Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville
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Louis-René Madelaine Le Vassor comte de La Touche-Tréville |
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Portrait of Latouche-Tréville, by Antoine Maurin
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| Born | 3 June 1745 Rochefort-sur-mer, France |
| Died | 19 August 1804 (aged 59) Toulon, France |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of France Kingdom of the French French First Republic
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| Service/branch |
 French Navy
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| Years of service | 1758 — 1804 |
| Rank | Vice-admiral |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Commander of the Legion of Honour |
| Relations |
Son to Louis-Charles Le Vassor de La Touche |
Commander of the Legion of Honour
Son to Louis-Charles Le Vassor de La Touche
Louis-René Madelaine Le Vassor, comte de La Touche-Tréville (3 June 1745 – 19 August 1804) was a French Vice-admiral. He fought in the American War of Independence and became a prominent figure of the French Revolutionary Wars and of the Napoleonic wars.
Born into a noble family of naval officers, Latouche enlisted at the age of 13. He rose to become a competent frigate captain, battling several British ships during the American War of Independence. His two-frigate squadron once manoeuvred a 74-gun ship of the line to the point of sinking, and he was entrusted with important personalities of the time as passengers, notably Louis XVI and the Marquis de Lafayette.
During the Revolution, Latouche, a Freemason and aide to Phillipe Égalité, took progressive positions as a deputy in the Estates General and later in the National Constituent Assembly. His nobility nevertheless made him a target during the Reign of Terror, and he was imprisoned and only freed from prison by the Thermidorian Reaction.
Returned to the Navy after a long period of unemployment, Latouche took command of the Flottille de Boulogne, where he repelled the Raids on Boulogne organised by Nelson. He then served in the Saint-Domingue expedition, which irrevocably compromised his health. After his return, he took command of the fleet in Toulon, reorganising it into a potent tool again, but he succumbed to a relapse of illness before he had a chance to use it. Under his successor Villeneuve, the fleet he had refurbished was crushed at the Battle of Trafalgar.
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