View source for Julien Cosmao

{{Short description|French Navy officer (1761–1825)}}
{{expand French|Julien Marie Cosmao-Kerjulien|date=September 2012|topic=mil}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix  = 
| name              = Julien Cosmao
| honorific_suffix  = 
| native_name       = Julien Marie Cosmao-Kerjulien
| native_name_lang  = 
| image         = Cosmao Mayer.jpg
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = Portrait of Julien Cosmao by [[Auguste Mayer]]
| birth_date    = 27 November 1761
| death_date    = 17 February 1825 
| birth_place   = [[Châteaulin]], [[Finistère]]
| death_place   = [[Brest, France]]
| placeofburial = St Martin Cemetery, Brest
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| nickname      = « Va de bon cœur »
| birth_name    = 
| allegiance    = {{flag|Kingdom of France}}<br>{{flag|Kingdom of the French}}<br>{{Flag|French First Republic}}<br>{{Flag|First French Empire}}
| branch        = {{flagicon|First French Empire}} [[French Navy]]
| serviceyears  = 1776 – 1816
| rank          = Counter admiral
| servicenumber = 
| unit          = 
| commands      = Le Tonnant, Le Pluton
| battles       = 
| battles_label = 
| awards        = 
| relations     = 
| laterwork     = 
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| website       = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}

'''Julien Marie Cosmao-Kerjulien''' (27 November 1761 &ndash; 17 February 1825) was a [[French Navy]] officer best known for his actions during the [[Battle of Trafalgar]].

== Career ==

=== Early career ===

Completing his studies in Châteaulin, young Cosmao-Kerjulien joined the [[French Navy]] in 1776, against his parents' will. He served in ''Aigrette'' in the [[West Indies]]. Back in [[Brest, France]] in 1778, he served on ''Oiseau'' with [[Corentin de Leissegues]]. In September, after the beginning of the [[American Revolutionary War]], he served on the ''Nymphe'', taking part in two battles against British [[privateer]]s near [[Bordeaux]] and [[Belle Isle (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Belle-Isle]].

Between January 1779 and April 1781, he served off Guyana aboard the [[brig]] ''Hirondelle'', fighting two more British privateers and capturing two British [[East Indiaman|East Indiamen]]. He was promoted to lieutenant of a frigate in September 1781. He served successively aboard ''Pégase'' on February 1782 and the ''Protecteur'' in March before taking command of the [[fluyt]] ''Fidèle'' in [[Newfoundland (island)|Terre Neuve]] from May 1783 to April 1784. In January 1785 he served on ''Lourde'', on ''Vigilante '' on October and ''Dorade'' in April 1786. He was made a sub-lieutenant on a ship of the line in March 1786.

In September 1787, he was given command of the [[brig]] ''Vaneau'', and of ''Boulonnaise'' from November 1787 to March 1790. From October 1790 to January 1791, he was first officer aboard ''Précieuse''. From February 1791, he served aboard ''Orion'' of the squadron of [[Laurent Jean François Truguet]] in [[Toulon]]. He was made ship of the line full lieutenant in January 1792, and received command of the [[corvette]] ''Sincère'' in April. He took part in the landing at [[Cagliari]] in January 1793.

=== Captain ===
[[File:Tombe-St-Martin.jpg|thumb|His grave at St Martin cemetery, Brest]]
[[File:Taking of the rock Le Diamant, near Martinique, 2 June 1805 (by Auguste Etienne François Mayer).jpg|thumb|The French fleet under Captain Cosmao attacking [[Diamond Rock]]. Painting by [[Auguste Mayer]].]]

In the context of the lack of qualified officers due to the [[French Revolution]], he was made ''Capitaine de Vaisseau'' in April 1793, serving aboard {{ship|French ship|Commerce de Marseille|1785|2}}, ''Centaure'' and ''[[HMS Implacable (1805)|Duguay-Trouin]]'', under Rear-Admiral [[Trogoff de Kerlessy]]. In December 1794 he was transferred to the squadron commanded by [[Pierre Martin (French Navy officer)|Pierre Martin]], where he commanded the 80-gun ship of the line {{HMS|Tonnant|1798|2}}. He took part in the [[Battle of Genoa (1795)|Battle of Genoa]] in March 1795 (where the French lost two ships of the line) and [[Battle of the Hyères Islands]] (where the French lost the [[74-gun]] [[French ship Alcide (1782)|''Alcide'']]).

