Copenhagen 1801.

[Bligh]

Ships involved.

United Kingdom.

Nelson's squadron.

Polyphemus 64 Captain John Lawford
Isis 50 Captain James Walker
Edgar 74 Captain George Murray
Ardent 64 Captain Thomas Bertie
Glatton 54/56 Captain William Bligh
Elephant 74 flag of Vice-Adm. Lord Nelson, Captain Thomas Foley
Ganges 74 Captain Thomas Francis Fremantle
Monarch 74 Captain James Robert Mosse †
Defiance 74 2nd flag of Rear-Adm. Thomas Graves, Captain Richard Retalick
Russell 74 Captain William Cuming
Bellona 74 Captain Thomas Boulden Thompson
Agamemnon 64 Captain Robert Devereux Fancourt
Désirée 36 Captain Henry Inman
Amazon 38 Captain Edward Riou †
Blanche 36 Captain Graham Eden Hamond
Alcmène 32 Captain Samuel Sutton
Jamaica 24 Captain Jonas Rose
Arrow ship-sloop Captain William Bolton
Dart ship-sloop Captain John Ferris Devonshire
Cruizer brig-sloop, Cmdr. James Brisbane
Harpy brig-sloop, Cmdr. William Birchal
Discovery bomb, Cmdr. John Conn
Explosion bomb, Cmdr. John Henry Martin
Hecla bomb, Cmdr. Richard Hatherhill
Sulphur bomb, Cmdr. Hender Whitter
Terror bomb, Cmdr. Samuel Campbell Rowley
Volcano bomb, Cmdr. James Watson
Zebra bomb, Cmdr. Edward Sneyd Clay
Otter fireship, Cmdr. George M'Kinley
Zephyr fireship, Cmdr. Clotworthy Upton

Parker's reserve.

London 98 flag of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, with 1st Captain William . Domett and 2nd Captain Robert Walker Otway
St George 98 Captain Thomas Masterman Hardy
Warrior 74 Captain Charles Tyler
Defence 74 Captain Henry Paulet
Saturn 74 Captain Robert Lambert
Ramillies 74 Captain James William Taylor Dixon
Raisonnable 64 Captain John Dilkes
Veteran 64 Captain Archibald Collingwood Dickson



Rob.

[Bligh]

Captain John Lawford.

(c. 1756 – 22 December 1842) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
He had a long and distinguished career, seeing action during the war with America at the Battle of the Saintes, and was commanding small ships during the interwar years and by the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France. He graduated to larger ships, despite the loss of a frigate under his command in 1794, and was commanding HMS Romney in British waters by 1798. His interception of a Swedish convoy in the English Channel further strained relations between Britain and Sweden, though Lawford was also to be involved in the breakup of the League of Armed Neutrality, when he formed part of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson's fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen. Another highlight was the capture of a Spanish frigate carrying an immensely valuable cargo of specie. Lawford commanded several ships of the French and Spanish coasts throughout the rest of the wars, until being promoted to flag rank in 1811. He received further promotions throughout his long life, and the award of the KCB for his actions at Copenhagen, the only captain who fought at the battle to receive any honours related to it. He died three years later at the age of 86, having by then spent 65 years serving the navy.

Early career.


Lawford was born c. 1756 and entered the navy at an early age. He served during the war with America, and was first lieutenant aboard the 90-gun HMS Namur at the Battle of the Saintes. In October 1788 he commissioned the brig HMS Wasp and commanded her for the next two years. Lawford then took command of the 16-gun sloop HMS Hound during the Spanish Armament and was stationed initially in the English Channel, before departing for Jamaica on 22 October 1790, where he spent the next two years. He was promoted to post-captain on the outbreak of war with France in 1793, and took command of the newly captured 36-gun HMS Convert. He sailed as an escort for a convoy to Britain on 5 February the following year, but his command was short-lived as Convert was wrecked three days later on a reef off the East End of Grand Cayman; the wreck later referred to as the Wreck of the Ten Sail. While court martialled as a result of the shipwreck, Lawford was acquitted and the event did not adversely affect his career. Lawford remained in service to the Royal Navy and in January 1798 took command of the 64-gun HMS Agincourt. His time aboard her was brief, and in March he handed her over to Captain John Bligh and took up command of Bligh's old ship, the 50-gun HMS Romney.

Command.

Lawford and Romney became involved in an incident with a convoy of Swedish merchants sailing from the Mediterranean with cargoes of pitch, hemp, iron, deals and tar. Lawford intercepted the convoy in the English Channel on 30 June, suspecting that the supplies were bound for French forces. The convoy resisted, but Lawford brought them to after a short action and took them to a British port. There most of the ships were condemned, though some were allowed to sail to Portugal. The question of the right of belligerent powers to stop and search neutral merchants on the high seas was firmly upheld by Britain, though incidents such as this strained relations with the northern Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark and Russia, and was a contributing factor to the formation of the League of Armed Neutrality two years later. Lawford took Romney to join Vice-Admiral Andrew Mitchell's squadron in Den Helder in August 1799, and was present at the Vlieter Incident on 30 August.

Copenhagen.

Lawford took command of the 64-gun HMS Polyphemus in August 1800, and went out with the fleet sent out under Sir Hyde Parker to compel the Danes to abandon the League of Armed Neutrality.

Polyphemus was part of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson's squadron sent in to attack the Danish fleet at anchor at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Polyphemus was not part of Nelson's original plan, but he had to improvise when HMS Agamemnon ran aground on shoals at the entrance to the harbour, and could not free herself. Polyphemus was signalled to take her place, and she anchored at the south of the line, opposite the Provestenen and engaged for the rest of the battle. She eventually sustained casualties of six killed and twenty-five wounded. Polyphemus returned to Britain and was paid off into ordinary in April 1802, and after being refitted at Chatham Dockyard between March and September 1804, was recommissioned under Lawford. Lawford served with the Channel Fleet and on 7 December 1804 engaged the Spanish 36-gun Santa Gertruyda off Cape St Mary. The Santa Gertruyda was captured, and found to be shipping 1,125,000 dollars of specie from Peru and Mexico to Spain.
Lawford commissioned the 74-gun HMS Audacious in June 1805, and moved from there to command the 74-gun HMS Impetueux in October 1806. He served initially in the English Channel, followed by service in the North Sea in 1809 and then off Portugal from March 1810. Lawford was superseded on 1 August 1811, when he was promoted to rear-admiral.
Later life.

Lawford was advanced to vice-admiral in 1819, and a full admiral in 1832. In August 1838 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. His award of the KCB was the only honorary reward specifically for gallantry at Copenhagen 37 years previously, made to any of the captains who were present. Admiral Sir John Lawford died at his home at Grove Road, St John's Wood on 22 December 1842 at the age of 86. He had married in 1803, and on his death had served in the navy for 65 years.

[Bligh]

Captain James Walker.


(1764 – 13 July 1831) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of Rear-Admiral.


Walker spent his early years in the navy at first in British waters during the invasion scares of 1779, and then in North American waters where he saw action at most of the decisive naval battles of the war, particularly at the Chesapeake, St. Kitts and the Saintes. He reached the rank of lieutenant before the end of hostilities and spent the interwar years travelling on the continent. Returning to service with the outbreak of war with the French, he again participated in many of the key naval actions of the period, with his service at the Glorious First of June securing his promotion to his own commands. His career was almost ended with an accusation of disobeying orders, which led to his dismissal from the navy, but he was reinstated in time to develop a plan to subdue the mutinies at Spithead and the Nore.

Copenhagen.

He commanded a ship at the Battle of Camperdown, and another at the Battle of Copenhagen, earning Nelson's praise for his actions.


The early part of the Napoleonic Wars were spent in the Caribbean, where Walker played an important role in the Haitian Revolution, and took the surrender of a French garrison. After time spent escorting convoys, Walker joined the ships covering the transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil, and struck up a friendship with the Prince Regent. His association with royalty continued with his services in transporting the Duke of Clarence, Tsar Alexander I of Russia and King Frederick William III of Prussia, and he was duly invested as a Companion of the Order of the Bath and a Knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword. His later years were spent managing a fleet off the American coast during the War of 1812, and he commanded several ships after the end of the wars, retiring with the rank of rear-admiral.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Captain George Murray.


George Murray was born in Chichester in January 1759. His father was Gideon Murray, Alderman of that city. He began his naval career at the age of 11, when he was entered in the books of Captain Francis Banks's HMS Niger, which was serving in the Mediterranean, as a captain's servant. His proper service in the navy likely began in 1772, when he joined HMS Panther, the flagship of Commodore Molyneux Shuldham, for service on the Newfoundland station.^[4] He then transferred to the flagship of John Montagu, the 50-gun HMS Romney, and again in time to join Sir Peter Parker's flagship HMS Bristol for the attack on Sullivan's Island on 28 June 1776. He moved into HMS Chatham after this and continued to serve with Parker along the North American coast, participating in the occupation of Rhode Island in December 1776. After receiving favourable reports of his conduct, Vice-Admiral Lord Howe requested Murray's services and he was transferred to HMS Eagle. Murray went on to see action in Howe's campaigns to disrupt the French fleet under comte d'Estaing in the summer of 1778.

Home waters.

Howe and Murray returned to England in 1778. Howe was disaffected by his experiences of command in North America, and consequently did not bestow patronage on those junior officers under his command, as was the custom. Instead a friend of Murray's father, Captain George Montagu arranged for him to draw up a record of his service and good conduct in the North American campaign, which was then passed on to the First Lord of the Admiralty, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. He passed his lieutenant's examination on 19 November 1778, and quickly received his commission on 31 December that year. He was to be second lieutenant aboard the 32-gun HMS Arethusa, under Captain Charles Holmes Everitt.
It was to be a short-lived appointment as on 19 March 1779 she ran aground and was wrecked on the Breton coast while chasing a French frigate.
Murray was captured and became a prisoner of war, spending the next two years in captivity and occupying himself with the study of the French language and naval regulations. He was released and exchanged when he came to the attention of the French authorities after chastising an American privateersman for wearing a British uniform.

East Indies.

Murray had made it back to England by early 1781 and received an appointment to the 64-gun HMS Monmouth as her first lieutenant.
The Monmouth, commanded by fellow townsman James Alms, set sail to the East Indies in April 1781. Murray also took part in the Battle of Porto Praya against the Bailli de Suffren, and went on to face him again with Sir Edward Hughes's fleet off the coast of India at the Battle of Sadras on 15 February 1782, and at the Battle of Providien on 12 April 1782. Murray moved aboard Hughes's flagship, the 74-gun HMS Superb shortly after the engagement at Providien, and went on to take part in the battles of Negapatam and Trincomalee, being wounded in the latter.
Murray received his first command on 9 October 1782, that of the fireship HMS Combustion, but he was promoted to post-captain three days later and appointed to the 22-gun storeship and former Spanish privateer HMS San Carlos. He remained with her during the last engagement between Hughes and de Suffren, the Battle of Cuddalore on 20 June 1783, after which he was transferred to the 64-gun HMS Inflexible for his return to England.

