Jacques François de Pérusse des Cars (November 1738 – 12 April 1782) was a French Navy officer who was a great-grandson of King

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

. 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 ...

Early life

Pérusse des Cars was born at the

Château des Cars The Château des Cars is a ruined castle at Les Cars in the Limousin region of west France. It was traditionally the residence of the Pérusse family. Architecture The castle was built as a square with sides of 30 metres length inside which was ...

in November 1738. He was the second son of four children born to Marie Emilie FitzJames (1715–1770), a

Lady-in-Waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to Queen Marie (the wife of King

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

), and Lt.-Gen. François Marie de Pérusse des Cars (1709–1759), Comte des Cars e Marquis de Pranzac. Among his siblings was elder brother, Louis François Marie de Perusse des Cars, Marquis de Pranzac, and younger brother, Jean-François de Pérusse des Cars, 1st

Duc des Cars Duke of Cars (french: duc des Cars, comte des Cars) is a French noble title that was first created in 1816. Creation of the title Jean-François de Pérusse des Cars was created Lieutenant-General of the Armies on 22 June 1814 and Premier Ma ...

. His only sister, Françoise Émilie de Pérusse des Cars, was the wife of Armand de Montmartel, Marquis de Brunoy (son of the financier

Jean Pâris de Monmartel Jean Pâris de Monmartel (3 August 1690 at Moirans – 10 September 1766 at his château at Brunoy) was a French financier. He was the youngest of the four Pâris brothers, who were financiers under Louis XIV and Louis XV. At the height of his ...

). His paternal grandparents were Louis François de Pérusse des Cars, Comte des Cars and Marquis de Pranzac, and the former Marie-Françoise-Victoire de Verthamon. His uncle was Louis-Nicolas de Pérusse des Cars, Marquis des Cars (father of François-Nicolas-René de Pérusse des Cars, Comte des Cars and grandfather of Amédée de Pérusse des Cars, 2nd Duc de Cars). His maternal grandfather was

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James (21 August 1670 – 12 June 1734) was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister o ...

(an illegitimate son of King

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

), the Anglo-French military leader under King

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

. His maternal grandmother was Anne Bulkeley (daughter of Hon.

Henry Bulkeley Henry Bulkeley (–1698) was an English courtier and politician. Bulkeley was the fifth son of Thomas Bulkeley, 1st Viscount Bulkeley and Blanche Coytmore. He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge and admitted at Gray's Inn in 1654. He was ...

Master of the Household The Master of the Household is the operational head (see Chief operating officer) of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Royal Kitchens, the pages and foot ...

to James II).

Career

He 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 ...

in 1754. He was promoted to Ensign in 1757 and to Lieutenant in 1765. In 1772, he was given command of the 32-gun frigate ''Zéphyr'', Brest. He was promoted to Captain in April 1777. In 1780, he captained the frigate ''Prudente'', cruising from Saint-Servan to Saint-Malo, Cherbourg and Brest. After ''Prudente'' was in battle, Des Cars had an interview with

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. On 22 June 1779, ''Prudente'' was captured by the 64-gun HMS ''Ruby'' and HMS ''Aeolus''. In March 1781, he was promoted to the command of the

74-gun The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...

''Glorieux'', in the squadron under De Grasse. Des Cars placed himself on a

shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to ''burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous Shr ...

of his ship to better direct the battle. In the opening of 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 ...

, at 9 am, 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 on 12 April 1782. Lt. Trogoff de Kerlessy assumed command. Des Cars' defence of ''Glorieux'' was later lauded in the subsequent inquiry into the battle.

Personal life

Des Cars had married Louis-Félicité Buttet in Saint-Domingue. Together, they were the parents of: * Amédée Louis Jacques de Perusse des Cars (1778–1779), who died in infancy. He was a Knight in the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...

Sources and references

Notes Citations Bibliography * * * * * * External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pérusse des Cars, Jacques François 1738 births 1782 deaths French Navy officers French military personnel killed in the American Revolutionary War