Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine
| Charles Edward Jennings | |
|---|---|
General Charles Edward Jennings Saul de Kilmaine
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Brave Kilmaine |
| Born |
19 October 1751 Sauls Court, Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 11 December 1799 (aged 48) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |
 United Irishmen France First French Republic
|
| Service/branch | Austrian Army French Army |
| Years of service | 1765-1799 |
| Rank | Général d'Armée |
| Battles/wars |
Campagne au Sénégal American war of Independence French Revolutionary Wars |
Charles Edward Jennings (19 October 1751 – 11 December 1799), sometimes romanticized as Brave Kilmaine, was an Irish soldier and revolutionary who served France in the eighteenth century. He was committed to the cause of Irish independence and an active supporter of the French Revolution. Jennings is known to have been an associate of Theobald Wolfe Tone and served as a brigade and division commander under Napoleon I.
Jennings served in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. He played a minor role in the Irish independence movement. Jennings was known for his personal reserve and as one of the most charismatic Irish generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period.
Jennings was born on October 19, 1751 at Saul's Court, Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland. His father, Dr. Theobald Jennings, of Polaniran (Ironpool), Tuam, County Galway (see Soraca Jonin) was a prominent physician. Kilmaine's mother was Lady Eleanor Saul. In 1738 Dr. Jennings and Lady Eleanor left Ireland and settled in Tonnay-Charente in south-west France. In 1751 Lady Eleanor became pregnant and left France for Dublin in order that her child might be born in Ireland. Jennings spent his early boyhood in Saul's Court with his relatives. When he was 11 years old he left Ireland and joined his father in France. Jennings was educated in Tonnay-Charente and quickly became proficient in French.
Jennings began his military career in 1764 at the age of 14 when he entered the Austrian army. After seven years' service as a junior officer in Austria, he entered the French army in 1774. In September, 1778 Kilmaine was appointed adjutant of the Volontaires-etrangers de Lauzun (Lauzun's Legion), a mercenary unit owned and commanded by the Duc de Lauzun, Armand Louis de Gontaut. He served with this unit in Senegal in 1779 and in America under Rochambeau (1780–83), and remained after it was reorganized as a hussar regiment.
In 1780 Jennings was appointed sous-lieutenant of Lauzun's Legion. He served under Rochambeau and the Marquis de Lafayette during the American Revolutionary War. He was deeply affected by his experiences in America. This, combined with the impressions made upon him during his youth in Ireland and the teachings of his father, caused Jennings to imbibe strongly the revolutionary ideals of the era. He developed strong republican principles and upon his return to France he became an energetic supporter of the French Revolution.
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Wikipedia