Years of peace.

Without active employment following the Peace of Paris and the end of the American War of Independence, Murray spent several years in study, residing in France for a two-year period in order to refine his language skills. The Nootka Crisis in June 1790 led to Murray's return to service in command of the 32-gun frigate HMS Triton. He continued in her for the next few years, and by April 1791 he was occupied in surveying the Great Belt, and the approaches into Copenhagen. He spent the remainder of the peace serving at Halifax and Jamaica, returning to England in June 1793 after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars.

French Revolutionary Wars.

He was appointed to the 36-gun HMS Nymphe in March 1794 and went on to serve as part of Sir John Borlase Warren's squadron. He was present at the Action of 23 April 1794 off Guernsey, where Warren's four frigates fought an engagement with three French frigates and a corvette, capturing two frigates and the corvette. He was still in command a year later when he and the Nymphe were engaged in Lord Bridport's victory at the Battle of Groix on 23 June 1795. He took advantage of a brief period of shore leave after this to marry Ann Teesdale on 15 September 1795, but was back at sea two weeks later, in command of the 90-gun HMS Formidable.

Jervis and Cape St Vincent.

Murray's next assignment was to take command of the 74-gun HMS Colossus in 1796. He sailed to join Sir John Jervis's fleet and took up station commanding the inshore squadron blockading Cadiz. While there the Spanish admiral of the port invited Murray to attend a bullfight, offering his nephew as a temporary guarantee of Murray's safety. Murray saw action at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797, where he and Colossus formed up near the centre of the British line. As the British ships broke through the Spanish line and tacked around to engage their van, Spanish Vice-Admiral Joaquin Moreno in the rear saw an opportunity to exploit a weakness in the British formation. Pulling forward in his flagship Principe de Asturias he came across the bows of the British line, cutting between HMS Orion, which had already tacked, and HMS Colossus, which was just preparing to. He then fired a broadside at the vulnerable bows of Colossus, damaging her main foreyard and causing her to miss stays. She began to drift out of the line while Murray and his crew struggled to regain manoeuvrability. Seeing her predicament, Orion dropped back to cover Colossus with a broadside. Despite this setback Colossus only sustained five wounded during the course of the battle, which ended in a British victory.

Loss of the Colossus.

Murray continued to serve with Jervis until he was despatched to join Horatio Nelson in the Mediterranean. He rendezvoused with him at Naples, but the Colossus was by now so worn out that Nelson sent Murray back to Britain as a convoy escort, and carrying a cargo of artefacts from Sir William Hamilton's collection. The Colossus reached the Channel safely but a north-east gale blew up, forcing Murray to seek shelter in the waters off the Isles of Scilly. He initially anchored in St Marys Roads but the storm worsened and her anchors dragged, and on 7 December 1798 she ran onto a ledge of rocks and was wrecked. There was one casualty in the sinking, and many of Sir William Hamilton's treasures in his collection were lost with her. A court-martial was convened, at which Murray was honourably acquitted of blame and assigned to command the 84-gun HMS Achille with the Channel Fleet. In March 1801 he was moved to the 74-gun HMS Edgar and assigned to Sir Hyde Parker's Baltic expedition, where it was anticipated that his previous experience in the Baltic would be an asset.

Nelson and Copenhagen.

Detached with Nelson's expeditionary squadron for the expeditionary assault on Copenhagen on 2 April, Murray was given the task of leading the British force into the harbour, using channels he had helped to chart a decade earlier. She eventually passed by four Danish ships, taking fire from each one, before anchoring opposite the Jylland, which she engaged for the next four hours of the battle. By the time the truce was concluded, the Edgar had taken casualties of 31 killed and 104 wounded. During the peace negotiations with the Danish, and the subsequent foray to watch the Swedish forces at Karlskrona, Murray developed a strong rapport with Nelson, who had replaced Parker after the latter's recall to Britain.

Captain of the fleet.

With the resumption of hostilities after the Peace of Amiens, Murray returned to sea in command of the 74-gun HMS Spartiate, but word soon reached him that Nelson had requested him to be his captain of the fleet in the Mediterranean. Murray was initially reluctant to accept the offer, and on being asked why, replied that
the nature of the service was such, as very frequently terminated in disagreement between the admiral and the captain; and he should be extremely unwilling to hazard any possible thing that should diminish the regard and respect which he should ever entertain for his lordship.
Nelson's response was to express agreement with Murray that such situations could occur, but reminded him that
on whatever he [Murray] might be called, or whatever measure he might be directed to carry into execution, he never should forget the intimacy which subsisted between them; and even, should anything go contrary to his wishes, he would wave the rank of admiral, and explain, or expostulate with him, as his friend, Murray.
Murray then accepted the post, and remained with Nelson as his captain of the fleet during the blockade of Toulon between 1803 and 1805, and the subsequent chase of Villeneuve and his fleet to the West Indies and back in 1805. He had been promoted to rear-admiral on 23 April 1804, but declined to raise his flag so as to be able to continue on with Nelson. The fleet returned to England in August 1805, where Murray learnt that his father-in-law had died, leaving him as executor of his estates. While Nelson sailed to take up command of the fleet blockading Cadiz, Murray was compelled to remain in England and attend to family affairs. Nelson did not therefore have a captain of the fleet at Trafalgar, for as one biographer stated "none but Murray would do".


Later service.

Murray's last operational command was in November 1806, when he was assigned as commander-in-chief of the naval forces involved in the operations to capture Buenos Aires, supporting General John Whitelocke's soldiers. Murray and the naval forces were for the most part limited to conveying troops, and subsequently organising their evacuation. He returned home in January 1808, and was promoted to vice-admiral on 25 October 1809. A nomination to be a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath followed on 2 January 1815 and later the same year he was elected Mayor of Chichester.
He died suddenly at his home in Chichester on 28 February 1819. His obituary reported that he had gone to bed "in good health, and was seized by a spasmodic affectation in his chest, which terminated his existence at 8 o'clock". The Naval Chronicle declared that
Admiral Murray's disposition is so gentle, and his manners are so mild, that but few men are equally well beloved in the navy; while few possess the facility of commanding with such ease, and, at the same time, with such energy and effect.
His wife Ann outlived him by a considerable number of years. She died in Boulogne in 1859, at the age of 95.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Captain Thomas Bertie.

Bertie was born Thomas Hoar on 3 July 1758 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, the sixth child and fourth son of George Hoar, the Keeper of the Regalia of England at the Tower of London, and his wife Francis. His name was entered into the books of the yacht HMY William & Mary in March 1771, when he was just twelve years old, but this was only for seniority, and he spent his early life being educated, first at a navigation school in his native Stockton, followed by a move to London to attend Mr Eaton's academy, and then Christ's Hospital. He first went to sea in October 1773, joining the 24-gun HMS Seahorse under Captain George Farmer. Also serving aboard the Seahorse as midshipman and able seaman respectively were the young Horatio Nelson and Thomas Troubridge. The three future admirals became good friends and would remain in correspondence with each other throughout their lives. Hoar transferred to the 50-gun HMS Salisbury under Commodore Sir Edward Hughes on 27 June 1777 at the instigation of Hoar's patron, Lord Mulgrave, and returned to England on 14 May 1778. He was promoted to lieutenant on 21 May that year, and appointed to serve aboard the 74-gun HMS Monarch under Joshua Rowley.^[2][3] With Rowley he was present at the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778, and in December moved with Rowley to the 74-gun HMS Suffolk.
Rowley and Hoar sailed to the West Indies to support operations there against the French fleets. Hoar saw action with Admiral John Byron's fleet at the Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779, and then in two subsequent boat actions in December off Martinique. Hoar continued to serve under Rowley, accompanying him when he moved his flag to the 74-gun HMS Conqueror in March 1780. With Rowley Hoar saw action against the Comte d'Estaing at the Battle of Martinique on 17 April, and in two indecisive actions on 15 and 19 May. Rowley made Hoar his flag-lieutenant for his good service in July, and on 10 August 1782 Hoar was promoted to commander, and given command of the 16-gun sloop HMS Duc d'Estissac based at Port Royal. He remained in this position until the end of the war, at which his ship was paid off after her return to England in August 1783.

Interwar period and marriage.

Hoar remained on half-pay at the rank of commander for the years between the end of the American War of Independence, and the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. He married during this time ashore, taking as his wife Catherine Dorothy Bertie, daughter of Peregrine Bertie.^[2][5] The couple were married at St Marylebone Parish Church on 20 May 1788, after which Hoar took the surname Bertie, in accordance with his father-in-law's will. Also in 1788 he carried out a series of experiments at Spithead, that led to the introduction of lifebuoys into the navy.
The Nootka Crisis in 1790 led to Bertie receiving his long delayed promotion to post-captain, on 22 November 1790. He received the command of HMS Leda but the easing of tensions led to her being paid off and Bertie was left without a ship. This continued even after the start of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793, until September 1795, when he took command of the 54-gun HMS Hindostan with orders to serve in the West Indies.

Command.

Bertie followed through on his orders, but while serving at Port-au-Prince in the West Indies he suffered a severe attack of yellow fever, and was invalided home in October 1796. He recovered his health and on 29 March 1797 he was appointed to command the 54-gun HMS Brakel at Plymouth. He was part of the court that court-martialled Captain John Williamson for misconduct during the Battle of Camperdown, and afterwards received an appointment to command the 64-gun HMS Ardent in the North Sea. Nelson wrote to congratulate Bertie, calling the Ardent 'the finest man-of-war upon her decks that ever I saw. While in command of the Ardent he developed a slight alteration to the 42pdr carronades carried on her main deck. Bertie observed that if the chock were depressed by two inches, the gun could be worked and run out with a smaller number of people, while the recoil was reduced and the force of the shot increased. Bertie reported this to the Board of Ordnance, which subsequently adopted the modification for all the ships in the fleet.

North Sea and Baltic.

Bertie spent the next few years in the North Sea and in blockading the Texel, initially under Admiral Adam Duncan until August 1799, and then Vice-Admiral Andrew Mitchell. After the surrender of the Dutch fleet to Mitchell in the Vlieter Incident on 30 August, Bertie was ordered to take possession of the 68-gun De Ruyter, and then to escort the rest of the prizes to the Nore, arriving there on 10 September. After the failure of the Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland, Bertie assisted in the evacuation and received the thanks of Parliament. He then took part in Vice-Admiral Archibald Dickson's expedition to Copenhagen in support of Lord Whitworth's diplomatic mission.

Copenhagen.

Bertie returned to Copenhagen in 1801, with Sir Hyde Parker's expedition, and was detached to join his old friend Nelson's division for the attack on the city.
Bertie and the Ardent were duly engaged in the thick of the fighting, eventually suffering 29 killed and 64 wounded, with another 40 being slightly wounded but able to continue working. During the battle the Ardent forced the surrender of four Danish ships and floating batteries, causing Nelson to come aboard the Ardent the day after the battle to deliver his personal commendations to Ardent's officers and men for their actions. On 9 April Parker moved Bertie to the 74-gun HMS Bellona, replacing her captain, Thomas Boulden Thompson, who had lost a leg in the battle and was temporarily hors de combat. Bertie spent the next year serving in the Baltic, first under Nelson, and then under his successor, Sir Charles Pole.

