Marquis Calmes IV (1755-1834) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

military leader.

Biography

Calmes' father was William Waller Calmes, 1727–1773. Calmes' mother was Lucy Neville. Calmes was born 26 February 1755 in Shenandoah, Virginia, as the fourth Marquis de Calmes. As a young man, he was sent abroad to be educated. When the American Revolution started, he returned to Virginia. He raised and equipped a company at his own expense, and joined the

2nd Virginia Regiment The 2d Virginia Regiment (the spelling most commonly used in period references) was authorized by the Virginia Convention, July 17, 1775, as a force of regular troops for the Commonwealth's defense. It consisted of seven companies, 476 privates ...

as a lieutenant. At the

Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777, as part of the Ame ...

, Colonel Thomas Marshall, the commander of the Second Regiment, was seriously injured. Calmes replaced Marshall at the battle. Calmes was then promoted to captain. Calmes served in the Second Regiment until the conclusion of his term of service in 1779. He left Virginia and made his way to Kentucky, where he settled near Colonel Marshall in

Woodford County, Kentucky Woodford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,871. Its county seat is Versailles. The area was home to Pisgah Academy. Woodford County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metrop ...

. Calmes was one of the founders of

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

. He married Priscilla Hale. In 1795, he served in the

Kentucky State Legislature The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in t ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, Calmes was promoted to Brigadier General and given command of a brigade of Kentucky riflemen. He served under

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

. Following the War of 1812, Calmes returned again to his estate near Versailles, Kentucky. He died on February 27, 1834.The Kentucky Encyclopedia By John E. Kleber, University Press of Kentucky, 1992, p. 153

References

Continental Army officers from Virginia Huguenot participants in the American Revolution 1755 births 1834 deaths People from Shenandoah, Virginia {{US-mil-bio-stub