In June 1797, he was made chief of division, commanding the ''[[French ship Jemmapes (1794)|Jemmapes]]'' in the Mediterranean. From  1801 to 1803, he served under Dordelin in [[Saint-Domingue]], commanding {{ship|French ship|Océan|1790|6}}, the ''Alliance'' and the {{ship|French ship|Mont Blanc|1793|6}}. Back to France, he assumed command of the 74-gun ''[[French ship Pluton (1805)|''Pluton'']]'' in the squadron of Admiral [[Pierre-Charles Villeneuve|Villeneuve]] in Toulon. He accompanied the squadron to the West Indies and took part in [[Battle of Diamond Rock|the capture]] of the [[Diamond Rock]] from the British, {{convert|6|nmi|km|0}} away from [[Martinique]]. Back to Europe, he took part in the [[Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805)|Battle of Cape Finisterre]], on 22 July, preventing one Spanish warship from being captured by the British.

=== Battle of Trafalgar ===
At the [[Battle of Trafalgar]], ''Pluton'' was part of the reconnaissance squadron created by Villeneuve and commanded by Spanish [[Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli|Admiral Gravina]]. She followed the {{ship|French ship|Fougueux|1785|6}} in the line of battle, in the rear. When [[Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood|Admiral Collingwood]] attacked, ''Pluton'' opened fire on {{HMS|Royal Sovereign|1786|6}}, then manoeuvered in order to block [[HMS Mars (1794)|HMS ''Mars'']], damaged her with artillery fire and attempted to board and seize her. However, the arrival of {{HMS|Tonnant}} in her [[stern]] forced her to turn. She engaged {{HMS|Belleisle|1795|6}}, already damaged by the fire of ''Fougueux''; another British ship, {{HMS|Polyphemus|1782|6}}, forced her to disengage. She then helped the surrounded {{ship|Spanish ship|Principe de Asturias}} of Gravina, and succeeded in freeing her.

However, at this point, the battle was already lost for the French. At sunset, five French ships ({{ship|French ship|Pluton|1805|2}}, {{ship|French ship|Héros|1801|2}}, {{ship|French ship|Neptune|1803|2}}, {{ship|French ship|Indomptable|1790|2}} and {{ship|French ship|Argonaute|1798|2}} and six Spanish ships tried to return to [[Cádiz]], under dying Admiral Gravina. On 23 October, Cosmao, as one of the most senior officers present, jointly took command of the squadron with Spanish Commodore [[Enrique MacDonell]],<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1xbTYBdw7EC&q=enrique+macdonnell&pg=PT297 |title = Trafalgar: The men, the battle, the storm|isbn = 9781444719772|last1 = Craig|first1 = Phil|last2 = Clayton|first2 = Tim|date = 2012-06-07}}</ref> and set back to sea with five ships: ''Pluton'', ''Héros'', ''Neptune'', [[Spanish ship San Francisco de Asis (1767)|''San Francisco de Asis'']], and [[Spanish ship Rayo (1751)|''Rayo'']]. Cosmao later tried to claim sole credit for the sortie but this is not correct as both MacDonell and Cosmao both had Commodore pennants raised.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1xbTYBdw7EC&q=enrique+macdonnell&pg=PT297 |title = Trafalgar: The men, the battle, the storm|isbn = 9781444719772|last1 = Craig|first1 = Phil|last2 = Clayton|first2 = Tim|date = 2012-06-07}}</ref> He managed to retake [[Spanish ship Neptuno (1795)|''Neptuno'']] and [[Spanish ship Santa Ana (1784)|''Santa Ana'']], as well as forcing the British to scuttle a number of their prizes. However, ''Neptuno'' and ''Rayo'' sank during the journey back and the ''Indomptable'' was wrecked with the loss of over a thousand men.