Cadiz and West Indies.

Bertie was sent home in July 1802 with a squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Graves, and went from there to Cadiz, via Cork, in order to blockade the Spanish fleet there. The Peace of Amiens led to his return to England again, but he was soon sent to sea again as part of Charles Tyler's squadron despatched to the West Indies. He returned to Britain in June, where the Bellona was paid off.

Resumption of war.

The resumption of hostilities in 1803 led to Bertie taking command of the 74-gun HMS Courageux on 3 November. The Courageaux became the flagship of Rear-Admiral James Richard Dacres, and in January Bertie attempted to organise a convoy to the West Indies. Soon after leaving Britain a gale blew up, causing considerable damage to the ship and forcing Bertie to return to Britain. Before he could return to sea, a sudden family crisis forced Bertie to resign his command, not returning to active service until December 1805. In that month he was given command of the 98-gun HMS St George, commanding her in the English Channel. He was promoted to rear-admiral on 28 April 1808, and was requested to serve in the Baltic by Sir James Saumarez.

Flag rank and later life.

He flew his flag initially from the 74-gun HMS Orion, followed by the 74-gun HMS Vanguard and the 64-gun HMS Dictator After a brief return to Britain in January 1809, he returned to the Baltic in March 1809 aboard the 64-gun HMS Stately, where he spent most of the year. He returned to Britain in December, and in February 1810 was obliged to strike his flag owing to his poor health. He was knighted on 24 June 1813 and authorised to accept the award of the Swedish Order of the Sword. He was advanced to a vice-admiral on 4 December 1813. He died at Twyford Lodge, Hampshire, the home of his brother, on 13 June 1825.

[Bligh]

Captain William Bligh.

William Bligh was born on 9 September 1754 but it is not clear where. It is likely that he was born in Plymouth, Devon, as he was baptised at St Andrew's Church, Plymouth on 4 October 1754, where Bligh's father, Francis (1721–80), was serving as a customs officer. Bligh's ancestral home of Tinten Manor in St Tudy near Bodmin, Cornwall, is also a possibility. Bligh's mother, Jane Pearce (1713–68), was a widow (née Balsam) who married Francis at the age of 40.^[2] Bligh was signed for the Royal Navy at age seven, at a time when it was common to sign on a "young gentleman" simply to gain, or at least record, the experience at sea required for a commission. In 1770, at age 16, he joined HMS Hunter as an able seaman, the term used because there was no vacancy for a midshipman. He became a midshipman early in the following year. In September 1771, Bligh was transferred to the Crescent and remained on the ship for three years.

In 1776, Bligh was selected by Captain James Cook for the position of sailing master of Resolution and accompanied Cook in July 1776 on Cook's third voyage to the Pacific, during which Cook was killed. Bligh returned to England at the end of 1780 and was able to give details of Cook's last voyage.

Bligh married Elizabeth Betham, daughter of a customs collector (stationed in Douglas, Isle of Man), on 4 February 1781. The wedding took place at nearby Onchan. A few days later, he was appointed to serve on HMS Belle Poule as master. Soon after this, in August 1781, he fought in the Battle of the Dogger Bank under Admiral Parker, which at last won him his commission as a lieutenant. For the next 18 months, he was a lieutenant on various ships. He also fought with Lord Howe at Gibraltar in 1782.

Between 1783 and 1787, Bligh was a captain in the merchant service. Like many lieutenants, he would have found full-pay employment in the Navy; however, commissions were hard to obtain with the fleet largely demobilised at the end of the War of American Independence. In 1787, Bligh was selected as commander of Bounty.

The breadfruit voyage.

In 1787, Bligh took command of Bounty. In order to win a premium offered by the Royal Society, he first sailed to Tahiti to obtain breadfruit trees, then set course for the Caribbean, where breadfruit was wanted for experiments to see whether it would be a successful food crop for slaves there. The notion that breadfruit had to be collected from Tahiti was intentionally misleading. Tahiti was merely one of many places where esteemed seedless breadfruit could be found. The real reason for choosing Tahiti has its roots in the territorial contention that existed between France and England at the time. The Bounty never reached the Caribbean, as mutiny broke out on board shortly after the ship left Tahiti.

The Mutiny.

The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel HMS Bounty occurred in the south Pacific on 28 April 1789. Led by Acting Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, disaffected crewmen seized control of the ship, and set Bligh and 18 loyalists adrift in the ship's open launch. The mutineers variously settled on Tahiti or on Pitcairn Island. Bligh meanwhile completed a voyage of more than 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) in the launch to reach safety, and began the process of bringing the mutineers to justice.

Bounty's log shows that Bligh resorted to punishments relatively sparingly. He scolded when other captains would have whipped, and whipped when other captains would have hanged. He was an educated man, deeply interested in science, convinced that good diet and sanitation were necessary for the welfare of his crew. He took a great interest in his crew's exercise, was very careful about the quality of their food, and insisted upon the Bounty's being kept very clean. He tried (unsuccessfully) to check the spread of venereal disease among the men. The modern historian John Beaglehole has described the major flaw in this otherwise enlightened naval officer: "[Bligh made] dogmatic judgements which he felt himself entitled to make; he saw fools about him too easily ... thin-skinned vanity was his curse through life ... [Bligh] never learnt that you do not make friends of men by insulting them."

Aftermath.

In October 1790, Bligh was honourably acquitted at the court-martial inquiring into the loss of Bounty. Shortly thereafter, he published A Narrative of the Mutiny on board His Majesty's Ship "Bounty"; And the Subsequent Voyage of Part of the Crew, In the Ship's Boat, from Tofoa, one of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch Settlement in the East Indies. Of the 10 surviving prisoners eventually brought home in spite of Pandora's loss, four were acquitted, owing to Bligh's testimony that they were non-mutineers that Bligh was obliged to leave on Bounty because of lack of space in the launch. Two others were convicted because, while not participating in the mutiny, they were passive and did not resist. They subsequently received royal pardons. One was convicted but excused on a technicality. The remaining three were convicted and hanged.

Subsequent career. The Rum Rebellion.

In February 1797, while Bligh was captain of HMS Director, he surveyed the River Humber, preparing a map of the stretch from Spurn to the west of Sunk Island.

In April–May, Bligh was one of the captains whose crews mutinied over "issues of pay and involuntary service for common seamen" during the Nore mutiny. The mutiny was not triggered by any specific actions by Bligh; the mutinies "were widespread, [and] involved a fair number of English ships". Whilst Director's role was relatively minor in this mutiny, she was the last to raise the white flag at its cessation. It was at this time that he learned "that his common nickname among men in the fleet was 'that Bounty bastard'."

The Battle of Camperdown.

As captain of Director at the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October, Bligh engaged three Dutch vessels: Haarlem, Alkmaar and Vrijheid. While the Dutch suffered serious casualties, only seven seamen were wounded on Director. Director captured Vrijheid and the Dutch commander Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter.

Copenhagen.

Bligh went on to serve under Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801, in command of Glatton, a 56-gun ship of the line, which was experimentally fitted exclusively with carronades. After the battle, Nelson personally praised Bligh for his contribution to the victory. He sailed Glatton safely between the banks while three other vessels ran aground. When Nelson pretended not to notice Admiral Parker's signal "43" (stop the battle) and kept the signal "16" hoisted to continue the engagement, Bligh was the only captain in the squadron who could see that the two signals were in conflict. By choosing to fly Nelson's signal, he ensured that all the vessels behind him kept fighting.

Bligh had gained the reputation of being a firm disciplinarian. Accordingly, he was offered the position of Governor of New South Wales on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks (President of the Royal Society and a main sponsor of the breadfruit expeditions) and appointed in March 1805, at £2,000 per annum, twice the pay of the retiring Governor Philip Gidley King. He arrived in Sydney on 6 August 1806, to become the fourth governor. As his wife Elizabeth had been unwilling to undertake a long sea voyage, Bligh was accompanied by his daughter Mary Putland who would be the Lady of Government House; Mary's husband John Putland was appointed as William Bligh's aide-de-camp. During his time in Sydney, his confrontational administrative style provoked the wrath of a number of influential settlers and officials. They included the wealthy landowner and businessman John Macarthur and prominent Crown representatives such as the colony's principal surgeon, Thomas Jamison, and senior officers of the New South Wales Corps. Jamison and his military associates were defying government regulations by engaging in private trading ventures for profit: Bligh was determined to put a stop to this practice.

The Rum Rebellion.

The conflict between Bligh and the entrenched colonists culminated in another mutiny, the Rum Rebellion, when, on 26 January 1808, 400 soldiers of the New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston marched on Government House in Sydney to arrest Bligh. A petition written by John Macarthur and addressed to George Johnston was written the day of the arrest but most of the 151 signatures were gathered in the days after Bligh's overthrow. A rebel government was subsequently installed and Bligh, now deposed, made for Hobart in Tasmania aboard HMS Porpoise. Bligh failed to gain support from the authorities in Hobart to retake control of New South Wales, and remained effectively imprisoned on the Porpoise from 1808 until January 1810.

Shortly after Bligh’s arrest, a watercolour illustrating the arrest by an unknown artist was exhibited in Sydney at perhaps Australia’s first public art exhibition. The watercolour depicts a soldier dragging Bligh from underneath one of the servants’ beds in Government House and with two other figures standing by. The two soldiers in the watercolour are most likely John Sutherland and Michael Marlborough and the other figure on the far right is believed to represent Lieutenant William Minchin. This cartoon is Australia’s earliest surviving political cartoon and like all political cartoons it makes use of caricature and exaggeration to convey its message. The New South Wales Corps' officers regarded themselves as gentlemen and in depicting Bligh as a coward, the cartoon declares that Bligh was not a gentleman and therefore not fit to govern.

Of interest, however, was Bligh's concern for the more recently arrived settlers in the colony, who did not have the wealth and influence of Macarthur and Jamison. From the tombstones in Ebenezer and Richmond cemeteries (areas being settled west of Sydney during Bligh's tenure as governor), can be seen the number of boys born around 1807 to 1811 who received "William Bligh" as a given name, e.g. William Bligh Turnbull b. 8 June 1809 at Windsor, ancestor of Malcolm Bligh Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia; and James Bligh Johnston, b.1809 at Ebenezer, son of Andrew Johnston who designed Ebenezer Chapel, Australia's oldest extant church and oldest extant school.

