Charles Baudin (21 July 1784 – 7 June 1854), was a French
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
, whose naval service extended from the
First Empire First Empire may refer to:
*First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783
*First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018)
*First French Empire (1804–1814/1815)
* First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes use ...
through the early days of the
Second Empire.
Biography
From 1800, Baudin served as a midshipman on
''Géographe'' and took part in her
expedition to Australia.
Baudin lost an arm in 1808 while serving in the
Indian Ocean on
''Sémillante'', during her battle against
HMS ''Terpsichore''.
["L'Amiral Baudin" by Jurien De La Gravière, p.50 (590 on the file) to 53 (593)] In 1812, as Lieutenant and Commander of the brig
''Renard'' off Genoa, he received the order to convey 14 munitions-laden cargo vessels to
Toulon. Although he was pursued by English cruisers, he was able to take his squadron safely to
St. Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Alp ...
, notably engaging
HMS ''Swallow'' on 11 June. In Toulon he was promoted to Captain. After the
battle of Waterloo he was prepared to lead his defeated Emperor
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
through the midst of the English cruisers; Napoleon, however, could not make up his mind in time.
After the
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
, Baudin was forced into retirement, and in 1816 joined the
merchant marine. Under the
July Monarchy, however, he returned to military service. In 1838, he became a Rear Admiral and became Commander-in-Chief of the squadron sent to Mexico during the so-called "
Pastry War
The Pastry War ( es, Guerra de los pasteles; french: Guerre des Pâtisseries), also known as the First French Intervention in Mexico or the First Franco-Mexican War (1838–1839), began in November 1838 with the naval blockade of some Mexican po ...
." In this conflict he commanded the French forces at the
Battle of Veracruz on 27 November 1838, against the fort of Vera Cruz, San Juan de Ulúa. The fort gave itself up the next day.
In January 1839, Baudin was named a Vice Admiral and in the following year he was entrusted with a military and diplomatic mission to Buenos Aires. He also received command over the fleet in South American waters. In 1841, he took over the Ministry of Marine, but quickly resigned and became maritime prefect in Toulon.
In 1848, after the
February Revolution
The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...
, he became commander-in-chief of France's Mediterranean Fleet. In this position, he took part in the Battle of Lazzaroni and of troops against Naples, and then moved toward Sicily, where he was defeated by the forces of
Carlo Filangieri.
In 1849, Baudin returned with his family to
Ischia, where he died on 7 June 1854. Not long beforehand, he had been named a full Admiral.
Notes, citations, and references
;Notes
;Citations
;References
* (available from page 535 on this PDF file)
Admirals of France
1784 births
1854 deaths
French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
{{France-mil-bio-stub