Charles Régis de Coriolis d'Espinouse (1726–1793) was a French Navy officer. He served in the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Biography

Coriolis d'Espinouse was born to the family of Aix-en-Provence. He joined the Navy as

Garde-Marine In France, under the Ancien Régime, the Gardes de la Marine (Guards of the Navy), or Gardes-Marine were young gentlemen undergoing training to be naval officers. The training program was established by Cardinal Richelieu in 1670 and lasted until Ad ...

on 1 July 1741, and was promoted to Lieutenant on 11 February 1756. In 1764, he commanded the xebec ''Requin'', ferrying troops to Corsica. In 1769 and 1770, he captained the brand-new 18-gun corvette ''Flèche'', based in Toulon. He was promoted to captain on 15 November 1771. In 1776, he commanded the 34-gun frigate ''Aurore'', cruising off Algiers, Majorca and Tunis. In 1778, he commanded the 64-gun ''Caton'', part of the squadron under

Louis de Fabry de Fabrègues Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

, along with the 74-gun ''Destin'' and ''Victoire'', the 64-gun ''Hardi'' and ''Lion'', and the frigates ''Gracieuse'' and ''Flore''. In 1779, Coriolis d'Espinouse was promoted to the command of the 74-gun ''Destin'', part of the Blue squadron of the fleet under Orvilliers. In 1781, he commanded the 74-gun ''César'', which he captained at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

on 5 September 1781. He was promoted to

Chef d'Escadre ''Chef d'escadre'' (; literally "squadron commander") was a rank in the French Navy during the Ancien Régime and until the French Revolution. The rank was changed to '' contre-amiral'' by a law passed on 15 May 1791. History The first chefs ...

on 12 January 1782. He took part in the

Battle of Saint Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet u ...

on 24 and 25 January 1782, and in the

Siege of Brimstone Hill The French invasion of Saint Kitts also known as the Siege of Brimstone Hill, from 19 January–13 February 1782, was a part of the American Revolutionary War. After landing on Saint Kitts, the French troops of the Marquis de Bouillé stormed and ...

and subsequent French invasion of Saint Kitts. Later in 1782, Coriolis d'Espinouse transferred to the 80-gun ''Duc de Bourgogne''. He captained her at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

on 12 April 1782.

Citations

References

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coriolis d'Espinouse, Charles Régis French Navy officers French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War