Bligh received a letter in January 1810, advising him that the rebellion had been declared illegal, and that the British Foreign Office had declared it to be a mutiny. Lachlan Macquarie had been appointed to replace him as governor. At this news Bligh sailed from Hobart. He arrived in Sydney on 17 January 1810 only two weeks into Macquarie's tenure. There he would collect evidence for the coming court martial in England of Major Johnston.
He departed to attend the trial on 12 May 1810, arriving on 25 October 1810. In the days immediately prior to their departure, his daughter, Mary Putland (widowed in 1808), was hastily married to the new Lieutenant-Governor Maurice Charles O'Connell and remained in Sydney. The following year, the trial's presiding officers sentenced Johnston to be cashiered, a form of disgraceful dismissal that entailed surrendering his commission in the Royal Marines without compensation. (This was a comparatively mild punishment which enabled Johnston to return, a free man, to New South Wales, where he could continue to enjoy the benefits of his accumulated private wealth.) Bligh was court martialled twice again during his career, being acquitted both times.

Soon after Johnston's trial had concluded, Bligh received a backdated promotion to rear admiral. In 1814 he was promoted again, to vice admiral of the blue. Significantly perhaps, he never again received an important command, though with the Napoleonic Wars almost over there would have been few fleet commands available. He did, however, design the North Bull Wall at the mouth of the River Liffey in Dublin. Its purpose was to clear a sandbar by Venturi action. As a result of its building. North Bull Island was formed by the sand cleared by the river's now more narrowly focused force. Bligh also charted and mapped Dublin Bay.

Death.

Bligh died in Bond Street, London on 7 December 1817 and was buried in a family plot at St. Mary's, Lambeth (this church is now the Garden Museum). His tomb, notable for its use of Lithodipyra (Coade stone), is topped by a breadfruit. A plaque marks Bligh's house, one block east of the Garden Museum at 100 Lambeth Road, near the Imperial War Museum.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Vice-Adm. Lord Nelson.

Horatio Nelson was born on 29 September 1758 in a rectory in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England, the sixth of eleven children of the Reverend Edmund Nelson and his wife Catherine Suckling. He was named after his godfather Horatio Walpole (1723–1809) then 2nd Baron Walpole, of Wolterton. His mother, who died on 26 December 1767, when he was nine years old, was a great-niece of Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain. She lived in the village of Barsham, Suffolk, and married the Reverend Edmund Nelson at Beccles church, Suffolk, in 1749. Nelson's aunt, Alice Nelson was the wife of Reverend Robert Rolfe, Rector of Hilborough, Norfolk and grandmother of Sir Robert Monsey Rolfe. Rolfe twice served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
Nelson attended Paston Grammar School, North Walsham, until he was 12 years old, and also attended King Edward VI’s Grammar School in Norwich. His naval career began on 1 January 1771, when he reported to the third-rate HMS Raisonnable as an ordinary seaman and coxswain under his maternal uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, who commanded the vessel. Shortly after reporting aboard, Nelson was appointed a midshipman and began officer training. Early in his service, Nelson discovered that he suffered from seasickness, a chronic complaint that dogged him for the rest of his life.

Early naval career.

HMS Raisonnable had been commissioned during a period of tension with Spain, but when this passed, Suckling was transferred to the Nore guardship HMS Triumph and Nelson was dispatched to serve aboard the West Indiamen Mary Ann of the merchant shipping firm of Hibbert, Purrier and Horton, in order to gain experience at sea; he sailed from Medway, Kent, on 25 July 1771 sailing to Jamaica and Tobago, returning to Plymouth on 7 July 1772. He twice crossed the Atlantic, before returning to serve under his uncle as the commander of Suckling's longboat, which carried men and dispatches to and from the shore. Nelson then learned of a planned expedition under the command of Constantine Phipps, intended to survey a passage in the Arctic by which it was hoped that India could be reached: the fabled Northwest Passage. At his nephew's request, Suckling arranged for Nelson to join the expedition as coxswain to Commander Lutwidge aboard the converted bomb vessel HMS Carcass. The expedition reached within ten degrees of the North Pole, but, unable to find a way through the dense ice floes, was forced to turn back. By 1800 Lutwidge began to circulate a story that while the ship had been trapped in the ice, Nelson had seen and pursued a polar bear, before being ordered to return to the ship. Lutwidge's later version, in 1809, reported that Nelson and a companion had given chase to the bear, but on being questioned why, replied that "I wished, Sir, to get the skin for my father."
Nelson briefly returned to Triumph after the expedition's return to Britain in September 1773. Suckling then arranged for his transfer to HMS Seahorse, one of two ships about to sail for the East Indies.
Nelson sailed for the East Indies on 19 November 1773 and arrived at the British outpost at Madras on 25 May 1774. Nelson and Seahorse spent the rest of the year cruising off the coast and escorting merchantmen. With the outbreak of the First Anglo-Maratha War, the British fleet operated in support of the East India Company and in early 1775 Seahorse was dispatched to carry a cargo of the company's money to Bombay. On 19 February, two of Hyder Ali's ketches attacked Seahorse, which drove them off after a brief exchange of fire. This was Nelson's first experience of battle. The rest of the year he spent escorting convoys, during which he continued to develop his navigation and ship handling skills. In early 1776 Nelson contracted malaria and became seriously ill. He was discharged from Seahorse on 14 March and returned to England aboard HMS Dolphin. Nelson spent the six-month voyage recuperating and had almost recovered by the time he arrived in Britain in September 1776. His patron, Suckling, had risen to the post of Comptroller of the Navy in 1775, and used his influence to help Nelson gain further promotion. Nelson was appointed acting lieutenant aboard HMS Worcester, which was about to sail to Gibraltar.
Worcester, under the command of Captain Mark Robinson, sailed as a convoy escort on 3 December and returned with another convoy in April 1777.^[ Nelson then travelled to London to take his lieutenant's examination on 9 April; his examining board consisted of Captains John Campbell, Abraham North, and his uncle, Maurice Suckling. Nelson passed, and the next day received his commission and an appointment to HMS Lowestoffe, which was preparing to sail to Jamaica under Captain William Locker. She sailed on 16 May, arrived on 19 July, and after reprovisioning, carried out several cruises in Caribbean waters. After the outbreak of the American War of Independence Lowestoffe took several prizes, one of which was taken into Navy service as the tender Little Lucy. Nelson asked for and was given command of her, and took her on two cruises of his own. As well as giving him his first taste of command, it gave Nelson the opportunity to explore his fledgling interest in science. During his first cruise, Nelson led an expeditionary party to the Caicos Islands, where he made detailed notes of the wildlife and in particular a bird—now believed to be the white-necked jacobin. Locker, impressed by Nelson's abilities, recommended him to the new commander-in-chief at Jamaica, Sir Peter Parker. Parker duly took Nelson onto his flagship, HMS Bristol. The entry of the French into the war, in support of the Americans, meant further targets for Parker's fleet and it took many prizes towards the end of 1778, which brought Nelson an estimated £400 in prize money. Parker subsequently appointed him as Master and Commander of the brig HMS Badger on 8 December. Nelson and Badger spent most of 1779 cruising off the Central American coast, ranging as far as the British settlements at British Honduras (now Belize), and Nicaragua, but without much success at interception of enemy prizes. On his return to Port Royal he learned that Parker had promoted him to post-captain on 11 June, and intended to give him another command. Nelson handed over the Badger to Cuthbert Collingwood while he awaited the arrival of his new ship, the 28-gun frigate HMS Hinchinbrook, newly captured from the French. While Nelson waited, news reached Parker that a French fleet under the command of Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing, was approaching Jamaica. Parker hastily organized his defences and placed Nelson in command of Fort Charles, which covered the approaches to Kingston. D'Estaing instead headed north, and the anticipated invasion never materialised. Nelson duly took command of the Hinchinbrook on 1 September.
Hinchinbrook sailed from Port Royal on 5 October 1779 and, in company with other British ships, proceeded to capture a number of American prizes. On his return to Jamaica in December, Nelson began to be troubled by a recurrent attack of malaria, but remained in the West Indies in order to take part in Major-General John Dalling's attempt to capture the Spanish colonies in Central America, including an assault on the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception, also called Castillo Viejo, on the San Juan River in Nicaragua. Hinchinbrook sailed from Jamaica in February 1780, as an escort for Dalling's invasion force. After sailing up the mouth of the San Juan River, Nelson, with some one thousand men and four small four-pounder cannon, obtained the surrender of Castillo Viejo and its 160 Spanish defenders after a two-week siege. The British blew up the fort when they evacuated six months later after suffering many deaths due to disease and Nelson was praised for his efforts. Parker recalled Nelson and gave him command of the 44-gun frigate HMS Janus.^] Nelson had however fallen seriously ill in the jungles of Costa Rica, probably from a recurrence of malaria, and was unable to take command. During his time of convalescence he was nursed by a black "doctoress" named Cubah Cornwallis, the mistress of a fellow captain, William Cornwallis. He was discharged in August and returned to Britain aboard HMS Lion,^[34] arriving in late November. Nelson gradually recovered over several months, and soon began agitating for a command. He was appointed to the frigate HMS Albemarle on 15 August 1781.

Command.

Captain of Albemarle.

Nelson received orders on 23 October 1781 to take the newly refitted Albemarle to sea. He was instructed to collect an inbound convoy of the Russia Company at Elsinore, and escort them back to Britain. For this operation, the Admiralty placed the frigates HMS Argo and HMS Enterprise under his command. Nelson successfully organised the convoy and escorted it into British waters. He then left the convoy to return to port, but severe storms hampered him. Gales almost wrecked Albemarle as she was a poorly designed ship and an earlier accident had left her damaged, but Nelson eventually brought her into Portsmouth in February 1782. There the Admiralty ordered him to fit Albemarle for sea and join the escort for a convoy collecting at Cork in Ireland to sail for Quebec in Canada. Nelson arrived off Newfoundland with the convoy in late May, then detached on a cruise to hunt American privateers. Nelson was generally unsuccessful; he succeeded only in retaking several captured British merchant ships and capturing a number of small fishing boats and assorted craft.
In August he had a narrow escape from a far superior French force under Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil, only evading them after a prolonged chase. Nelson arrived at Quebec on 18 September. He sailed again as part of the escort for a convoy to New York. He arrived in mid-November and reported to Admiral Samuel Hood, commander of the New York station. At Nelson's request, Hood transferred him to his fleet and Albemarle sailed in company with Hood, bound for the West Indies. On their arrival, the British fleet took up position off Jamaica to await the arrival of de Vaudreuil's force. Nelson and the Albemarle were ordered to scout the numerous passages for signs of the enemy, but it became clear by early 1783 that the French had eluded Hood. During his scouting operations, Nelson had developed a plan to assault the French garrison of the Turks Islands. Commanding a small flotilla of frigates and smaller vessels, he landed a force of 167 seamen and marines early on the morning of 8 March under a supporting bombardment. The French were found to be heavily entrenched and after several hours Nelson called off the assault. Several of the officers involved criticised Nelson, but Hood does not appear to have reprimanded him. Nelson spent the rest of the war cruising in the West Indies, where he captured a number of French and Spanish prizes. After news of the peace reached Hood, Nelson returned to Britain in late June 1783.

The island of Nevis and marriage.

