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

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

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