Jean-Baptiste Perrée
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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 The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
officer who served in the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
.


Career

Born to a family of sailors in
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (, literally ''Saint-Valery on Somme''; ), commune in the Somme department, is a seaport and resort on the south bank of the River Somme estuary. The town's medieval character and ramparts, its Gothic church and long water ...
, Perrée started sailing in 1773 at the age of twelve as a boy on the merchantman ''Glorieuse'', under his father. In the course of the following twenty years, he steadily rose in rank in the merchant navy, took part in a campaign on the fluyt ''Boulonnaise'' in the
French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
as an aid-pilot, and earned his commission of
Sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, inc ...
in 1785.Granier, p. 162


Commerce raiding on ''Proserpine''

In 1793, when France declared war on Britain during the
War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French First Republic, Frenc ...
, Perrée enlisted in the Navy as an acting Ensign.''Enseigne non entretenu'' (Granier, p. 162) In September 1793, he was reported to be commanding a frigate squadron in the Western Mediterranean, fighting the inconclusive action of 22 October 1793 against Captain
Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
. Promoted to acting Lieutenant in May 1794,Granier (p. 162) states that Perrée was confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant in October; however, according to the ''Fonds Marine'', he appears to have held the rank of Captain since September at least. and took command of the frigate ''Proserpine'' in April 1794 to conduct
commerce raiding Commerce raiding is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than engaging its combatants or enforcing a blockade against them. Privateering is a fo ...
operations; in his eight-month campaign, he captured over 63 British merchantmen and a 32-gun
Dutch States Navy The Dutch States Navy (, ) was the navy of the Dutch Republic from 1588 to 1795. Coming into existence during the Eighty Years' War, the States Navy played a major role in expanding and protecting the Dutch colonial empire, in addition to partici ...
frigate on 21 May.Troude, vol. 2, p. 330Troude names her as ''Vigilante'' in the French Navy, but she does not appear in Roche's ''Dictionnaire des Bâtiments''. On 13 September 1794,Granier (p. 162) says 1795 Perrée was
ship-of-the-line captain Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...
, and was appointed to command a squadron in the Mediterranean, comprising the frigate ''Alceste'', under Lieutenant Louis-Jean-Nicolas Lejoille, and the 18-gun brig ''Hazard'', under Lieutenant Amand Leduc. The squadron returned to Toulon on 10 October. He set sail for another mission on 15 November, this time on ''Minerve'', in consort with ''Alceste'' and the 20-gun corvette ''Brune'', under Ensign
Louis Gabriel Deniéport Louis Gabriel Deniéport (; 14 April 1765, Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, Dieppe – 20 October 1805) was a French naval captain who fought in several battles, most notably Battle of Trafalgar, Trafalgar, at which he was killed commanding the French ship ...
. The squadron cruised in the Mediterranean and sailed for a diplomatic mission to Tunis before returning to Toulon on 29 December. On 4 February 1795, Perrée cruised again on ''Minerve'', this time in consort with the frigate ''Sérieuse'', under Lieutenant Saunier. The two frigates cruised in the Mediterranean together until ''Sérieuse'' detached to ferry funds to Algiers. ''Minerve'' returned to Toulon on 24 February, and ''Sérieuse'', on 20 May.Fonds Marine, p. 137 In September 1795, was given command of a four-frigate and two-corvette squadron to prey on British shipping off the
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
n coast and raid their trading posts; during the campaign, he captured 54 merchantmen. On 26 April 1796, Perrée departed with the Mediterranean squadron, commanding the brand-new frigate ''Diane'' and ferrying diplomats, supplies and ammunitions to Constantinople until 14 November.Fonds Marine, p. 172 In early 1797, Perrée took command of a squadron in the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. The squadron comprised the frigate ''Diane'', under Lieutenant Hubert; the corvette ''Brune'', still under Deniéport, who was promoted to Commander; the gunboat ''Frimaire'', under Ensign Suply; and the brig ''Jason'', under Lieutenant Sénéquier.Fonds Marine, p. 190 In early 1799, Perrée commanded the naval station of the Syrian coasts,Fonds Marine, p. 225 part of the Mediterranean squadron,Fonds Marine, p. 228 with his flag on the frigate ''Junon''.Fonds Marine, p. 229