Nelson visited France in late 1783, stayed with acquaintances at Saint-Omer, and briefly attempted to learn French. He returned to England in January 1784, and attended court as part of Lord Hood's entourage. Influenced by the factional politics of the time, he contemplated standing for Parliament as a supporter of William Pitt, but was unable to find a seat.
In 1784 he received command of the frigate HMS Boreas with the assignment to enforce the Navigation Acts in the vicinity of Antigua. The Acts were unpopular with both the Americans and the colonies. Nelson served on the station under Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, and often came into conflict with his superior officer over their differing interpretation of the Acts. The captains of the American vessels Nelson had seized sued him for illegal seizure. Because the merchants of the nearby island of Nevis supported the American claim, Nelson was in peril of imprisonment; he remained sequestered on Boreas for eight months, until the courts ruled in his favour.
In the interim, Nelson met Frances "Fanny" Nisbet, a young widow from a Nevis plantation family.^[56] Nelson and Nisbet were married at Montpelier Estate on the island of Nevis on 11 March 1787, shortly before the end of his tour of duty in the Caribbean. The marriage was registered at Fig Tree Church in St John's Parish on Nevis. Nelson returned to England in July, with Fanny following later.

During the peace.

Nelson remained with Boreas until she was paid off in November that year. He and Fanny then divided their time between Bath and London, occasionally visiting Nelson's relations in Norfolk. In 1788, they settled at Nelson's childhood home at Burnham Thorpe. Now in reserve on half pay, he attempted to persuade the Admiralty and other senior figures he was acquainted with, such as Hood, to provide him with a command. He was unsuccessful as there were too few ships in the peacetime navy and Hood did not intercede on his behalf. Nelson spent his time trying to find employment for former crew members, attending to family affairs, and cajoling contacts in the navy for a posting. In 1792 the French revolutionary government annexed the Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium), which were traditionally preserved as a buffer state. The Admiralty recalled Nelson to service and gave him command of the 64-gun HMS Agamemnon in January 1793. On 1 February France declared war.

Mediterranean service.

In May 1793, Nelson sailed as part of a division under the command of Vice Admiral William Hotham, joined later in the month by the rest of Lord Hood's fleet. The force initially sailed to Gibraltar and, with the intention of establishing naval superiority in the Mediterranean, made their way to Toulon, anchoring off the port in July. Toulon was largely under the control of moderate republicans and royalists, but was threatened by the forces of the National Convention, which were marching on the city. Short of supplies and doubting their ability to defend themselves, the city authorities requested that Hood take it under his protection. Hood readily acquiesced and sent Nelson to carry dispatches to Sardinia and Naples requesting reinforcements. After delivering the dispatches to Sardinia, Agamemnon arrived at Naples in early September. There Nelson met Ferdinand IV, King of Naples, followed by the British ambassador to the kingdom, William Hamilton. At some point during the negotiations for reinforcements, Nelson was introduced to Hamilton's new wife, Emma Hamilton. The negotiations were successful, and 2,000 men and several ships were mustered by mid-September. Nelson put to sea in pursuit of a French frigate, but on failing to catch her, sailed for Leghorn, and then to Corsica. He arrived at Toulon on 5 October, where he found that a large French army had occupied the hills surrounding the city and was bombarding it. Hood still hoped the city could be held if more reinforcements arrived, and sent Nelson to join a squadron operating off Cagliari.

Corsica.

Early on the morning of 22 October 1793, Agamemnon sighted five sails. Nelson closed with them, and discovered they were a French squadron. He promptly gave chase, firing on the 40-gun Melpomene. He inflicted considerable damage but the remaining French ships turned to join the battle and, realising he was outnumbered, Nelson withdrew and continued to Cagliari, arriving on 24 October. After making repairs, Nelson and Agamemnon sailed again on 26 October, bound for Tunis with a squadron under Commodore Robert Linzee. On his arrival, Nelson was given command of a small squadron consisting of Agamemnon, three frigates and a sloop, and ordered to blockade the French garrison on Corsica. The fall of Toulon at the end of December 1793 severely damaged British fortunes in the Mediterranean. Hood had failed to make adequate provision for a withdrawal and 18 French ships-of-the-line fell into republican hands. Nelson's mission to Corsica took on added significance, as it could provide the British a naval base close to the French coast. Hood therefore reinforced Nelson with extra ships during January 1794. A British assault force landed on the island on 7 February, after which Nelson moved to intensify the blockade off Bastia. For the rest of the month he carried out raids along the coast and intercepted enemy shipping. By late February St Fiorenzo had fallen and British troops under Lieutenant-General David Dundas entered the outskirts of Bastia. However, Dundas merely assessed the enemy positions and then withdrew, arguing that the French were too well entrenched to risk an assault. Nelson convinced Hood otherwise, but a protracted debate between the army and naval commanders meant that Nelson did not receive permission to proceed until late March. Nelson began to land guns from his ships and emplace them in the hills surrounding the town. On 11 April the British squadron entered the harbour and opened fire, whilst Nelson took command of the land forces and commenced bombardment. After 45 days, the town surrendered. Nelson subsequently prepared for an assault on Calvi, working in company with Lieutenant-General Charles Stuart. British forces landed at Calvi on 19 June, and immediately began moving guns ashore to occupy the heights surrounding the town. While Nelson directed a continuous bombardment of the enemy positions, Stuart's men began to advance. On 12 July Nelson was at one of the forward batteries early in the morning when a shot struck one of the sandbags protecting the position, spraying stones and sand. Nelson was struck by debris in his right eye and was forced to retire from the position, although his wound was soon bandaged and he returned to action. By 18 July most of the enemy positions had been disabled, and that night Stuart, supported by Nelson, stormed the main defensive position and captured it. Repositioning their guns, the British brought Calvi under constant bombardment, and the town surrendered on 10 August. However, Nelson's right eye had been irreparably damaged and he eventually lost all sight in it.

Genoa and the fight of the Ça Ira.

After the occupation of Corsica, Hood ordered Nelson to open diplomatic relations with the city-state of Genoa, a strategically important potential ally. Soon afterwards, Hood returned to England and was succeeded by Admiral William Hotham as commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. Nelson put into Leghorn, and while Agamemnon underwent repairs, met with other naval officers at the port and entertained a brief affair with a local woman, Adelaide Correglia. Hotham arrived with the rest of the fleet in December; Nelson and the Agamemnon sailed on a number of cruises with them in late 1794 and early 1795.
On 8 March, news reached Hotham that the French fleet was at sea and heading for Corsica. He immediately set out to intercept them, and Nelson eagerly anticipated his first fleet action. The French were reluctant to engage and the two fleets shadowed each other throughout 12 March. The following day two of the French ships collided, allowing Nelson to engage the much larger 84-gun Ça Ira for two and a half hours until the arrival of two French ships forced Nelson to veer away, having inflicted heavy casualties and considerable damage. The fleets continued to shadow each other before making contact again, on 14 March, in the Battle of Genoa. Nelson joined the other British ships in attacking the battered Ça Ira, now under tow from the Censeur. Heavily damaged, the two French ships were forced to surrender and Nelson took possession of the Censeur. Defeated at sea, the French abandoned their plan to invade Corsica and returned to port.

Skirmishes and the retreat from Italy.

Nelson and the fleet remained in the Mediterranean throughout the summer. On 4 July Agamemnon sailed from St Fiorenzo with a small force of frigates and sloops, bound for Genoa. On 6 July Nelson ran into the French fleet and found himself pursued by several much larger ships-of-the-line. He retreated to St Fiorenzo, arriving just ahead of the pursuing French, who broke off as Nelson's signal guns alerted the British fleet in the harbour.
Hotham pursued the French to the Hyères Islands, but failed to bring them to a decisive action. A number of small engagements were fought but to Nelson's dismay, he saw little action.

Nelson returned to operate out of Genoa, intercepting and inspecting merchantmen and cutting-out suspicious vessels in both enemy and neutral harbours.
Nelson formulated ambitious plans for amphibious landings and naval assaults to frustrate the progress of the French Army of Italy that was now advancing on Genoa, but could excite little interest in Hotham.
In November Hotham was replaced by Sir Hyde Parker but the situation in Italy was rapidly deteriorating: the French were raiding around Genoa and strong Jacobin sentiment was rife within the city itself.
A large French assault at the end of November broke the allied lines, forcing a general retreat towards Genoa. Nelson's forces were able to cover the withdrawing army and prevent them from being surrounded, but he had too few ships and men to materially alter the strategic situation, and the British were forced to withdraw from the Italian ports. Nelson returned to Corsica on 30 November, angry and depressed at the British failure and questioning his future in the navy.

Jervis and the evacuation of the Mediterranean.

In January 1796 the position of commander-in-chief of the fleet in the Mediterranean passed to Sir John Jervis, who appointed Nelson to exercise independent command over the ships blockading the French coast as a commodore.
Nelson spent the first half of the year conducting operations to frustrate French advances and bolster Britain's Italian allies. Despite some minor successes in intercepting small French warships (e.g., in the action of 31 May 1796), Nelson's squadron captured a convoy of seven small vessels), Nelson began to feel the British presence on the Italian peninsula was rapidly becoming useless.
In June the Agamemnon was sent back to Britain for repairs, and Nelson was appointed to the 74-gun HMS Captain.
In the same month, the French thrust towards Leghorn and were certain to capture the city. Nelson hurried there to oversee the evacuation of British nationals and transported them to Corsica, after which Jervis ordered him to blockade the newly captured French port. In July he oversaw the occupation of Elba, but by September the Genoese had broken their neutrality to declare in favour of the French. By October, the Genoese position and the continued French advances led the British to decide that the Mediterranean fleet could no longer be supplied; they ordered it to be evacuated to Gibraltar. Nelson helped oversee the withdrawal from Corsica, and by December 1796 was aboard the frigate HMS Minerve, covering the evacuation of the garrison at Elba. He then sailed for Gibraltar.
During the passage, Nelson captured the Spanish frigate Santa Sabina and placed Lieutenants Jonathan Culverhouse and Thomas Hardy in charge of the captured vessel, taking the Spanish captain on board Minerve. Santa Sabina was part of a larger Spanish force, and the following morning two Spanish ships-of-the-line and a frigate were sighted closing fast. Unable to outrun them, Nelson initially determined to fight but Culverhouse and Hardy raised the British colours and sailed northeast, drawing the Spanish ships after them until being captured, giving Nelson the opportunity to escape. Nelson went on to rendezvous with the British fleet at Elba, where he spent Christmas.^] He sailed for Gibraltar in late January, and after learning that the Spanish fleet had sailed from Cartagena, stopped just long enough to collect Hardy, Culverhouse, and the rest of the prize crew captured with Santa Sabina, before pressing on through the straits to join Sir John Jervis off Cadiz.

Admiralty.

Battle of Cape St Vincent.

