Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Antoine Maurin | |
| Born | 27 January 1761 Brest, France |
| Died | 2 December 1848 (aged 87) Versailles, France |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France French First Republic First French Empire |
| Branch | French Navy |
| Rank | Counter-Admiral |
| Battles / wars | |
Counter-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, comte de Linois (27 January 1761 – 2 December 1848) was a French Navy officer and colonial administrator who served in the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He commanded the combined Franco-Spanish fleet during the Algeciras campaign in 1801, winning the First Battle of Algeciras before losing the Second Battle of Algeciras.
He then led an unsuccessful campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in 1803, being defeated by a harmless fleet of the British East India Company during the Battle of Pulo Aura and ending his cruise and sea-going career being bested in battle by John Borlase Warren in the action of 13 March 1806.
Following the Bourbon Restoration in France, Linois was appointed Governor of Guadeloupe. He supported Napoleon during the Hundred Days and so, on his return to France, he was forced to resign and was court martialled. Although acquitted, he was placed in retirement and never served again.