William Tate (soldier)

Chef de brigade William Tate was the Irish-born American commander of a French invasion force known as La Légion Noire ("The Black Legion") which invaded Britain in 1797, resulting in the Battle of Fishguard.

William Tate
The Battle of Fishguard, where Tate surrendered
Born1744
Ireland, Great Britain
DiedUnknown
Unknown
Allegiance France
Service/branch French Army
Years of service1797
RankChef de brigade
Commands heldLégion Noire
Battles/warsFrench Revolutionary Wars

The 1,200 to 1,400-strong Légion Noire landed at Carregwastad Point, near the Welsh port of Fishguard, on February 22 but surrendered three days later. After brief imprisonment, Tate was returned to France in a prisoner exchange in 1798, along with most of his invasion force. This was the last invasion of the British mainland by foreign forces.

Tate reportedly held a grudge the British because his family had been killed by pro-British Native Americans in the American War of Independence, and he advocated Irish republicanism.[1]

Many historians, following E. H. Stuart Jones, the author of The Last Invasion of Britain (1950), have suggested that William Tate was about 70 years old in 1797; he was in fact 44.[2]

Notes
  1. Thomas 2007, p. 58
  2. See Rose, Richard, The French at Fishguard: Fact, Fiction and Folklore, Transactions of the Hon. Society of Cymmrodorion, Vol. 9, 2003, pp. 76-77

References
  • Fishguard Fiasco An account of the last invasion of Britain J S Kinross ISBN 978-1-904396-68-0
  • Britains last Invasion, Fishguard 1797 J E Thomas ISBN 0-7524-4010-1
  • "BBC - History: On This Day 22 February". BBC Online. Retrieved 2012-02-22.



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