Charles-René de Gras-Préville | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1732 Tarascon, France |
| Died | 11 December 1793 Lyon, France |
| Service/ | French Navy |
| Rank | brigadier des armées navales |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Martinique Invasion of Tobago Battle of the Chesapeake |
Charles-René de Gras-Préville ( Tarascon, 1732 — Lyon, 11 December 1793) was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence, earning membership in the Society of the Cincinnati. [1]
Biography
Gras-Préville was born to an aristocratic family from Tarascon. He was uncle to René Louis Dominique de Gras-Préville. [1]
Gras-Préville joined the Navy as a Garde de l'Étendard in 1746. [1] He was promoted to Ensign in 1754, [1] and to Lieutenant on 15 January 1762. [2]
Gras-Préville was promoted to Captain on 4 April 1777, [2] in spite of a relative inexperience of command. [3] In July 1778, he commanded the frigate Engageante, [4] [5] and on 6 July 1778 he captured the British 26-gun privateer frigate Rose, [6] which surrendered only when she was so damaged that she had to be scuttled. [7] [1] D'Estaing tasked him to recruit volunteers in the Caribbean. [8] In February, Engageante departed Toulon for America, where she arrived in late March, but had to be quaranteened. [9] In April 1779, he escorted a convoy from Martinique to France, [10] and earned himself a 800-livre pension when he defended it against the British. [1]
On 12 June 1779, Gras-Préville was promoted to the command of the 80-gun ship Triomphant. He captained her at the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780 as flag captain [11] of the White-and-Blue squadron (van) under Sade, [12] in the fleet under Guichen. He also took part in the actions of 15 May and 19 May 1780, before sailing Triomphant back to France. [1]
In 1781, he commanded the 74-gun Zélé in the White squadron (centre) of the fleet under De Grasse. [2] He took part in the Invasion of Tobago in May 1781 and in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781. [1]
In the night of 11 to 12 April 1782, Zélé collided with Ville de Paris, damaging Zélé which had to be taken in tow to repair at Martinique. [1]
Gras-Préville retired from the Navy on 1 October 1786. [2] During the French Revolution, he joined the Royalist army and took part in the Siege of Lyon on 8 August 1793. He was captured by the Republicans and shot on 11 December 1793. [1]
Sources and references
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Contenson (1934), p. 186.
- ^ a b c d Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 635.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 428.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 154.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 630.
- ^ Troude (1867), p. 71.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 228.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 234.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 258.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 286.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 289.
References
- Contenson, Ludovic (1934). La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778-1783). Paris: éditions Auguste Picard. OCLC 7842336.
- Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. pp. 431–434.
- Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé.
-
Naval History Division (2019).
Naval Documents of the American Revolution: American Theater: June 1, 1778–August 15, 1778; European Theater: June 1, 1778–August 15, 1778 (PDF). Vol. 13. United States.
{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)
External links
- Archives nationales (2011). "Fonds Marine, sous-série B/4: Campagnes, 1571-1785" (PDF). Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- French Navy officers
- French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War
- 1732 births
- 1793 deaths
- French Royalist military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
- French prisoners of war in the 18th century
- People executed during the French Revolution
- People executed by France by firing squad
- People from Tarascon
Charles-René de Gras-Préville | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Born | 1732 Tarascon, France |
| Died | 11 December 1793 Lyon, France |
| Service/ | French Navy |
| Rank | brigadier des armées navales |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Martinique Invasion of Tobago Battle of the Chesapeake |
Charles-René de Gras-Préville ( Tarascon, 1732 — Lyon, 11 December 1793) was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence, earning membership in the Society of the Cincinnati. [1]
Biography
Gras-Préville was born to an aristocratic family from Tarascon. He was uncle to René Louis Dominique de Gras-Préville. [1]
Gras-Préville joined the Navy as a Garde de l'Étendard in 1746. [1] He was promoted to Ensign in 1754, [1] and to Lieutenant on 15 January 1762. [2]
Gras-Préville was promoted to Captain on 4 April 1777, [2] in spite of a relative inexperience of command. [3] In July 1778, he commanded the frigate Engageante, [4] [5] and on 6 July 1778 he captured the British 26-gun privateer frigate Rose, [6] which surrendered only when she was so damaged that she had to be scuttled. [7] [1] D'Estaing tasked him to recruit volunteers in the Caribbean. [8] In February, Engageante departed Toulon for America, where she arrived in late March, but had to be quaranteened. [9] In April 1779, he escorted a convoy from Martinique to France, [10] and earned himself a 800-livre pension when he defended it against the British. [1]
On 12 June 1779, Gras-Préville was promoted to the command of the 80-gun ship Triomphant. He captained her at the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780 as flag captain [11] of the White-and-Blue squadron (van) under Sade, [12] in the fleet under Guichen. He also took part in the actions of 15 May and 19 May 1780, before sailing Triomphant back to France. [1]
In 1781, he commanded the 74-gun Zélé in the White squadron (centre) of the fleet under De Grasse. [2] He took part in the Invasion of Tobago in May 1781 and in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781. [1]
In the night of 11 to 12 April 1782, Zélé collided with Ville de Paris, damaging Zélé which had to be taken in tow to repair at Martinique. [1]
Gras-Préville retired from the Navy on 1 October 1786. [2] During the French Revolution, he joined the Royalist army and took part in the Siege of Lyon on 8 August 1793. He was captured by the Republicans and shot on 11 December 1793. [1]
Sources and references
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Contenson (1934), p. 186.
- ^ a b c d Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 635.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 428.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 154.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 630.
- ^ Troude (1867), p. 71.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 228.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 234.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 258.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 286.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 289.
References
- Contenson, Ludovic (1934). La Société des Cincinnati de France et la guerre d'Amérique (1778-1783). Paris: éditions Auguste Picard. OCLC 7842336.
- Lacour-Gayet, Georges (1910). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. pp. 431–434.
- Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé.
-
Naval History Division (2019).
Naval Documents of the American Revolution: American Theater: June 1, 1778–August 15, 1778; European Theater: June 1, 1778–August 15, 1778 (PDF). Vol. 13. United States.
{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)
External links
- Archives nationales (2011). "Fonds Marine, sous-série B/4: Campagnes, 1571-1785" (PDF). Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- French Navy officers
- French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War
- 1732 births
- 1793 deaths
- French Royalist military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars
- French prisoners of war in the 18th century
- People executed during the French Revolution
- People executed by France by firing squad
- People from Tarascon