Even if he had, he was not the chief in command, and durst not have disobeyed orders but at the sacrifice of his own life.

It is on all sides admitted that a family of royalists, being shipwrecked on the coast near Toulon a few days after, were rescued from the hands of the ferocious Republicans, solely by his interference and address.

Putting himself at the head of some of his gunners, he obtained possession of the unhappy prisoners; quieted the mob by assuring them that they should all be publicly executed the next morning; and meanwhile sent them off during the night in artillery waggons supposed to be conveying stores.
The recovery of Toulon was a service of the first importance to the government.

It suppressed all insurrectionary spirit in the south of France; and placed a whole army at their disposal elsewhere.

But he, to whose genius the success was due, did not at first obtain the credit of his important achievement at Paris.