Joseph, viscomte de CambisFonds Marine, vol.1, p. 29 (20 September 1748 in

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– 25 October 1825) was a French Navy officer and Rear-Admiral.

Career

Cambis was born to a noble family in Provence;Arnault, p. 46 his father was the governor of the small town of

. He joined the Navy as a ''garde marine'' in Toulon, and rose steadily in rank. In 1776, he served on the ''Pléyade''. He took part 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 ...

in the squadron of Count d'Estaing. In the summer of 1791, with the rank of ''Major de vaisseau'', he captained the frigate ''Galathée'', ferrying civilian commissaries to

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. In the summer of 1792, with the rank of captain,Fonds Marine, p. 34 he relieved Vice-Admiral de Girardin as chief of the

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station. During the experiditon to Saint-Domingue in 1792, Cambis captained the ''Astrée'', on which he escorted a convoy ferrying ammunitions and troops from Rochefort to Haiti. Later that year, he transferred from ''Galathée'' to take command of the 74-gun ''Jupiter'' at the station of

, where he had to repress a mutiny of his crew. In early 1793, with the rank of rear-admiral, he captained the 74-gun ''Éole'', and he relieved Vice-Admiral

Morard de Galles Justin-Bonaventure Morard de Galles (30 March 1741, Goncelin, Isère – 23 July 1809, Guéret) was a French navy officer and admiral. Family Morard was born to a noble family from Dauphiné whose origins stretched right back to the end of the ...

as chief of the

station.Fonds Marine, p. 53 He faced another mutiny in New York, where he was wounded. Cambis was hated by the colonists of Haiti and by his own crew for upholding the abolition of slavery and trying to protect free men of colour.H-France review Vol. 8
William S. Cormak He returned to France in September 1793 on the frigate ''Surveillante'', commanded by Captain Tréhouart-Beaulieu.Fonds Marine, p. 54 Upon arrival, he was arrested for his political opinions and kept prisoner until the Thermidorian Reaction. He was kept unemployed during the French Directory, but returned as an inspector after the 18 Brumaire. His attempts at organising the Navy were thwarted by the policies of the Consulate.

Honours

* Knight of the Order of Saint Louis * Knight of the Order of Saint Lazarus *

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations ; divisions et stations navales ; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome premier : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cambis, Joseph de 1748 births 1825 deaths French Navy officers French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Commanders of the Order of Saint Louis