Paul-Jacques de Bruyères-Chalabre (

Castelnaudary Castelnaudary (; oc, Castèlnòu d'Arri) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital ...

, 25 May 1734 —

Chalabre Chalabre (; Languedocien: ''Eissalabra'') is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. The capital of the Quercorb region, it is a relatively unspoilt ''bastide'' with shady streets and quiet alleyways. The local industry died ou ...

, 6 July 1821) was a French Navy officer. He notably captained 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 ...

''Illustre'' at 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 and at the Battle of Cuddalore on 20 June 1783.

Biography

Bruyères was born to the family of Count de Bruyères Chalabre. 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 ...

on 11 February 1751, and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1764, and to captain on 4 April 1777. With the rank of captain, Bruyères commanded the 80-gun ''Tonnant'' in the

Yorktown campaign The Yorktown campaign, also known as the Virginia campaign, was a series of military maneuvers and battles during the American Revolutionary War that culminated in the siege of Yorktown in October 1781. The result of the campaign was the surren ...

. He later captained the 74-gun ''Zélé'' and was part of the French blockade during

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

in 1779. His role 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 ...

earned him a membership in the

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 ...

. He then took part in the Indian Ocean campaign under Suffren, commanding the

''Illustre'' at the

from 25 August to 3 September 1782, where he was wounded. Suffren made flattering reports on his conduct in the battle. He went to fight at the Battle of Cuddalore on 20 June 1783. After the Peace of Paris put an end to the war in 1783, he returned to France in 1784. He was amongst the captains that Suffren recommended for promotion He received a 600-livre pension in recognition of his service. On 1 May 1786, he was promoted to

Chef de Division A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitch ...

. Bruyères resigned from the Navy on 15 March 1792. During the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

, he was arrested, but was released after the

Thermidorian Reaction The Thermidorian Reaction (french: Réaction thermidorienne or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term, in the historiography of the French Revolution, for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespie ...

. He then fled France to become 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 ...

. After the Bourbon Restauration, Bruyères-Chalabre returned to France. On 13 June 1814, he was promoted to rear admiral. In December 1814, he became a vice-admiral. From November 1815, he served as a Deputy for

Aude Aude (; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Ca ...

in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruyeres-Chalabre, Paul-Jacques French Navy officers 1719 births 1787 deaths