Regis De Trobriand

Written By Dino DiPietro

Philippe Régis Denis de Keredern de Trobriand (June 4, 1816 – July 15, 1897) was a French-born aristocrat who became a notable figure in American military and literary circles.

🕰 Early Life and Immigration

  • Born at Château des Rochettes near Tours, France, to a Breton noble family; his father was Baron Joseph de Keredern de Trobriand, a former general under Napoleon

    Educated in Paris, he earned a baccalauréat at the College of Saint-Louis and studied law, while also writing poetry and dueling

  • In 1841, he emigrated to the United States on a bet. Settling in New York City, he published his novels Gentlemen of the West (1840) and The Rebel (1841), marrying heiress Mary Mason Jones

  • Literary and Editorial Career

  • Edited and published several French-language publications: Revue du Nouveau Monde (1849–1850) and Le Courrier des États-Unis (1854–1861)

  • Civil War Service

  • Became a U.S. citizen and commissioned colonel on August 28, 1861, leading the 55th New York Infantry (“Gardes de Lafayette”), later merging into the 38th New York Infantry

  • Fought in significant campaigns:

    • Peninsula Campaign (Williamsburg)

    • Fredericksburg

    • Chancellorsville

    • Gettysburg (notably in the Wheatfield)

    • Petersburg and Appomattox campaigns

  • Received brevet promotions to Brigadier General and Major General of Volunteers in 1865

  • Continued Military Career and Later Life

  • After the war, he served in the Regular Army, commanding Fort Stevenson in Dakota Territory (1867–1870), earning a brevet as a Regular Army Brigadier General in 1868

  • Played a role in Reconstruction in Louisiana, later residing in New Orleans from 1875 until his retirement in 1879

Writings and Legacy

  • Authored Quatre ans de campagnes à l'armée du Potomac (later translated Four Years with the Army of the Potomac) in the late 1860s

  • His memoirs (The Life and Mémoirs of Comte Régis de Trobriand) were published posthumously in 1910

  • Death and Burial

  • Died in Bayport, New York, on July 15, 1897.

  • Buried at St. Anne's Cemetery in Sayville, Long Island—a site marked by a historic plaque

Dino DiPietro