He was promoted to Lieutenant-général in on 1 March 1779. Between 1779 to 1784, he was commanding officer for the forces in Lorient. At the same time, Breugnon commanded a division in the fleet under Estaing, with his flag on the 80-gun "Tonnant" and Bruyères as his flag captain. He took part in the Battle of Rhode Island on 29 August 1778, in the Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779, and during the Siege of Savannah. He then went to Saint-Domingue for health reasons, and was replaced with Barras.