Roger de Damas

Later at Saint Petersburg, he received several honours from Empress Catherine and obtained permission from the French king to fight for Russia; de Damas took part in the remainder of the Russian-Turkish war of 1789-1790, leading an army corps during the sieges of Kilia and Akerinan.

In his letters, Charles-Joseph, 7th Prince of Ligne, wrote to his friend Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur while serving with the army at the 1788 Siege of Ochakov.

In 1798 he entered the service of the King of Naples with permission of Paul I of Russia, and was given command of the 3rd Camp under Karl Mack von Leiberich in the ill-fated invasion of the Roman Republic.

His troops were driven back at Toscanella by Kellermann on 7 December, attempting to pass through Rome to re-join Mack, Damas was then intercepted by General Bonnamy, who denied the validity of a safe passage for his column.

Damas was later appointed as Field Marshal, General Lieutenant and finally commander-in-chief of the Bourbon Neapolitan armed forces under Ferdinand IV, which he directed in the campaigns of 1799, 1800, 1801 and 1806.