Gaspard de Ligondès was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence.[1]
Biography[edit]
Retz was born to a family from Auvergne. He joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine in 1741. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1756, to Commander in 1767, to Captain in 1772.[1]
In 1779, Retz captained the 64-gun Vengeur,[1] part of the division under De Grasse sent to D'Estaing as reinforcement.[2] Retz was wounded at the Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779,[1][3][4] and took part in the Siege of Savannah in September and October 1779.[5] He also fought in the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780,[6] where Vengeur, along with Destin and Saint Michel, directly engaged the much stronger Sandwich, under Rodney, HMS Cornwall and HMS Suffolk.[7]
In 1781, Retz captained the 74-gun Zodiaque in Brest.[8] In 1782, he transferred to Robuste.[9] The same year, he was promoted to Brigadier.[1]
Retz retired from the Navy with the rank of Chef d'Escadre in 1786.[1]
Sources and references[edit]
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f Contenson (1934), p. 167.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1905), p. 636.
- ^ Troude (1867), p. 39.
- ^ Troude (1867), p. 41.
- ^ Troude (1867), p. 42.
- ^ Troude (1867), p. 71.
- ^ Lacour-Gayet (1905), p. 338.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 296.
- ^ Archives nationales (2011), p. 319.
Bibliography
- 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 (1905). La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI. Paris: Honoré Champion. OCLC 763372623.
- Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 2. Challamel ainé.
External links
- Archives nationales (2011). "Fonds Marine, sous-série B/4: Campagnes, 1571-1785" (PDF). Retrieved 29 April 2020.