Philippe de Rullecourt
Philippe de Rullecourt was a French soldier who became a general of the Kingdom of France. In 1781, he was mortally wounded commanding the attempted invasion of Jersey at the Battle of Jersey.
Philipe de Rullecort | |
|---|---|
%252C_Baron_de_Rullecourt.jpg.webp) Philipe, Baron de Rullecort | |
| Born | 9 July 1744 |
| Died | 7 January 1781 (aged 36) Jersey |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France |
| Service/ | French Army |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Franco-Dutch Invasion of Jersey Battle of Jersey |
| Awards | Baron of Rullecourt |
Biography
Philipe Charles Félix Macquart was born in Artois in a wealthy family originating in Orléans. His title "Baron de Rullecourt" was self-bestowed, and was a soldier for hire. He was placed in command of French troops during the 1779 failed invasion of Jersey, as second-in-command to the Prince of Nassau-Siegen.
Two years later, he launched another invasion attempt on Jersey. His second-in-command Mir Sayyad advised him to ransack the island and to kill all civilians, but instead the commander captured the governor Moses Corbet, and used him as a tool to try and engineer a British surrender. But the British soldiers on the island refused to surrender, and Philippe was mortally wounded in the following battle in which the British outnumbered the French. Rullecourt died a day later of his wounds, in the modern-day Peirson Pub. He had failed in his attempt to bluff the British into surrender.