Nelson joined Jervis's fleet off Cape St Vincent, and reported the Spanish movements. Jervis decided to give battle and the two fleets met on 14 February. Nelson found himself towards the rear of the British line and realised that it would be a long time before he could bring Captain into action. Instead of continuing to follow the line, Nelson disobeyed orders and wore ship, breaking from the line and heading to engage the Spanish van, which consisted of the 112-gun San Josef, the 80-gun San Nicolas and the 130-gun Santísima Trinidad. Captain engaged all three, assisted by HMS Culloden which had come to Nelson's aid. After an hour of exchanging broadsides which left both Captain and Culloden badly damaged, Nelson found himself alongside San Nicolas. He led a boarding party across, crying "Westminster Abbey!" or, "glorious victory!" and forced her to surrender. San Josef attempted to come to the San Nicolas’s aid, but became entangled with her compatriot and was left immobile. Nelson led his party from the deck of San Nicolas onto San Josef and captured her as well. As night fell, the Spanish fleet broke off and sailed for Cadiz. Four ships had surrendered to the British and two of them were Nelson's. Nelson was victorious, but had disobeyed direct orders. Jervis liked Nelson and so did not officially reprimand him, but did not mention Nelson's actions in his official report of the battle. He did write a private letter to George Spencer in which he said that Nelson "contributed very much to the fortune of the day". Nelson also wrote several letters about his victory, reporting that his action was being referred to amongst the fleet as "Nelson's Patent Bridge for boarding first rates". Nelson's account was later challenged by Rear Admiral William Parker, who had been aboard HMS Prince George. Parker claimed that Nelson had been supported by several more ships than he acknowledged, and that San Josef had already struck her colours by the time Nelson boarded her. Nelson's account of his role prevailed, and the victory was well received in Britain: Jervis was made Earl St Vincent and Nelson was made a Knight of the Bath.^[105][106] On 20 February, in a standard promotion according to his seniority and unrelated to the battle, he was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Blue.

Action off Cadiz.

Nelson was given HMS Theseus as his flagship, and on 27 May 1797 was ordered to lie off Cadiz, monitoring the Spanish fleet and awaiting the arrival of Spanish treasure ships from the American colonies. He carried out a bombardment and personally led an amphibious assault on 3 July. During the action Nelson's barge collided with that of the Spanish commander, and a hand-to-hand struggle ensued between the two crews. Twice Nelson was nearly cut down and both times his life was saved by a seaman named John Sykes who took the blows and was badly wounded. The British raiding force captured the Spanish boat and towed her back to Theseus. During this period Nelson developed a scheme to capture Santa Cruz de Tenerife, aiming to seize a large quantity of specie from the treasure ship Principe de Asturias, which was reported to have recently arrived.

Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The battle plan called for a combination of naval bombardments and an amphibious landing. The initial attempt was called off after adverse currents hampered the assault and the element of surprise was lost. Nelson immediately ordered another assault but this was beaten back. He prepared for a third attempt, to take place during the night. Although he personally led one of the battalions, the operation ended in failure: the Spanish were better prepared than had been expected and had secured strong defensive positions. Several of the boats failed to land at the correct positions in the confusion, while those that did were swept by gunfire and grapeshot. Nelson's boat reached its intended landing point but as he stepped ashore he was hit in the right arm by a musketball, which fractured his humerus bone in multiple places. He was rowed back to Theseus to be attended to by the surgeon, Thomas Eshelby. On arriving at his ship he refused to be helped aboard, declaring "Let me alone! I have got my legs left and one arm."^[ He was taken to surgeon Eshelby, instructing him to prepare his instruments and "the sooner it was off the better". Most of the right arm was amputated and within half an hour Nelson had returned to issuing orders to his captains.^] Years later he would excuse himself to Commodore John Thomas Duckworth for not writing longer letters due to not being naturally left-handed. He developed the sensation of phantom limb in his lost arm later on and declared that he had 'found the direct evidence of the existence of soul'.
Meanwhile, a force under Sir Thomas Troubridge had fought their way to the main square but could go no further. Unable to return to the fleet because their boats had been sunk, Troubridge was forced to enter into negotiations with the Spanish commander, and the British were subsequently allowed to withdraw. The expedition had failed to achieve any of its objectives and had left a quarter of the landing force dead or wounded. The squadron remained off Tenerife for a further three days and by 16 August had rejoined Jervis's fleet off Cadiz. Despondently Nelson wrote to Jervis: "A left-handed Admiral will never again be considered as useful, therefore the sooner I get to a very humble cottage the better, and make room for a better man to serve the state".He returned to England aboard HMS Seahorse, arriving at Spithead on 1 September. He was met with a hero's welcome: the British public had lionised Nelson after Cape St Vincent and his wound earned him sympathy. They refused to attribute the defeat at Tenerife to him, preferring instead to blame poor planning on the part of St Vincent, the Secretary at War or even William Pitt.

Return to England.

Nelson returned to Bath with Fanny, before moving to London in October to seek expert medical attention concerning his amputated arm. Whilst in London news reached him that Admiral Duncan had defeated the Dutch fleet at the Battle of Camperdown Nelson exclaimed that he would have given his other arm to have been present. He spent the last months of 1797 recuperating in London, during which he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London and an annual pension of £1,000 a year. He used the money to buy Round Wood Farm near Ipswich, and intended to retire there with Fanny. Despite his plans, Nelson was never to live there.
Although surgeons had been unable to remove the central ligature in his amputated arm, which had caused considerable inflammation and poisoning, in early December it came out of its own accord and Nelson rapidly began to recover. Eager to return to sea, he began agitating for a command and was promised the 80-gun HMS Foudroyant. As she was not yet ready for sea, Nelson was instead given command of the 74-gun HMS Vanguard, to which he appointed Edward Berry as his flag captain. French activities in the Mediterranean theatre were raising concern among the Admiralty: Napoleon was gathering forces in Southern France but the destination of his army was unknown. Nelson and the Vanguard were to be dispatched to Cadiz to reinforce the fleet. On 28 March 1798, Nelson hoisted his flag and sailed to join Earl St Vincent. St Vincent sent him on to Toulon with a small force to reconnoitre French activities.

Hunting the French.

Nelson passed through the Straits of Gibraltar and took up position off Toulon by 17 May, but his squadron was dispersed and blown southwards by a strong gale that struck the area on 20 May. While the British were battling the storm, Napoleon had sailed with his invasion fleet under the command of Vice Admiral François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers. Nelson, having been reinforced with a number of ships from St Vincent, went in pursuit. He began searching the Italian coast for Napoleon's fleet, but was hampered by a lack of frigates that could operate as fast scouts. Napoleon had already arrived at Malta and, after a show of force, secured the island's surrender. Nelson followed him there, but the French had already left. After a conference with his captains, he decided Egypt was Napoleon's most likely destination and headed for Alexandria. On his arrival on 28 June, though, he found no sign of the French; dismayed, he withdrew and began searching to the east of the port. While he was absent, Napoleon's fleet arrived on 1 July and landed their forces unopposed. Brueys then anchored his fleet in Aboukir Bay, ready to support Napoleon if required. Nelson meanwhile had crossed the Mediterranean again in a fruitless attempt to locate the French and had returned to Naples to re-provision. He sailed again, intending to search the seas off Cyprus, but decided to pass Alexandria again for a final check. In doing so his force captured a French merchant ship, which provided the first news of the French fleet: they had passed south-east of Crete a month before, heading to Alexandria. Nelson hurried to the port but again found it empty of the French. Searching along the coast, he finally discovered the French fleet in Aboukir Bay on 1 August 1798.

The Battle of the Nile.

Nelson immediately prepared for battle, repeating a sentiment he had expressed at the battle of Cape St Vincent that "Before this time tomorrow, I shall have gained a peerage or Westminster Abbey." It was late by the time the British arrived and the French, anchored in a strong position with a combined firepower greater than that of Nelson's fleet, did not expect them to attack. Nelson however immediately ordered his ships to advance. The French line was anchored close to a line of shoals, in the belief that this would secure their port side from attack; Brueys had assumed the British would follow convention and attack his centre from the starboard side. However, Captain Thomas Foley aboard HMS Goliath discovered a gap between the shoals and the French ships, and took Goliath into the channel. The unprepared French found themselves attacked on both sides, the British fleet splitting, with some following Foley and others passing down the starboard side of the French line.
The British fleet was soon heavily engaged, passing down the French line and engaging their ships one by one. Nelson on Vanguard personally engaged Spartiate, also coming under fire from Aquilon. At about eight o'clock, he was with Berry on the quarter-deck when a piece of French shot struck him in his forehead. He fell to the deck, a flap of torn skin obscuring his good eye. Blinded and half stunned, he felt sure he would die and cried out "I am killed. Remember me to my wife." He was taken below to be seen by the surgeon. After examining Nelson, the surgeon pronounced the wound non-threatening and applied a temporary bandage.
The French van, pounded by British fire from both sides, had begun to surrender, and the victorious British ships continued to move down the line, bringing Brueys's 118-gun flagship Orient under constant heavy fire. Orient caught fire under this bombardment, and later exploded. Nelson briefly came on deck to direct the battle, but returned to the surgeon after watching the destruction of Orient.
The Battle of the Nile was a major blow to Napoleon's ambitions in the east. The fleet had been destroyed: Orient, another ship and two frigates had been burnt, seven 74-gun ships and two 80-gun ships had been captured, and only two ships-of-the-line and two frigates escaped, while the forces Napoleon had brought to Egypt were stranded. Napoleon attacked north along the Mediterranean coast, but Turkish defenders supported by Captain Sir Sidney Smith defeated his army at the Siege of Acre. Napoleon then left his army and sailed back to France, evading detection by British ships. Given its strategic importance, some historians regard Nelson's achievement at the Nile as the most significant of his career, even greater than that at Trafalgar seven years later.

Rewards.

Nelson wrote dispatches to the Admiralty and oversaw temporary repairs to the Vanguard, before sailing to Naples where he was met with enthusiastic celebrations. The King of Naples, in company with the Hamiltons, greeted him in person when he arrived at the port and William Hamilton invited Nelson to stay at their house. Celebrations were held in honour of Nelson's birthday that September, and he attended a banquet at the Hamiltons', where other officers had begun to notice his attention to Emma. Jervis himself had begun to grow concerned about reports of Nelson's behaviour, but in early October word of Nelson's victory had reached London. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Earl Spencer, fainted on hearing the news. Scenes of celebration erupted across the country, balls and victory feasts were held and church bells were rung. The City of London awarded Nelson and his captains swords, whilst the King ordered them to be presented with special medals. The Tsar of Russia sent him a gift, and Selim III, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, awarded Nelson the Order of the Turkish Crescent for his role in restoring Ottoman rule in Egypt. Lord Hood, after a conversation with the Prime Minister, told Fanny that Nelson would likely be given a Viscountcy, similar to Jervis's earldom after Cape St Vincent and Duncan's viscountcy after Camperdown. Earl Spencer however demurred, arguing that as Nelson had only been detached in command of a squadron, rather than being the commander in chief of the fleet, such an award would create an unwelcome precedent. Instead, Nelson received the title Baron Nelson of the Nile.

