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He was born at the château of Ruvel, Auvergne. He entered the army as a colonel of infantry, and in 1757 he accompanied count de Lally to the East Indies, with the rank of brigadier-general. In 1759 he was taken prisoner at the siege of Madras , but was released on parole. Before the ratification of his exchange he entered the service of the French East Indian Company , and (with two vessels) destroyed the British factories in Sumatra and the Persian Gulf.
On his way back to France in 1760 he fell, accidentally, into the hands of the English. He was, on the ground of having broken his parole, thrown into prison at Portsmouth but as the charge could not be substantiated, he was soon afterwards released. In 1763 he was named lieutenant-general in the navy, and in 1777 vice-admiral;. One year later, he left Toulon in command of a fleet of twelve battleships and fourteen frigates with the intention of assisting the American colonies against Great Britain. He sailed on April 13, and between the 11th and the 22nd of July, blockaded Lord Howe at Sandy Hook, but did not venture to attack him, though greatly superior in force.
In collusion with the AmericanThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in generals, he planned an attack on Newport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city located in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is the largest city on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,475. It was founded in 1639 and incorporated as a city in 1784. It was, preparatory to which he compelled the British to destroy some war vessels that were in the harbour; but before the concerted attack could take place, he put to sea against the English fleet, under Lord Howe, when owing to a violent storm, which arose suddenly and compelled the two fleets to separate before engaging in battle, many of his vessels were so shattered that he found it necessary to put into BostonAlternate meanings: Boston (disambiguation Old State House in Boston is surrounded by tall buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. Boston is the capital and largest city in Massachusetts in the United States. It is the unofficial capital of the region k for repairs. He then sailed for the West Indies on November 4November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. Events 1576 Eighty Years' War: In Belgium, Spain captures Antwerp (after three days the city was nearly destroyed). 1612 Moscow China Town tak. After a feeble attempt to retake Santa Lucia from Admiral BarringtonSamuel Barrington ( 1729 1800), British admiral, was the fourth son of the 1st Viscount Barrington. He entered the Royal Navy at an early age and in 1747 had worked his way to a post-captaincy. He was in continuous employment during the peace of 1748 1756, he captured St VincentSaint Vincent is an island in the Caribbean, part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago. It was disputed territory between France and the United Kingdom in the 18th century, but was ceded to and GrenadaThis article is about the Caribbean nation. For alternate meanings, see Grenada (disambiguation Grenada is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea including the southern Grenadines, is the second smallest independent country in the Western Hemisphere (after.
On July 6 1779 he fought a drawn battle with Admiral Byron, who retired to St Christopher. Though superior in force, D'Estaing would not attack the English in the roadstead, but set sail to attack Savannah. All his attempts, as well as those of the Americans, against the town were repulsed with heavy loss, and he was finally compelled to retire.
He returned to France in 1780 but he fell into disfavour at the court. Three years later, however, he was placed at the head of the Franco-Spanish fleet assembled before Cádiz but the peace was signed and no operations took place. From that time his chief attention was devoted to politics, he was first made a grandee of Spain and in 1787 he was elected to the Assembly of Notables . When the French Revolution broke out, he favoured the new ideas. In 1789 he was appointed National Guard at Versailles and in 1792 he was chosen admiral by the National Assembly. Though in favour of national reform, he remained loyal to the royal family, and on the trial of Marie Antoinette in 1793 bore testimony in her favour. On this account, and because of certain friendly letters which had passed between him and the queen, he was himself brought to trial charged with being a reactionary. He was sent to the scaffold on 28 April, 1794. In his moments of leisure, he wrote a poem, "Le Rêve" (1755), a tragedy "Les Thermopyles" (1789), and a book on the colonies., and was executed.