[1] Two years later, soon after the birth of his younger brother Lewis, the De Russy family fled the violence of the slave revolution and settled in Old Point Comfort, Virginia.

[2] At the age of 18, De Russy enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York on March 20, 1807; he graduated on June 10, 1812, at the bottom of his class.

[4] In 1825, De Russy returned to New York City, where he continued to build the Harbor's defenses, specifically Fort Hamilton.

The Brooklyn Eagle reported that De Russy was the "engineer under whose direction Fort Hamilton was built, the corner stone of which was laid on June 11, 1825, and which was first garrisoned by troops on November 1, 1831.

[1][6] On July 1, 1833, De Russy was assigned as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy, which he led for five years.

Because of this experience, De Russy served as a member of the Atlantic Coast Defense Board from 1849 until 1854, when he was sent to San Francisco.

Louis (also known as Lewis) graduated in 1814 from the United States Military Academy, two years after René but on an accelerated schedule.