[2] He took part in the Crimean War, where he was wounded and was made a Knight of the Légion d'honneur.

On 8 March 1868, a skiff sent to Sakai was attacked by samurai retainers of the daimyō of Tosa; 11 sailors and a midshipman were killed.

The attack and French demands for punishment of the samurai involved became known as the Sakai incident.

[3] As a rear admiral, he was in charge of the 1880 pacification of the Marquesas Islands, which had been conquered by his uncle Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars forty years before.

[2][3] According to Peruvian historiography, this was accomplished due to Petit-Thouars communicating directly with Chilean commander-in-chief of the occupation, Manuel Baquedano.