Q&A · 36:53-38:37

If Hoche's French expedition had landed in Ireland

The campaign would have been painful but probably short because the Royal Navy could isolate the landing force while the army mobilized, and revolutionary France might struggle to win broad Irish religious support.

Question

If General Hoche had landed 15,000 French troops in Ireland in 1796, how long would Britain have taken to remove them?

Short answer

The campaign would have been painful but probably short because the Royal Navy could isolate the landing force while the army mobilized, and revolutionary France might struggle to win broad Irish religious support.

Notes

In the counterfactual landing, the Royal Navy's first task would be to patrol around Ireland and prevent reinforcements or resupply from reaching the expedition. The British Army could then concentrate forces against the isolated landing. Revolutionary France's anti-clerical experiments, including the Cult of Reason, could let Britain present the invasion as a religious threat to both Protestants and Catholics. That might reduce Catholic recruitment for the invaders while encouraging Protestant resistance. The campaign is expected to be painful but short-lived.