Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing (24 November 1729 – 28 April 1794) was a French general and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War. Naval exploits during the latter war prompted him to change branches of service, and he transferred to the French Navy.
Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing | |
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Portrait by Jean-Baptiste Le Brun, 1769. | |
| Born | 24 November 1729 Château de Ravel, Auvergne |
| Died | 28 April 1794 (aged 64) Paris |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France French First Republic |
| Service/ | French Army French Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant General, Admiral |
| Battles/wars | War of the Austrian Succession Seven Years' War American War of Independence
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Following France's entry into the American War of Independence in 1778, d'Estaing led a fleet to aid the American rebels. He participated in a failed Franco-American siege of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1778, and the equally unsuccessful 1779 Siege of Savannah. He did have success in the Caribbean before returning to France in 1780. His difficulties working with American counterparts are cited among the reasons these operations in North America failed.
Although d'Estaing sympathized with revolutionaries during the French Revolution, he held a personal loyalty to the French royal family. Because of this he came under suspicion, and was executed by guillotine in the Reign of Terror.