Charles Gaspard Hyacinthe de Forbin La Barben (

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

, 26 February 1741 — ?) was a French Navy officer. He fought in the Indian Ocean under Suffren during 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 ...

, captaining the 64-gun ''Vengeur'' at the

Battle of Porto Praya The Battle of Porto Praya was a naval battle that took place during the American Revolutionary War on 16 April 1781 between a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone and a French squadron under the Bailli de Suffren. Both squadrons w ...

on 16 April 1781, the

Battle of Sadras The Battle of Sadras was the first of five largely indecisive naval battles fought between a British fleet (under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes) and a French fleet (under Admiral Pierre Suffren) off the east coast of India during the Anglo-French ...

on 17 February 1782, the

Battle of Providien The Battle of Providien was the second in a series of naval battles fought between a British fleet, under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, and a French fleet, under the Bailli de Suffren, off the coast of India during the Anglo-French War. The ...

on 12 April 1782, the Battle of Negapatam on 6 July 1782, and the

Battle of Trincomalee A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

from 25 August to 3 September 1782. He was one of the officers that Suffren dismissed in the wake of the

Biography

Forbin was born to the family of

Claude de Forbin Claude, chevalier, then count de Forbin-Gardanne (6 August 1656 – 4 March 1733) was a French naval commander. In 1685–1688 he was on a diplomatic mission to Siam. He became governor of Bangkok and a general in the Siamese army, and left Siam ...

. He was also a parent to Suffren, as Suffren's great-grand-mother was from the Forbin family. Forbin joined the Navy as a

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 7 October 1756. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 27 November 1765, and to Captain on 13 March 1779. In September 1781, he was first officer on ''Terrible'' in the squadron under Admiral d'Estaing. Forbin was appointed to the 64-gun ''Vengeur''. He took part in the

on 16 April 1781. After the

on 17 February 1782, Suffren wrote that he had "correctly kept his station". At the

on 12 April 1782, Forbin's ''Vengeur'' stayed largely out of the action. Engaged by HMS ''Exeter'', she veered to aim her broadside at her, which prevented her from closing the distance. In consequence, the two ships exchanged fire from too large a distance and were ineffectual. At the Battle of Negapatam on 6 July 1782, Forbin failed to keep the

line of battle The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...

. He still took part in the

from 25 August to 3 September 1782, but after the battle, Suffren relieved him from command and sent him back to France, along with Cillart and Bidé de Maurville. At his return to France, he was imprisoned at

Pont-Saint-Esprit Pont-Saint-Esprit (, literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; oc, Lo Pònt Sant Esperit) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche fl ...

castle. His conduct was later attributed "more to incompetence and a lack of character than to ill will", he was freed and asked to resign. He was retired on 12 September 1784. At the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, Forbin became an

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French ''émigrer'', "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Huguenots fled France followi ...

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbin La Barben, Charles Gaspard Hyacinthe French Navy officers