Jacques François de Pérusse des Cars

Jacques François de Pérusse des Cars[Note 1] (Château des Cars, November 1738[3] – Glorieux during the Battle of the Saintes, on 12 April 1782)[4] was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence.

Biography

Pérusse des Cars was born to Marie-Françoise-Victoire de Verthamon and to François de Pérusse des Cars, Lieutenant-General governor or Limousin.[3]

He joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine in 1754.[4] He was promoted to Ensign in 1757[3] and to Lieutenant in 1765.[4] In 1772, he was given command of the 32-gun frigate Zéphyr, Brest.[5]

He was promoted to Captain in April 1777.[3]

In 1780, he captained the frigate Prudente,[6] cruising from Saint-Servan to Saint-Malo, Cherbourg and Brest.[7] After Prudente was in battle, Des Cars had an interview with Louis XVI.[8] On 22 June 1779, Prudente was captured by the 64-gun HMS Ruby and HMS Aeolus.[8]

In March 1781,[3] he was promoted to the command of the 74-gun Glorieux,[9] in the squadron under De Grasse.[1] Des Cars placed himself on a shroud of his ship to better direct the battle. In the opening of the battle, [10] at 0900,[11] he was wounded by a musket ball, and had to climb down to the deck, where he continued to command. He was then mortally wounded by a large-calibre musket ball, and died shortly afterwards.[4]

Lieutenant Trogoff de Kerlessy assumed command.[12] Des Cars' defence of Glorieux was later lauded in the subsequent inquiry into the battle.[11]

Des Cars had married Louis-Félicité Buttet in Saint-Domingue.[3] He was a Knight in the Order of Saint Louis.[3]

Sources and references

Notes

  1. Sometimes spelt "Pérusse d'Escars".[1][2]

Citations

  1. Troude (1867), p. 140.
  2. Gardiner (1905), p. 143.
  3. La Monneraye (1998), p. 165.
  4. Contenson (1934), p. 150.
  5. Archives nationales (2011), p. 187.
  6. Archives nationales (2011), p. 217.
  7. Archives nationales (2011), p. 222.
  8. Roche (2005), p. 367.
  9. Archives nationales (2011), p. 276.
  10. Troude (1867), p. 153.
  11. Troude (1867), p. 161.
  12. Contenson (1934), p. 193.

Bibliography

  • Contenson, Ludovic (1934). La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778–1783). Paris: éditions Auguste Picard. OCLC 7842336.
  • Gardiner, Asa Bird (1905). The order of the Cincinnati in France. The Rhode Island state society of Cincinnati. OCLC 5104049.
  • Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. OCLC 763372623.
  • La Monneraye, Pierre-Bruno-Jean (1998). Bonnichon, Philippe (ed.). Souvenirs de 1760 à 1791. Librairie Droz. ISBN 978-2-7453-0079-9. OCLC 165892922.
  • Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). 2. Challamel ainé. OCLC 836362484.
  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.