Louis Guillaume de Parscau du Plessix
Louis Guillaume de Parscau du Plessix (1725–1786) was a French Navy officer from Saint-Malo. He joined the navy as a Garde-Marine in 1743 and served in the Seven Years' War aboard the 64-gun Brillant under Conflans, earning promotion to lieutenant in 1756. He had a son in 1762 and became captain in 1772. In 1777 he commanded the 64-gun Roland in Brest, and Navy Minister Sartine kept Roland and five other ships ready for immediate departure. In 1779 he was flag captain to Orvilliers on the 110-gun Bretagne. In 1780 he commanded the 74-gun Intrépide in Guichen's squadron, taking part in the Battle of Martinique and in the Florida expedition, including the Siege of Pensacola in May 1781. On July 22, 1781, Intrépide exploded after a barrel of rum caught fire at Cap Français; Admiral de Grasse defended Parscau and asked that he be given a new command. He was then given command of the 80-gun Languedoc and fought in the Battle of the Chesapeake on September 5, 1781 as flag captain to Monteil. After the battle he ferried Lauzun back to France with the news. He was promoted to Brigadier in 1782 and commanded the 74-gun Guerrier in Córdoba's fleet, and was promoted to Chef d'Escadre in 1784. He died in 1786.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:22 (CET).