Charles René Dominique Sochet, Chevalier Destouches | |
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| Born | 7 October 1727 |
| Died | 23 December 1793(1793-12-23) (aged 66) |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France |
| Branch |  French Navy |
| Years of service | 1743–1790 |
| Rank | Chef d'escadre |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards |  Order of Saint LouisSociety of the Cincinnati |
Charles René Dominique Sochet, Chevalier Destouches, also often spelledDes Touches, (French pronunciation:[ʃaʁlʁənedɔminiksɔʃɛʃəvaljedetuʃ]; 7 October 1727 – 23 December 1793) was aChef d'Escadre in theFrench Navy. He is most widely known for his participation in theWar of American Independence, where he saw action in theBattle of Cape Henry in 1781 and in theBattle of the Saintes in 1782.
Destouches was born inLuçon, inVendée, in 1727. He joined theFrench Navy, and by 1767 was a Captain. In 1770 he married a young woman from Luçon; they had a son, Adrien, in 1772. His wife died while he was away at sea. After France entered theAmerican War of Independence 1778, Destouches commanded the74-gunNeptune,[1] part of a fleet led bythe Comte de Grasse that eventually occupiedNewport, Rhode Island.[2][3]
In 1781, now arear admiral and in command of the Newport fleet, he led an attempt to deliver troops toVirginia to oppose those of the British generalBenedict Arnold, who was engaged in the raids against economic and military targets there. This effort failed when he encountered the fleet of AdmiralMariot Arbuthnot in theBattle of Cape Henry, and drew away after several of his ships sustained significant damage. He served in 1782 under de Grasse in theBattle of the Saintes, a decisive naval victory for the British in theWest Indies in which de Grasse was captured.[4]
Returning to France after the war, Destouches married again in 1785, to Aimée-Prudence-Geneviève de Racodet. He was promoted toChef d'Escadre in 1788, having spent 46 years at sea. When theFrench Revolution broke out, Destouches sided with the Royalists, and was drawn intocounter-revolutionary activities in the Vendée in 1793. Briefly imprisoned, he was released by Royalist supporters, and he served as an advisor in theBattle of Savenay.[5] He died during the winter in late 1793.
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