Fort Desaix

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Plan of Fort Borbon (from 1803 Fort Desaix)

The Fort Desaix (originally "Fort Bourbon", then "Fort la Convention") is a fortress over the city of Fort-de-France in Martinique . The type corresponds to Vauban's manner . The fort was built on the Morne Garnier between 1764 and 1772.

It is named after the Général de division Louis Charles Antoine Desaix . The fort is a restricted military area and houses the "Quartier général des forces armées françaises dans les Antilles" (French high command in the Antilles) and the "Détachement Terre Antilles" (parts of the 33 e régiment d'infanterie de marine ), consisting of five companies - the headquarters, the headquarters and supply company, two combat companies, which are regularly replaced, and two reserve companies. The “Center d'aguerrissement outre-mer et de l'étranger” - CAOME (training center for jungle and mangrove swamp combat) is also located here.

history

In the face of the British attack on the island of Martinique in 1762, King Louis XV decided. to strengthen the island's defenses. For this purpose, a fortification should be built on the Morne Garnier to protect the "Fort Louis" (today: Fort Saint-Louis ).

6,000,000 livres were made available to carry out the work, which began in 1764 . The management of the construction work was entrusted to Lieutenant-Colonel Henri de Rochemore. The architectural style corresponded to the teachings of Vauban, which had been widespread a century earlier. Rochemore handed over the technical management to the engineer Charles-Augustin Coulomb, who applied multiple experiences and innovations in the foundation and support of the masonry. He also relied on ideas from Pieter van Musschenbroek . Henri de Rochemore died on May 18, 1768 and was replaced by a Monsieur Le Bœuf, who initially had the work continued according to the plans of his predecessor. In a memorandum of June 1, 1769 to the king, he suggested that reinforcements should be put in place, such as the construction of a lunette 500 meters wide on the northeast front (now called Lunette-Bouillé), the establishment of underground ammunition rooms, the earthworks by walls to strengthen and dig a trench to divide the fort into two defensive sections. In the event of an enemy penetration in the northeastern part, it would be possible for the garrison to retreat to the southwestern part and gain time for relief .

As a result, Le Bœuf was allocated a further 1,300,000 livres to continue the work. These were carried out by the infantry regiments stationed here, and illnesses resulted in great human losses. The work was finished in 1772 and the fortification was christened “Fort Bourbon” in honor of the king.

During the American War of Independence Fort-Royal (today: Fort-de-France ) was a supply base for the insurgents, but because of the strong fortifications, the British did not dare to attack the port.

In the course of the French Revolution , the fortress was renamed "Fort la Convention" in 1793.

The Général Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Rochambeau reinforced the garrison with 900 men from the Régiment de la Martinique , who were able to resist the British attack in 1794. After they then had to capitulate, the island was occupied by the British and the fortress was renamed "Fort George".

After the peace treaty of Amiens on March 25, 1802, the island was returned to France, and the fort was named "Fort Desaix" by order of Napoleon Bonaparte in honor of Général Louis Charles Antoine Desaix, who died in the Battle of Marengo in 1800 .

On February 23, 1809, the fort surrendered again with a crew of 2,000 men under the command of Jean-Marie de Villaret-Joyeuse after three weeks of resistance when it was attacked by the British with an 18,000-man force; de Villaret-Joyeuse was released for this on August 21, 1810.

In this case, too, the fort was not conquered, but had to give up after a siege . In 1814 it was returned to France. Before that, the British had carried out extensive damage to the ramparts. This damage was repaired by 1848. In the course of this work, a double cape was laid on the northeast front . At the end of the 19th century, the fortress no longer met the requirements of the time. In the years 1880 and 1905 some modernization measures were carried out on the positions of the 16 installed coastal guns.

During the Second World War , the island was under the command of Admiral Georges Robert, the high commissioner of the Vichy government . 286 tons of gold from the Bank of France were stored here, which had been transported by the light cruiser "Émile Bertin" and which were actually supposed to be brought to Canada.

The cruiser "Émile Bertin"

In 1961 a barracks for the "33 e régiment d'infanterie de marine" was set up in the fort . At the same time, the General Staff and then the "Amiral Commandant les Forces Armées aux Antilles" (COMSUP) moved in here.

After the fort was added to the list of historical buildings in 2009, extensive renovation work took place as part of the restructuring of the armed forces, which is why the facility was removed from the list of monuments again in 2011.

particularities

In 1790 the loyal “Régiment de la Martinique” mutinied and occupied Fort Bourbon. When the "Régiment de la Guadeloupe" was ordered to take action against the rebels, it also refused to obey and joined the mutineers.

Then were the 2nd battalion of 31 e régiment d'infantry , the 34 e régiment d'infantry , the 58 e régiment d'infantry and 25 e régiment d'infantry in France loaded onto ships and to put down the rebellion in Martinique on Country set.

Postal address

6-14 Route du General Brosset
97234 Fort-de-France - France

Footnotes

  1. ↑ This trench no longer exists, if at all.
  2. ↑ Capitulation de Fort Desaix (Martinique) . In: Rossini, Maison de Vente aux Enchères, Paris.
  3. ↑ Carte du siège du Fort-Desaix et de ses environs (1809). In: Archives nationales d'outre-mer .
  4. ↑ Commanding Admiral of the Armed Forces in the Antilles.
  5. ^ Fort Desaix, situé quartier Desaix in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French).
  6. ↑ Victor Louis Jean François Belhomme: Histoire de l'infantry en France. Volume 3. p. 461 ( digitized on Gallica ), new edition: CreateSpace , North Charleston 2018.

literature

Web links

Coordinates: 14 ° 36 '59 "  N , 61 ° 3' 55"  W.