Every now and then when I’m researching for my books I come across a footnote or a reference that is so intriguing that I have to know more. Often these footnotes provide the basis for scenes or entire plots. One such tale is that of Henri de Rigny, a French naval officer who was assigned to track down a British spy and ended up impersonating him to gain vital intelligence of the enemy’s intentions.
Henri was born in 1782. When he was ten his father died and his mother had to leave France to escape the revolution. It’s unclear why Henri and his five siblings were left behind but they were brought up by his aunt. In 1798 he enlisted in the navy as a midshipman. By 1803 he was the commander of a corvette, La Triomphante, at Boulogne. When Napoleon questioned the young officer about the tides and currents in the English Channel he was so impressed with him that he appointed him to the Marines of the Guard. The Marines of the Guard were initially formed to provide the crew for the vessel that would take Napoleon across to England but when the invasion was cancelled they remained part of Imperial Guard and manned whatever boat or barge Napoleon used.
Henri fought at Jena and several other actions in Prussia and Poland. In 1808 he was sent to Spain and appointed as aide-de-camp to Marshal Bessières. Spain was in turmoil. The government of prime minister Godoy was deeply unpopular, the heir to the throne, Fernando, had plotted against his parents and the unrest proved sufficient excuse for Napoleon to attempt a coup and to place his brother Joseph on the throne. The Spanish people had revolted in early May and had been brutally suppressed by the French army.
Napoleon had been over optimistic about how easily Spain would fall under his influence and the French army was severely overstretched. Bessières, one of four corps commanders, was charged with pacifying north-western Spain and heard rumours of a British officer in the area. He sent Rigny to arrest him. Given the timing and the location Rigny’s quarry was probably Andrew Leith-Hay, aide-de-camp and nephew of Major General Sir James Leith. Leith had been sent to Santander to gauge the situation and the strength of Spanish resistance. He sent his nephew south to reconnoitre the route to Burgos and Madrid.
Rigny rode north from Burgos for Santander, hunting for the reported British spy, but he was quickly captured by the Spanish and thrown in the dungeon of a local fortress. However, he’d hidden enough gold on himself prior to his capture to enable him to bribe his gaoler and escape. He could have just headed back to Burgos but instead chose to impersonate the British spy he had been sent to apprehend and presented himself to the Spanish commanders, who proceeded to wine and dine him and share their plans for the defeat of the French.
Eventually Rigny did rejoin Bessières, and the detailed intelligence of the Spanish strength and intentions that he brought enabled the marshal to outmanoeuvre and defeat the Spanish. The Spanish generals only learned the true identity of the ‘British’ officer that they had entertained when they saw him with the rest of the marshall’s staff during surrender negotiations.
Rigny continued to distinguish himself throughout the rest of the Napoleonic wars, both at sea and on land, being wounded at least three times and rising to the rank of captain. After the restoration he was promoted to Admiral and commanded the French fleet at the Battle of Navarino during the Greek war of independence. He was subsequently made a comte, served as Minister of Marine and Minister of War. He died in 1835. Rigny’s quick thinking and daring shows that a resourceful officer can turn even the worst situation to his advantage.
References
Études sur Napoleon – Marie Élie Guillaume de Baudus
The Peninsular War – Charles Esdaile
Wellington’s Spies – Mary McGrigor
Available from Amazon or directly from the publisher Helion, which means I make a little more rather than Amazon getting all the profit!
Daring, Duty & Cunning Plans 