Returning to France during the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, he enlisted in the French Navy as an Ensign; he was appointed to a frigate bound for the Caribbean, which remained there for a few months before decommissioning in the USA. For fear of being considered an "émigré", he returned to France, where he served in the general staff of Brest harbour until late 1795. After the Battle of Quiberon, he commanded a company of sailors that hunted down the surviving émigrés.