., and Ben Warlow, ''Ships of the Royal Navy, 4th Edition'', London: Chatham, 2010, {{ISBN|978-1-935149-07-1}}.</ref> The second, {{HMS|Louis|K515}}, was a frigate in commission from 1943 to 1946 which saw service during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.captainclassfrigates.co.uk/ships/K515.html|title=Captain Class Frigates - HMS Louis K515|first=Roy and Peter|last=Tynan|website=captainclassfrigates.co.uk}}</ref>

==Citations and notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite ODNB
 | title = Louis, Sir Thomas
 | year = 2004
 | doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/17034
 | url   = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17034}}
* Howard, Edward, ''Memoires of Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, K.C. B., & c.,'' Volume 2, Adamant Media Corporation, 2003
{{s-start}}
{{s-reg|uk-bt}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl| title = [Baronet](/source/Louis_Baronets)<br />'''(of [Chelston](/source/Chelston%2C_Torquay))'''| years = 1806–1807
}}
{{s-aft| after = [Sir John Louis, 2nd Baronet](/source/Sir_John_Louis%2C_2nd_Baronet)}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis, Thomas}}
Category:1758 births
Category:1807 deaths
Category:Royal Navy rear admirals
Category:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Category:Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War
Category:Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thomas Louis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Louis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Louis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.