Campaign in Egypt and the action of 18 June 1799

In the Mediterranean squadron, Perrée took command of the 74-gun ''Mercure'', but was replaced by Lieutenant Cambon after the landing of the troops.Granier, p. 164 With the rank of captain, Perrée acted as a chief of division during the
French invasion of Egypt The French invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...
: General Bonaparte appointed him to the Nile flotilla, where he commanded a squadron of shebeks and other light craft. On 13 July, the flotilla fought against Egyptian fluvial ships and forts while supplying food and ammunition to the French Army, and Perrée managed to captured some of these ships and ward off the others. Wounded during the prelude of the
Battle of Shubra Khit The Battle of Shubra Khit (also known as the Battle of Chobrakit or the Battle of Chebreïss) was the second major engagement of the French invasion of Egypt and Syria and took place on 13 July 1798. On their march to Cairo, the French army encou ...
, Perrée was promoted to counter admiral on the insistence of Bonaparte, and received 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 ...
inscribed "''Bataille de Chabreis''" on one side of the blade, and "''Donné par le général Bonaparte''" on the other. When the French campaign in the Middle East turned to Syria, Perrée took command of a squadron of three frigates and two brigs, survivors of the
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 ...
, to ferry supplies and artillery for the Army past Ottoman and British blockades. The squadron comprised the frigates ''Junon'' (Commander PourquierRoche, p. 269), ''Courageuse'' (Captain TrulletRoche, p. 131) and ''Alceste'' (Captain Barré), and the brigs ''Salamine'' (Lieutenant LandryRoche, p. 420) and ''Alerte'' (DemayTroude, vol. 3, p. 163).Fonds Marine, p. 81 Arrived at Jaffa, the frigates unloaded their cargo, and furthermore shared their own ammunition, leaving the frigates with only 15 shots per gun; Junon also landed four of her
18-pounder long gun The 18-pounder long gun was an intermediary calibre piece of naval artillery mounted on warships of the Age of Sail. They were used as main guns on the most typical frigates of the early 19th century, on the second deck of third-rate ships of th ...
s. The division then established a blockade to complete the Siege of Acre. On 14 May, it was chased by two enemy ships of the line and a frigate, under Sidney Smith, which it quickly eluded. In spite of specific orders to land in Europe only if he could not possibly do otherwise, Perrée conferred with his officers and decided that his low supplies made it necessary for him to return to Toulon, by way of
Lampedusa Lampedusa ( , , ; ; ) is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The ''comune'' of Lampedusa e Linosa is part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lamp ...
, where he would replenish his water.Troude, vol. 3, p. 164 At 60 miles from Toulon, on 18 June 1799, Perrée's division met a 30-ship fleet under Lord Keith; a 28-hour chase started and in the ensuing
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 ...
, all of Perrée's ships were captured. Perrée was taken prisoner and exchanged almost immediately. Court-martialled from 6 October to 25 November 1799 for the loss of his ships by a court presided by Vice-admiral Thévenard, the court found that the superior Ottoman and British forces off Syria, the partial disarmament of the frigates and their low food and water supplies had been legitimate reasons for Perrée to return to Toulon. Perrée was then honourably acquitted on a unanimous decision of the council.


Battle of the Malta Convoy

From 28 November, he took command of a naval division tasked to ferry food supplies from Toulon to Malta, with his flag on the 74-gun ''Généreux''. From 28 November, Perrée was appointed to command a small naval division tasked with supplying Malta. The division was composed of the 74-gun ''Généreux'' (under Captain Cyprien Renaudin) as flagship, the 20-gun
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...
s ''Badine'' and ''Fauvette'', the 16-gun ''Sans Pareille'' and the fluyt ''Ville de Marseille'' (under Joseph Allemand).Bradford, p. 246Troude, vol. 2, p. 198 Perrée's division departed on 26 January 1800, but soon after, ''Généreux'' broke her mizzen tops and her main topgallant off Hyères, and had to double back for repairs. The division set sail again on 10 February 1800 and arrived off La Valette only a week later, due to adverse weather. On 18, off Lampedusa, ''Généreux'' investigated a strange sail which turned out to be a British ship rejoining two sails on the horizon. Perrée ordered his squadron to flee, but ''Ville de Marseille'' was overhauled by the 74-gun HMS ''Alexander'' in the next morning, and struck her colours at 8:30. The rest of the British squadron, comprising the 74-gun HMS ''Alexander'', ''Northumberland'' and ''Foudroyant'', and the 32-gun frigate HMS ''Success'', part of Keith's fleet blockading the Malta, continued the chase. In the afternoon, Perrée spotted two further ships, HMS ''Audacious'' and ''Lion'', in the North-North-West; he ordered his corvettes to adjust course, ''Sans-Pareille'' sustaining a broadsite from ''Alexander'' in the process, and gave liberty of maneuver to his captains. ''Généreux'' headed East, but found herself surrounded from all directions. Perrée had anchors, boats and forage supplies throwned overboard, but at 3:15, the frigate HMS ''Success'' audaciously intercepted and engaged the much more powerful ''Généreux'', hoping to delay her enough for the British ships of the line to catch up. By 4:30, the British 74-guns had overhauled ''Généreux'' and were raking her. A shot from the first broadside threw splinters into Perrée's left eye, temporarily blinding him. Remaining on deck, he called to his crew ''"Ce n'est rien, mes amis, continuons notre besogne"'' ("It is nothing, my friends, continue with your work") and gave orders for the ship to be turned, when a cannonball from the second broadside from ''Success'' tore his right leg off at the thigh. Perrée collapsed unconscious on the deck.James, Vol. 3, p. 15 ''Généreux'' continued to resist until 5:30, when, overpowered, she struck her colours.Troude, vol. 2, p. 199 Perrée died of his wounds in the evening. On
Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
's orders, he was interred in Saint Lucy churchGarnier, p. 171 in the Dominican convent of
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.


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Jean Baptiste Perree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perree, Jean-Baptiste 1761 births 1800 deaths People from Saint-Valery-sur-Somme French Navy admirals French Republican military leaders killed in the French Revolutionary Wars French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe Deaths by cannonball