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
Citations
- Troude (1867), p. 140.
- Gardiner (1905), p. 143.
- La Monneraye (1998), p. 165.
- Contenson (1934), p. 150.
- Archives nationales (2011), p. 187.
- Archives nationales (2011), p. 217.
- Archives nationales (2011), p. 222.
- Roche (2005), p. 367.
- Archives nationales (2011), p. 276.
- Troude (1867), p. 153.
- Troude (1867), p. 161.
- 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
- Archives nationales (2011). "Fonds Marine, sous-série B/4: Campagnes, 1571-1785" (PDF). Retrieved 29 April 2020.