Pierre Landais

Background

Pierre Landais was born in St. Malo, Brittany.

Career

Early in life Landais entered the French navy and during the years 1766-69 accompanied the celebrated navigator Bougainville in a voyage of discovery around the world. Later he served as captain of a fireship and as a lieutenant at Brest. Dissatisfied with his prospects in the French service, he sought employment in the Continental navy and readily accepted a captain's commission therein, proffered to him on March 1, 1777, by Silas Deane, the American commissioner at Paris, who placed a high estimate upon his professional abilities. Deane authorized him to take command of the French merchantman Flamand at Marseilles and transport to America a cargo of military supplies.

On December 1, 1777, he arrived at Portsmouth, N. H. , after having quelled a serious mutiny on shipboard. Thence he proceeded to Philadelphia, taking with him letters of recommendation from Deane and from Baron von Steuben, one of his passengers on the Flamand. Favorably impressed by the Frenchman, the Continental Congress confirmed his appointment as captain and gave him command of the frigate Alliance, one of the best berths in the navy. On October 15, 1778, the Massachusetts legislature passed an act naturalizing him as a citizen of that state.

With Lafayette as a passenger, he returned to France where he arrived in February 1779, with a considerable number of his crew in irons, as a result of a plot against their commander. In these two cruises, Landais disclosed that he had little aptitude for dealing with men and that his eccentricities more or less disqualified him for a naval command. John Adams, who saw him frequently at this time, reported that he was disappointed and moody, indecisive, jealous, and artless, and predicted that he would die poor and despised (C. F. Adams, The Works of John Adams, III, 1851, pp. 200, 204, 206).

In April the Alliance was attached to the fleet of John Paul Jones and as next in rank to that officer her commander might have achieved great professional distinction, but animated by jealousy and petty pride he chose to disobey orders and assert his independence of his superior. Sulking, or fearful through timidity, he took but little part in the battle off Flamborough Head. The few shots fired by the Alliance did more damage to the flagship than to the enemy. After the cruise, Jones formally accused Landais of gross insubordination and of firing intentionally into the Bon Homme Richard.

Franklin, the American minister at Paris, investigated the dispute, but unable to settle it, referred it to the Continental Congress in America. He placed Jones in command of the Alliance and warned her former commander not to meddle with the ship. In direct violation of these orders, encouraged by Arthur Lee, Landais went aboard the Alliance during the absence of Jones, took command of her, and sailed for America, leaving in France part of the cargo allotted to her. On this voyage the crew twice mutinied and Landais had frequent quarrels with his officers and passengers. Finally he retired to his cabin and declined to give commands or receive communications, and the Alliance was placed in charge of her lieutenant who brought her into Boston. A court-martial, presided over by Commodore John Barry, that inquired into Landais's conduct in France and during this voyage sentenced him in January 1781 to be broken and rendered incapable of serving in the American navy.

Landais now became a resident of New York City and a chronic claimant for money alleged to be due him from the federal government. When early in the French Revolution the French navy was reorganized, he returned to his native land and again entered its naval service. In the Sardinian war of 1792-93 he is said to have displayed on one occasion much gallantry. In the latter year, ranking then as a rear-admiral, he commanded first a small fleet in the Mediterranean and later a larger fleet in the Atlantic. Several of his ships took part in the famous mutiny of 1793, and when he asked to resign his command, his request was readily granted.

He returned to New York City in 1797. The twenty-three years of life that remained to this unfortunate officer were spent in "proud, solitary, and honourable poverty. " He often visited the federal capital to prosecute his claims for prize money and a restitution of rank. In 1806 Congress voted him $4, 000 on account, to be deducted from his share of prize money, in case of a final settlement. Two years before he died he erected in the cemetery of St. Patrick's (Old) Cathedral a monument to himself, with an inscription in French, which may be translated thus: "To the memory of Pierre de Landais, formerly rear-admiral in the service of the United States, who disappeared June, 1818, aged 87 years. " He died in the New York City Hospital and is said to have been buried in the potter's field, then at Washington Square.

Achievements

• Landais was known for his participation in the Seven Years' War. He offered to aid the United States during the Revolution and commanded Alliance, one of the US Navy's first warships. He also distinguished himself in operations against Cagliari, Sardinia.