=== Late career ===
Cosmao-Kerjulien was made Rear Admiral on 29 May 1806. He took command of a division of the French Mediterranean Fleet, under [[Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume|Ganteaume]] from 1807. he took part in operations to resupply Corfu and to the landing in Sicily. His 4 ships, having sustained damage, retreated to Taranto.

In late 1809, [[Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume|Ganteaume]] was organising reinforcements to Barcelona. Cosmao set his flag on {{ship|French ship|Robuste|1806|2}} and took command of a squadron comprising {{ship|French ship|Donawerth|1808|2}}, {{ship|French ship|Génois|1805|2}}, {{ship|French ship|Borée|1805|2}} and {{ship|French ship|Lion|1804|2}}, as well as the frigates {{ship|French frigate|Pauline|1807|2}} and {{ship|French frigate|Pénélope|1806|2}}, and a dozen of transports. The fleet departed Toulon on 24 April 1809, and returned on 1 May without incident.

Cosmao was made [[Nobility of the First French Empire|baron]] in 1810. In August 1811, he served under Admiral Missiessy in the Escaut Squadron, commanding a division, with his flag in the ship-of-the-line ''Tilsit''.

In 1813 he returned to the Mediterranean Fleet, where he commanded a 5-ship division, with his flag on the {{ship|French ship|Wagram|1810|2}}. At the [[action of 5 November 1813]], he saved the 74-gun {{ship|French ship|Agamemnon|1812|2}} and the frigates [[French frigate Pénélope (1806)|''Pénélope'']] and ''Melpomène'' which were surrounded by superior British forces.

[[Image:Combat du Romulus Gilbert Pierre-Julien.jpg|thumb|Fight of the ''[[French ship Romulus (1812)|Romulus]]'']]
In February 1814, he set sail with three ships from Toulon to Genoa, threatened by the Austrians, to bring back the ''Scorpion''. He escaped the forces of Admiral Pellew and successfully returned to Toulon on the 10th with the ''Scorpion'' without losing a ship, though the {{ship|French ship|Romulus|1812|2}}, at the rear, did suffer some damage.

During the [[First Restoration]], in April 1814, Cosmao-Kerjulien received command of the Mediterranean Fleet, and was appointed a Knight of the [[Order of Saint Louis]]. In 1815, upon the Emperor's [[Hundred Days|brief return to power]], he rallied to Napoleon, who made him ''[[préfet maritime]]'' of Brest in March, and a [[Peerage of France|Peer of France]] in June, right before the [[Battle of Waterloo]].

Cosmao-Kerjulien was retired on 1 January 1816, and for one year he did not receive a pension.  At the time of his retirement, he was 55, with 25 year in campaigns, and 11 battles without once being wounded or captured. He died at 64, on 17 February 1825.

Five paintings of him can be seen in the town house of his home town of Châteaulin, in the [[Finistère]].

== Honours ==
[[File:Arc de Triomphe mg 6819.jpg|thumb|upright|Cosmao's name engraved on the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in Paris (fourth from bottom right).]]
"The best sailor of the time; none was ever braver and more generous" -- [[Napoléon]]

* Cosmao's name is engraved on the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in Paris.
* [[Legion of Honour]] from 7 April 1812
* [[Order of Saint Louis|chevalier de Saint-Louis]] from 5 July 1814
* Pair de France

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.cosmaodumanoir.fr/index.php?page=julien ''Cosmao Dumanoir'']
* [http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Biographie_des_célébrités_militaires_des_armées_de_terre_et_de_mer_de_1789_à_1850_—_C#COSMAO_.28_JULIEN-MARIE.2C_baron.29 ''Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850'']

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosmao, Julien}}
[[Category:1761 births]]
[[Category:1825 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Châteaulin]]
[[Category:French Navy admirals]]
[[Category:French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of Saint Louis]]
[[Category:Peers of France]]
[[Category:Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe]]