From 25 November 1761 to 11 April 1762, with the rank of Lieutenant, he captained the frigate Oiseau for a mission in the Eastern Mediterranean.
[1] In early 1781 Barras' French squadron was based at Newport, Rhode Island.
Barras led a French expedition to capture Montserrat in February 1782.
Later Barras participated in the Battle of the Saintes in the Caribbean Sea where Admiral Rodney's ships broke the French line.
The British victory led to the failure of a Franco-Spanish invasion plan against Jamaica.