A French fleet under General Hoche with Theobald Wolfe Tone aboard, 43 vessels and 14,500 men ran into significantly bad weather on this day in December 1796, causing the failure of an anticipated United Irishmen rebellion. Also known as the "Expedition d'Irlande," the French fleet set sail from Brest on December 16. The goal was to assist the outlawed Society of the United … [Read more...] about December 21, 1796