Paul-Jacques de Bruyères-Chalabre (

Castelnaudary Castelnaudary (; ) 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, and of which it ...

, 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 ...

, 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 Plan of the battle (British units - black, French - white) The Battle of Trincomalee was fought between a British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and a French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren off the coast of Trincomalee, then Cey ...

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 Gardes de la Marine is a junior officer rank, usually used in American navies, as well as a former rank used in France. France In France, under the Ancien Régime, the (Guards of the Navy), or were young gentlemen undergoing training to be nav ...

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 the

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 Lieutena ...

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

earned him a membership in the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, 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 milita ...

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

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

, he was arrested, but was released after the

Thermidorian Reaction In the historiography of the French Revolution, the Thermidorian Reaction ( or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespierre on 9 Thermidor II, or 27 J ...

. He then fled France to become an

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...

. After the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

, 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 " ...

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 Bourb ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruyeres-Chalabre, Paul-Jacques French Navy officers 1734 births 1821 deaths