Perrin enlisted in the French army in 1770 as a soldier in the . He became sergeant major in 1784, second lieutenant in 1790 and lieutenant in 1791; then he was appointed "chef de bataillon" on 31 December 1793. On March 21, 1794, he was appointed "chef de brigade" in the 94th Infantry Regiment; then he became commander of the on April 19, 1796. He was promoted to provisional brigade general on June 5, 1800, but he died on June 9 from a wound sustained during the Siege of Genoa in Italy.