The Human Cost

French soldiers and sailors killed or wounded during the American War of Independence (1778-1783)

The table below lists French casualties, at sea and on land, during the major battles and engagements of the American War of Independence.

Detailed casualty table

Date	Year	Battle (location or ship)	Commander	Naval losses			Land losses			Total losses
				Killed	Wounded	Total	Killed	Wounded	Total	Killed	Wounded	Total
17 June	1778	La Belle Poule (English Channel)	La Clochetterie	40		40				40		40
27 July	1778	Ushant (France)	d’Orvilliers	163	517	680				163	517	680
13 Aug.	1778	Against Howe off Newport	d’Estaing	17	44	61				17	44	61
7 Sept.	1778	Capture of Dominica	Bouillé									?
18 Dec.	1778	Saint Lucia (West Indies)	d’Estaing				223	545	840	223	545	840
Jan.	1779	Senegal	Vaudreuil-Lauzun				6	22	28	6	22	28
2 July	1779	Grenada (West Indies)	d’Estaing	190	759	949	41	72	113	231	831	1,062
2 July – 14 Sept.	1779	Combined Fleet (*), English Channel	d’Orvilliers									?
6 Oct.	1779	La Surveillante	du Couedic	30	85	115				30	85	115
9 Oct.	1779	Savannah (Georgia)	d’Estaing				383	444	827	383	444	827
25 March	1780	La Charmante, shipwreck (Île de Sein)	La Hage	210						210		210
Apr. – May	1780	3 engagements against Rodney (Caribbean)	Guichen	190	500	690				190	500	690
20 June	1780	En route to America	Ternay	5	12	17				5	12	17
16 July	1780	Belle Poule vs. Nonsuch	Kergariou-Coatles	21	47	68				21	47	68
10 Aug.	1780	Nymphe vs. Flora	Trolong du Rumain	95	80	175				95	80	175
6 Jan.	1781	Attempt on Jersey (English Channel)	Rullecourt				86	74	160	86	74	160
16 March	1781	Chesapeake (Battle of the Capes) 1	des Touches	89	120	209				89	120	209
29 Apr.	1781	Fort Royal (Martinique)	de Grasse	18	56	74				18	56	74
24 May	1781	Actif vs. Nonsuch	Boadès	5	28	33				5	28	33
15 July	1781	Fée vs. Nymph (Cap Saint-Nicolas)	Boubée	60	100	160				60	100	160
21 July	1781	Île Royale (Cape Breton)	LaTouche Tréville	6	16	22				6	16	22
1 Sept.	1781	Magicienne vs. Chatam (Boston)	La Bouchetière	27	54	81	5			32	54	86
5 Sept.	1781	Chesapeake (Battle of the Capes) 2	de Grasse	39	184	223				39	184	223
5 – 18 Oct.	1781	Yorktown (Virginia)	Rochambeau				50	127	177	50	127	177
25 Nov.	1781	Capture of Saint Eustatius	Bouillé				12		12	12		12
6 Jan.	1782	Pégase vs. Foudroyant	Silans			90						90
25 Jan.	1782	Capture of Saint Kitts (West Indies)	de Grasse	103	202	305	94	172	266	197	374	571
4 Feb.	1782	Minorca (Mediterranean)	Crillon				1	61	62	1	61	62
9 & 12 Apr.	1782	The Saintes (West Indies), on 7 ships lost	de Grasse							991	1,119	2,110
9 & 12 Apr.	1782	The Saintes, on 21 other ships	de Grasse	352	1,329	1,681				352	1,329	1,681
14 Apr.	1782	Naïade vs. Sceptre	Villaret Joyeuse		24	24					24	24
20 Apr.	1782	Pégase vs. Foudroyant	Silans			90						90
5 Sept.	1782	Aigle and Gloire vs. Hector	LaTouche Tréville	10	7	17				10	7	17
10 Sept.	1782	Delaware	LaTouche Tréville	6	15	21				6	15	21
13 Sept.	1782	Gibraltar (Mediterranean)	Crillon				48	49	97	48	49	97
18 Oct.	1782	Scipion vs. London and Torbay	Grimoüard	15	40	55				15	40	55
20 Oct.	1782	Cape Spartel (Morocco)	Guichen	26	156	182				26	156	182
5 Feb.	1783	La Bourgogne, shipwreck (coast of Venezuela)	Champmartin	100						100		100

Suffren’s Campaign (Indian Ocean)

Date	Year	Battle (location)	Commander	Naval losses			Land losses			Total losses
				Killed	Wounded	Total	Killed	Wounded	Total	Killed	Wounded	Total
16 Apr.	1781	Porto Praya (Cape Verde, Atlantic)	Suffren	93	197	290				93	197	290
17 Feb.	1782	Sadras (India)	Suffren	30	120	150				30	120	150
12 Apr.	1782	Providien (India)	Suffren	137	357	494				137	357	494
6 July	1782	Negapatam (India)	Suffren	178	602	780				178	602	780
3 Sept.	1782	Trincomalee (Sri Lanka)	Suffren	82	255	337				82	255	337
20 June	1783	Cuddalore (India)	Suffren	102	376	478	200	300	545	302	676	978

Grand total

	Killed	Wounded	Total
Naval losses	2,439	6,282	8,677
Land losses	1,149	1,866	3,127
Total losses	4,579	9,267	13,936

Not including those who died of their wounds or from disease.

Notes

(*) At least 529 died of disease among the 4,723 French sailors involved in this combined Franco-Spanish operation.

(**) According to McCullough, in the British fleet, for every sailor killed or dead of wounds, more than 7 died of disease; the same proportion applied to the French Royal Navy would give an additional 15,000 dead among French sailors.

According to Warrington Dawson’s detailed study (1936), 2,112 French citizens lost their lives on American soil or in American waters, comprising 1,113 soldiers and 999 sailors (the vast majority from disease).