Neapolitan campaign.

Nelson was dismayed by Spencer's decision, and declared that he would rather have received no title than that of a mere barony. He was however cheered by the attention showered on him by the citizens of Naples, the prestige accorded him by the kingdom's elite, and the comforts he received at the Hamiltons' residence. He made frequent visits to attend functions in his honour, or to tour nearby attractions with Emma, with whom he had by now fallen deeply in love, almost constantly at his side. Orders arrived from the Admiralty to blockade the French forces in Alexandria and Malta, a task Nelson delegated to his captains, Samuel Hood and Alexander Ball. Despite enjoying his lifestyle in Naples, Nelson began to think of returning to England, but King Ferdinand of Naples, after a long period of pressure from his wife Maria Carolina of Austria and Sir William Hamilton, finally agreed to declare war on France. The Neapolitan army, led by the Austrian General Mack and supported by Nelson's fleet, retook Rome from the French in late November, but the French regrouped outside the city and, after being reinforced, routed the Neapolitans. In disarray, the Neapolitan army fled back to Naples, with the pursuing French close behind. Nelson hastily organised the evacuation of the Royal Family, several nobles and the British nationals, including the Hamiltons. The evacuation got under way on 23 December and sailed through heavy gales before reaching the safety of Palermo on 26 December. With the departure of the Royal Family, Naples descended into anarchy and news reached Palermo in January that the French had entered the city under General Championnet and proclaimed the Parthenopaean Republic. Nelson was promoted to Rear Admiral of the Red on 14 February 1799, and was occupied for several months in blockading Naples, while a popular counter-revolutionary force under Cardinal Ruffo known as the Sanfedisti marched to retake the city. In late June Ruffo's army entered Naples, forcing the French and their supporters to withdraw to the city's fortifications as rioting and looting broke out amongst the ill-disciplined Neapolitan troops. Dismayed by the bloodshed, Ruffo agreed to a general amnesty with the Jacobin forces that allowed them safe conduct to France. Nelson, now aboard Foudroyant, was outraged, and backed by King Ferdinand he insisted that the rebels must surrender unconditionally. He took those who had surrendered under the amnesty under armed guard, including the former Admiral Francesco Caracciolo, who had commanded the Neapolitan navy under King Ferdinand but had changed sides during the brief Jacobin rule. Nelson ordered his trial by court-martial and refused Caracciolo's request that it be held by British officers, nor was Caracciolo allowed to summon witnesses in his defence. Caracciolo was tried by royalist Neapolitan officers and sentenced to death. He asked to be shot rather than hanged, but Nelson, following the wishes of Queen Maria Carolina (a close friend of his mistress, Lady Hamilton) also refused this request and even ignored the court's request to allow 24 hours for Caracciolo to prepare himself. Caracciolo was hanged aboard the Neapolitan frigate Minerva at 5 o'clock the same afternoon. Nelson kept the Jacobins imprisoned and approved of a wave of further executions, refusing to intervene despite pleas for clemency from the Hamiltons and the Queen of Naples. When transports were finally allowed to carry the Jacobins to France, less than a third were still alive. On 13 August 1799, King Ferdinand gave Nelson the newly created Dukedom of Bronté in the Kingdom of Sicily, in perpetual property, enclosing the Maniace Castle, the accompanying Abbey, and the land and the city of Bronte, this as a reward for his support of the monarchy.
Nelson returned to Palermo in August and in September became the senior officer in the Mediterranean after Jervis' successor Lord Keith left to chase the French and Spanish fleets into the Atlantic. Nelson spent the rest of 1799 at the Neapolitan court but put to sea again in February 1800 after Lord Keith's return. On 18 February the Généreux, a survivor of the Nile, was sighted and Nelson gave chase, capturing her after a short battle and winning Keith's approval. Nelson had a difficult relationship with his superior officer: he was gaining a reputation for insubordination, having initially refused to send ships when Keith requested them and on occasion returning to Palermo without orders, pleading poor health. Keith's reports, and rumours of Nelson's close relationship with Emma Hamilton, were also circulating in London, and Earl Spencer wrote a pointed letter suggesting that he return home:
You will be more likely to recover your health and strength in England than in any inactive situation at a foreign Court, however pleasing the respect and gratitude shown to you for your services may be.

Return to England.

The recall of Sir William Hamilton to Britain was a further incentive for Nelson to return, although he and the Hamiltons initially sailed from Naples on a brief cruise around Malta aboard the Foudroyant in April 1800. It was on this voyage that Horatio and Emma's illegitimate daughter Horatia was probably conceived. After the cruise, Nelson conveyed the Queen of Naples and her suite to Leghorn. On his arrival, Nelson shifted his flag to HMS Alexander, but again disobeyed Keith's orders by refusing to join the main fleet. Keith came to Leghorn in person to demand an explanation, and refused to be moved by the Queen's pleas to allow her to be conveyed in a British ship. In the face of Keith's demands, Nelson reluctantly struck his flag and bowed to Emma Hamilton's request to return to England over land.
Nelson, the Hamiltons and several other British travellers left Leghorn for Florence on 13 July. They made stops at Trieste and Vienna, spending three weeks in the latter where they were entertained by the local nobility and heard the Missa in Angustiis by Haydn that now bears Nelson's name. By September they were in Prague, and later called at Dresden, Dessau and Hamburg, from where they caught a packet ship to Great Yarmouth, arriving on 6 November. Nelson was given a hero's welcome and after being sworn in as a freeman of the borough and received the massed crowd's applause. He subsequently made his way to London, arriving on 9 November. He attended court and was guest of honour at a number of banquets and balls. It was during this period that Fanny Nelson and Emma Hamilton met for the first time. During this period, Nelson was reported as being cold and distant to his wife and his attention to Emma became the subject of gossip. With the marriage breaking down, Nelson began to hate even being in the same room as Fanny. Events came to a head around Christmas, when according to Nelson's solicitor, Fanny issued an ultimatum on whether he was to choose her or Emma. Nelson replied:
I love you sincerely but I cannot forget my obligations to Lady Hamilton or speak of her otherwise than with affection and admiration.
The two never lived together again after this.

Parker and the Baltic.

Shortly after his arrival in England Nelson was appointed to be second-in-command of the Channel Fleet under Lord St Vincent. He was promoted to Vice Admiral of the Blue on 1 January 1801, and travelled to Plymouth, where on 22 January he was granted the freedom of the city, and on 29 January Emma gave birth to their daughter, Horatia. Nelson was delighted, but subsequently disappointed when he was instructed to move his flag from HMS San Josef to HMS St George in preparation for a planned expedition to the Baltic. Tired of British ships imposing a blockade against French trade and stopping and searching their merchantmen, the Russian, Prussian, Danish and Swedish governments had formed an alliance to break the blockade. Nelson joined Admiral Sir Hyde Parker's fleet at Yarmouth, from where they sailed for the Danish coast in March. On their arrival, Parker was inclined to blockade Denmark and control the entrance to the Baltic, but Nelson urged a pre-emptive attack on the Danish fleet at harbour in Copenhagen. He convinced Parker to allow him to make an assault, and was given significant reinforcements. Parker himself would wait in the Kattegat, covering Nelson's fleet in case of the arrival of the Swedish or Russian fleets.

Battle of Copenhagen.

On the morning of 2 April 1801, Nelson began to advance into Copenhagen harbour. The battle began badly for the British, with HMS Agamemnon, HMS Bellona and HMS Russell running aground, and the rest of the fleet encountering heavier fire from the Danish shore batteries than had been anticipated. Parker sent the signal for Nelson to withdraw, reasoning:
I will make the signal for recall for Nelson's sake. If he is in a condition to continue the action he will disregard it; if he is not, it will be an excuse for his retreat and no blame can be attached to him.
Nelson, directing action aboard HMS Elephant, was informed of the signal by the signal lieutenant, Frederick Langford, but angrily responded: 'I told you to look out on the Danish commodore and let me know when he surrendered. Keep your eyes fixed on him.' He then turned to his flag captain, Thomas Foley, and said 'You know, Foley, I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes.' He raised the telescope to his blind eye, and said 'I really do not see the signal.' The battle lasted three hours, leaving both Danish and British fleets heavily damaged. At length Nelson dispatched a letter to the Danish commander, Crown Prince Frederick, calling for a truce, which the Prince accepted. Parker approved of Nelson's actions in retrospect, and Nelson was given the honour of going into Copenhagen the next day to open formal negotiations At a banquet that evening, he told Prince Frederick that the battle had been the most severe he had ever been in. The outcome of the battle and several weeks of ensuing negotiations was a 14-week armistice, and on Parker's recall in May, Nelson became commander-in-chief in the Baltic Sea. As a reward for the victory, he was created Viscount Nelson of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk, on 19 May 1801. In addition, on 4 August 1801, he was created Baron Nelson, of the Nile and of Hilborough in the County of Norfolk, this time with a special remainder to his father and sisters. Nelson subsequently sailed to the Russian naval base at Reval (now Tallinn) in May, and there learned that the pact of armed neutrality was to be disbanded. Satisfied with the outcome of the expedition, he returned to England, arriving on 1 July.

Leave in England.

In France, Napoleon was massing forces to invade Great Britain. After a brief spell in London, where he again visited the Hamiltons, Nelson was placed in charge of defending the English Channel to prevent the invasion. He spent the summer reconnoitring the French coast, but apart from a failed attack on Boulogne in August, saw little action. On 22 October 1801 the Peace of Amiens was signed between the British and the French, and Nelson – in poor health again – retired to Britain where he stayed with Sir William and Lady Hamilton. On 30 October Nelson spoke in support of the Addington government in the House of Lords, and afterwards made regular visits to attend sessions. The three embarked on a tour of England and Wales, visiting Birmingham, Warwick, Gloucester, Swansea, Monmouth and numerous other towns and villages. Nelson often found himself received as a hero and was the centre of celebrations and events held in his honour. In 1802, Nelson bought Merton Place, a country estate in Merton, Surrey (now south-west London) where he lived briefly with the Hamiltons until William's death in April 1803. The following month, war broke out again and Nelson prepared to return to sea.

Return to sea.

