Contre-amiral (et général de brigade) Pierre BASTE

Pierre Baste (21 November 1768 in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

– 29 January 1814 in Brienne-le-Château) was a French admiral and general. Serving in the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

; he was killed at the Battle of Brienne.

Life

Son of a timber merchant, he joined the armed merchant ship ''Pactole'' aged 12. He took part in the

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...

campaign before returning to Bordeauc in 1782, where he remained several years. In July 1787 he went to sea again as a midshipman on the ''Galathée'', sailing between Bourdeaux and the

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

. At the start of 1788 he became the pilot of the slave-ship ''Zézette''. In 1790 he returned to Saint-Domingue as lieutenant of the three-masted merchant ship ''David''. In September 1792 he was made second in command of the ''Galathée'', serving in that role until April 1793. On Saint-Domingue he mutinied and offered his services to the naval commander, who made him an ensign and put him in command of a schooner then of the brig ''Petit Jacobin'', on which he went on a successful mission to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In August 1794 he returned to France and demanded to continue serving in the navy, but he had to wait until December to join the corvette ''Résolue'' at Toulon as an "enseigne non-entretenu". He then commanded the schooner ''Hirondelle'' off Saint-Domingue before returning to France. He distinguished himself at the battle of Groix on 23 June 1795 but was taken prisoner the following 26 August. He escaped and served on the brig ''l’Infante'', which was then sailing off the Italian coast in support of the Army of Italy. He took an active part in the

battle of Loano The Battle of Loano occurred on 23–24 November 1795 during the War of the First Coalition. The French Army of Italy led by Barthélemy Schérer defeated the combined Austrian and Sardinian forces under Olivier, Count of Wallis. Context I ...

on 22 November 1795. He commanded the half-galley ''Voltigeante'' on

Lake Garda Lake Garda ( it, Lago di Garda or ; lmo, label=Eastern Lombard, Lach de Garda; vec, Ƚago de Garda; la, Benacus; grc, Βήνακος) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, about halfway between ...

then the whole lake flotilla.

Decorations

Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

28 February 1810.

External links

* Archives nationales (CARAN) – Service Historique de l’Armée de Terre – Fort de Vincennes – Dossier S.H.A.T. Côte : 26 Yd 9. * Biography o
lesapn.forumactif.fr : Les Amis du Patrimoine Napoléonien

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baste, Pierre French Navy admirals Military personnel from Bordeaux 1768 births 1814 deaths Generals of the First French Empire French military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe