DAUGIER (François Henri Eugène d'Augier). - Lot 242

DAUGIER (François Henri Eugène d'Augier). Born in Courthézon, 1764-1834. Rear-admiral. Maritime Prefect of Lorient. Deputy for Finistère and Morbihan. Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. Grand Cross of Saint-Louis. Signed "Daugier". In sight of Ceuta, aboard the vessel Le Batave, 20 messidor an VII [July 8, 1799]. 4 pp. 3/4 in-folio on laid paper. Some wetness, small marginal tears and wear to folds, but no noticeable damage to the text. Important autograph naval report relating with remarkable accuracy a battle fought by the vessel Le Batave against an Algerian privateer off the coast of North Africa. Daugier painstakingly describes the appearance of a suspicious brig seen ahead of the squadron: "During the day, I saw a brig on the bow which did not seem to be part of the army, nor that of Spain..." Suspecting an enemy vessel, he set sail in order to reach it, and gradually engaged it in combat after observing the vessel's irregular maneuvers: "In this persuasion (...) I hurried to fire...". The vivid account details the Batave's approach, the artillery exchanges, the signals sent to the other French ships, and the attempted surrender imposed on the Algerians. In particular, Daugier recalls the arrival of a parliamentary canoe from the enemy brig: "They replied without hesitation that they were Algerians (...) their vessel carried 22 cannons...". Despite several summonses, the privateers stubbornly refused to surrender: "Their compatriots would be sunk and would not surrender...". The rear-admiral insisted on the exceptional violence of the engagement, underlining the resistance of the Algerian vessel despite sustained cannonade from several French vessels: "The Algerian ship was hit by at least twelve hundred cannon shots...". The text is a remarkable account of French naval operations in the Mediterranean at the end of the Directoire period, when the French navy was still actively fighting against the Barbary corsairs. The narrative is distinguished by its abundance of tactical details: flag signals, wind shifts, approach maneuvers, crew discipline and artillery effects. A fine piece of revolutionary naval history, with great narrative intensity, offering a rare direct insight into French naval warfare against Algerian vessels at the end of the 18th century.