Jean-Baptiste Henri Barré de Saint-Leu (; 28 January 1763, in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
– 11 April 1830, in Paris
[Les capitaines de vaisseau]
/ref>) was a French naval officer.
Career
In 1792, Barré de Saint-Leu, then a Lieutenant, served in Terre-Neuve station under Pierre César Charles de Sercey
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translatio ...
, commanding the aviso ''Impatient'' which ferried Pouget, an official of Saint Domingue, from Le Havre
Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
, and cruised off Saint-Pierre et Miquelon before returning to Rochefort and Nantes. The next year, he commanded the corvette ''Perdrix''.
In September 1796, promoted to Commander, he captained the brig ''Pélagie''. In June 1797, he was appointed to the frigate ''Précieuse'', in Brest.
Barré commanded the frigate ''Alceste'' during the Expédition d'Égypte.Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...
, he was sent to negotiate exchanges of prisoners with the British. He served with distinction in Egypt, and was awarded a sabre of honour
A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as the hussars, the sabre became widespr ...
for his conduct.[L'Héritier, op. cit., p. 53]
He was promoted to Captain on 5 February 1799,Jean Reynier
Divisional general, Divisional-General Jean Louis Ébénézer Reynier (14 January 1771 – 27 February 1814) was a French Army officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He rose in rank to become a general officer during ...
. Later, he was appointed to a squadron under Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée
Counter-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée (19 December 1761Levot, p. 394 in 1866 write 19 April 1761 – 18 February 1800Levot, p. 395) was a French Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars.
Career
Born to a family of sailors in Sa ...
, which also comprised ''Junon'', ''Courageuse'', ''Salamine'', and ''Alerte''. In the action of 18 June 1799
The action of 18 June 1799 was a naval engagement of the War of the Second Coalition fought off Toulon in the wake of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798. A frigate squadron under Counter-admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée, returning to Toulon from Sy ...
, Perrée's squadron met with a 30-ship fleet under Lord Keith and was captured. ''Alceste'' struck to HMS ''Bellona''. In December, Barré received command of ''Égyptienne'' in December, ferrying troops and ammunitions to Egypt and conducting reconnaissance off Hyères.
On 10 July 1801, Barré took over command of the French forces in San Domingo, replacing Latouche-Tréville who had returned to France, sick, and presided until their surrender, in consequence of the Blockade of Saint-Domingue
The blockade of Saint-Domingue was a naval campaign fought during the first months of the Napoleonic Wars in which a series of British Royal Navy squadrons blockaded the French-held ports of Cap-Français and Môle-Saint-Nicolas on the norther ...
. In October 1802, he commanded the ''Surveillante''.
In 1812, he commanded the French forces of the Adriatic,[Fond Marine, vol. 2, p. 439] which fought at the Battle of Pirano, where his 74-gun ''Rivoli'' was captured after a fierce fight. Barré, who had sustained several wounds, was taken captive.
Sources and references
Notes
References
Bibliography
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* 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
* Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations; divisions et stations navales; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome deuxième : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barre, Jean-Baptiste
French Navy officers
1763 births
French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
1830 deaths