Étienne Eustache Bruix
| Étienne Eustache Bruix | |
|---|---|
Étienne Eustache Bruix, by E. Charpentier,
engraved by Ch. Geoffroy. 1840 |
|
| Born |
17 July 1759 Fort-Dauphin, Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) |
| Died | 18 March 1805 (aged 45) Paris, France |
| Allegiance | French First Republic / First Empire |
| Service/branch | Navy |
| Years of service | 1778-1805 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars | French Revolutionary Wars (Ireland), Napoleonic Wars |
| Other work | French Naval Minister |
Étienne Eustache Bruix (17 July 1759, Fort-Dauphin, Saint-Domingue – 18 March 1805, Paris) was a French Navy admiral.
From a distinguished family originating from Béarn, he embarked as a volunteer on a slaving vessel commanded by captain Jean-François Landolphe. Two years later, in 1778, he was made a garde de la marine, seeing his first campaign on the frigate Fox, and his second on board the Concorde. He served in various French squadrons sent to the aid of the United States of America in the American War of Independence, being made enseigne de vaisseau.
Named as commander of the Pivert, he and Puységur were charged with cruising round Saint-Domingue and re-mapping its coasts and harbors. Lieutenant de vaisseau at the start of the French Revolution, and becoming a member of the Académie de Marine in 1791, he was made captain on 1 January 1793, but discharged from the service for being a noble in October 1794. Retiring to the outskirts of Brest, he produced his memoirs under the title Moyens d'approvisionner la marine par les seules productions du territoire français (Means of Provisioning the Fleet Solely by What Is Produced in French Territory). This advocacy of naval autarky as a means of dealing with British blockades was read and appreciated by Napoleon and so Bruix was recalled to the navy in 1795 under the ministry of Laurent Truguet, which entrusted the Éole to him. He held this command up to the moment he was sent to join Villaret-Joyeuse's squadron as Chief of Staff (major general).
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