Nelson was appointed commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet and given the first-rate HMS Victory as his flagship. He joined her at Portsmouth, where he received orders to sail to Malta and take command of a squadron there before joining the blockade of Toulon. Nelson arrived off Toulon in July 1803 and spent the next year and a half enforcing the blockade. He was promoted to Vice Admiral of the White while still at sea, on 23 April 1804. In January 1805 the French fleet, under Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, escaped Toulon and eluded the blockading British. Nelson set off in pursuit but after searching the eastern Mediterranean he learned that the French had been blown back into Toulon. Villeneuve managed to break out a second time in April, and this time succeeded in passing through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic, bound for the West Indies.
Nelson gave chase, but after arriving in the Caribbean, spent June in a fruitless search for the fleet. Villeneuve had briefly cruised around the islands before heading back to Europe, in contravention of Napoleon's orders. The returning French fleet was intercepted by a British fleet under Sir Robert Calder and engaged in the Battle of Cape Finisterre, but managed to reach Ferrol with only minor losses. Nelson returned to Gibraltar at the end of July, and travelled from there to England, dismayed at his failure to bring the French to battle and expecting to be censured. To his surprise he was given a rapturous reception from crowds who had gathered to view his arrival, while senior British officials congratulated him for sustaining the close pursuit and credited him with saving the West Indies from a French invasion. Nelson stayed briefly in London, where he was cheered wherever he went, before visiting Merton to see Emma, arriving in late August. He entertained a number of his friends and relations there over the coming month, and began plans for a grand engagement with the enemy fleet, one that would surprise his foes by forcing a pell-mell battle on them. Captain Henry Blackwood arrived at Merton early on 2 September, bringing news that the French and Spanish fleets had combined and were currently at anchor in Cádiz. Nelson hurried to London where he met cabinet ministers and was given command of the fleet blockading Cádiz. It was while attending one of these meetings on 12 September, with Lord Castlereagh, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, that Nelson and Major General Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, met briefly in a waiting room. Wellington was waiting to be debriefed on his Indian operations, and Nelson on his chase and future plans. Wellington later recalled, 'He (Nelson) entered at once into conversation with me, if I can call it conversation, for it was almost all on his side and all about himself and, in reality, a style so vain and so silly as to surprise and almost disgust me.' However, after a few minutes Nelson left the room and having been told who his companion was, returned and entered into an earnest and intelligent discussion with the young Wellesley which lasted for a quarter of an hour, on the war, the state of the colonies and the geopolitical situation, that left a marked impression upon Wellesley. This was the only meeting between the two men.
Nelson returned briefly to Merton to set his affairs in order and bid farewell to Emma, before travelling back to London and then on to Portsmouth, arriving there early in the morning of 14 September. He breakfasted at the George Inn with his friends George Rose, the Vice-President of the Board of Trade, and George Canning, the Treasurer of the Navy. During the breakfast word spread of Nelson's presence at the inn and a large crowd of well wishers gathered. They accompanied Nelson to his barge and cheered him off, which Nelson acknowledged by raising his hat. Nelson was recorded as having turned to his colleague and stated, "I had their huzzas before: I have their hearts now". Robert Southey reported that of the onlookers for Nelson's walk to the dock, "Many were in tears and many knelt down before him and blessed him as he passed".
Victory joined the British fleet off Cádiz on 27 September, Nelson taking over from Rear Admiral Collingwood. He spent the following weeks preparing and refining his tactics for the anticipated battle and dining with his captains to ensure they understood his intentions. Nelson had devised a plan of attack that anticipated the allied fleet would form up in a traditional line of battle. Drawing on his own experience from the Nile and Copenhagen, and the examples of Duncan at Camperdown and Rodney at the Saintes, Nelson decided to split his fleet into squadrons rather than forming it into a similar line parallel to the enemy. These squadrons would then cut the enemy's line in a number of places, allowing a pell-mell battle to develop in which the British ships could overwhelm and destroy parts of their opponents' formation, before the unengaged enemy ships could come to their aid.

Battle of Trafalgar.

Preparation.

The combined French and Spanish fleet under Villeneuve's command numbered 33 ships of the line. Napoleon Bonaparte had intended for Villeneuve to sail into the English Channel and cover the planned invasion of Britain, but the entry of Austria and Russia into the war forced Napoleon to call off the planned invasion and transfer troops to Germany. Villeneuve had been reluctant to risk an engagement with the British, and this reluctance led Napoleon to order Vice Admiral François Rosily to go to Cádiz and take command of the fleet, sail it into the Mediterranean to land troops at Naples, before making port at Toulon. Villeneuve decided to sail the fleet out before his successor arrived. On 20 October 1805, the fleet was sighted making its way out of harbour by patrolling British frigates, and Nelson was informed that they appeared to be heading to the west.
At four o'clock in the morning of 21 October Nelson ordered the Victory to turn towards the approaching enemy fleet, and signalled the rest of his force to battle stations. He then went below and made his will, before returning to the quarterdeck to carry out an inspection. Despite having 27 ships to Villeneuve's 33, Nelson was confident of success, declaring that he would not be satisfied with taking fewer than 20 prizes. He returned briefly to his cabin to write a final prayer, after which he joined Victory’s signal lieutenant, John Pasco.
Mr Pasco, I wish to say to the fleet "England confides that every man will do his duty". You must be quick, for I have one more signal to make, which is for close action.
Pasco suggested changing 'confides' to 'expects' which, being in the Signal Book, could be signalled by the use of a single flag, whereas 'confides' would have to be spelt out letter by letter. Nelson agreed, and the signal was hoisted.
As the fleets converged, the Victory’s captain, Thomas Hardy, suggested that Nelson remove the decorations on his coat, so that he would not be so easily identified by enemy sharpshooters. Nelson replied that it was too late 'to be shifting a coat', adding that they were 'military orders and he did not fear to show them to the enemy'. Captain Henry Blackwood, of the frigate HMS Euryalus, suggested Nelson come aboard his ship to better observe the battle. Nelson refused, and also turned down Hardy's suggestion to let Eliab Harvey's HMS Temeraire come ahead of the Victory and lead the line into battle.

Battle is joined.

Victory came under fire, initially passing wide, but then with greater accuracy as the distances decreased. A cannonball struck and killed Nelson's secretary, John Scott, nearly cutting him in two. Hardy's clerk took over, but he too was almost immediately killed. Victory’s wheel was shot away, and another cannonball cut down eight marines. Hardy, standing next to Nelson on the quarterdeck, had his shoe buckle dented by a splinter. Nelson observed 'this is too warm work to last long'. The Victory had by now reached the enemy line, and Hardy asked Nelson which ship to engage first. Nelson told him to take his pick, and Hardy moved Victory across the stern of the 80-gun French flagship Bucentaure. Victory then came under fire from the 74-gun Redoutable, lying off the Bucentaure’s stern, and the 130-gun Santísima Trinidad. As sharpshooters from the enemy ships fired onto Victory’s deck from their rigging, Nelson and Hardy continued to walk about, directing and giving orders.

Wounding and death.

Shortly after one o'clock, Hardy realised that Nelson was not by his side. He turned to see Nelson kneeling on the deck, supporting himself with his hand, before falling onto his side. Hardy rushed to him, at which point Nelson smiled
Hardy, I do believe they have done it at last… my backbone is shot through.
He had been hit by a marksman from the Redoutable, firing at a range of 50 feet (15 m). The bullet had entered his left shoulder, passed through his spine at the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebrae, and lodged two inches (5 cm) below his right shoulder blade in the muscles of his back. Nelson was carried below by sergeant-major of marines Robert Adair and two seamen. As he was being carried down, he asked them to pause while he gave some advice to a midshipman on the handling of the tiller. He then draped a handkerchief over his face to avoid causing alarm amongst the crew. He was taken to the surgeon William Beatty, telling him
You can do nothing for me. I have but a short time to live. My back is shot through.
Nelson was made comfortable, fanned and brought lemonade and watered wine to drink after he complained of feeling hot and thirsty. He asked several times to see Hardy, who was on deck supervising the battle, and asked Beatty to remember him to Emma, his daughter and his friends. Hardy came belowdecks to see Nelson just after half-past two, and informed him that a number of enemy ships had surrendered. Nelson told him that he was sure to die, and begged him to pass his possessions to Emma. With Nelson at this point were the chaplain Alexander Scott, the purser Walter Burke, Nelson's steward, Chevalier, and Beatty. Nelson, fearing that a gale was blowing up, instructed Hardy to be sure to anchor. After reminding him to "take care of poor Lady Hamilton", Nelson said "Kiss me, Hardy". Beatty recorded that Hardy knelt and kissed Nelson on the cheek. He then stood for a minute or two before kissing him on the forehead. Nelson asked, "Who is that?", and on hearing that it was Hardy, he replied "God bless you, Hardy." By now very weak, Nelson continued to murmur instructions to Burke and Scott, "fan, fan … rub, rub … drink, drink." Beatty heard Nelson murmur, "Thank God I have done my duty", and when he returned, Nelson's voice had faded and his pulse was very weak. He looked up as Beatty took his pulse, then closed his eyes. Scott, who remained by Nelson as he died, recorded his last words as "God and my country".Nelson died at half-past four, three hours after he had been shot.

Return to England.

Nelson's body was placed in a cask of brandy mixed with camphor and myrrh, which was then lashed to the Victory's mainmast and placed under guard. Victory was towed to Gibraltar after the battle, and on arrival the body was transferred to a lead-lined coffin filled with spirits of wine. Collingwood's dispatches about the battle were carried to England aboard HMS Pickle, and when the news arrived in London, a messenger was sent to Merton Place to bring the news of Nelson's death to Emma Hamilton. She later recalled,
They brought me word, Mr Whitby from the Admiralty. "Show him in directly", I said. He came in, and with a pale countenance and faint voice, said, "We have gained a great Victory." – "Never mind your Victory", I said. "My letters – give me my letters" – Captain Whitby was unable to speak – tears in his eyes and a deathly paleness over his face made me comprehend him. I believe I gave a scream and fell back, and for ten hours I could neither speak nor shed a tear.
King George III, on receiving the news, is alleged to have said, in tears, "We have lost more than we have gained." The Times reported:
We do not know whether we should mourn or rejoice. The country has gained the most splendid and decisive Victory that has ever graced the naval annals of England; but it has been dearly purchased.
The first tribute to Nelson was fittingly offered at sea by sailors of Vice Admiral Dmitry Senyavin's passing Russian squadron, which saluted on learning of the death.

Funeral.

Nelson's body was unloaded from the Victory at the Nore. It was conveyed upriver in Commander Grey's yacht Chatham to Greenwich and placed in a lead coffin, and that in another wooden one, made from the mast of L'Orient which had been salvaged after the Battle of the Nile. He lay in state in the Painted Hall at Greenwich for three days, before being taken upriver aboard a barge, accompanied by Lord Hood, chief mourner Sir Peter Parker, and the Prince of Wales. The Prince of Wales at first announced his intention of attending the funeral as chief mourner, but later attended in a private capacity with his brothers when his father George III reminded him that it was against protocol for the Heir to the Throne to attend the funerals of anyone except members of the Royal Family. The coffin was taken into the Admiralty for the night, attended by Nelson's chaplain, Alexander Scott. The next day, 9 January, a funeral procession consisting of 32 admirals, over a hundred captains, and an escort of 10,000 soldiers took the coffin from the Admiralty to St Paul's Cathedral. After a four-hour service he was interred in the crypt within a sarcophagus originally carved for Cardinal Wolsey. The sailors charged with folding the flag draping Nelson's coffin and placing it in the grave instead tore it into fragments, with each taking a piece as a memento.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Captain Thomas Foley.

He was the second son of landowner John Foley of Ridgeway, the Foley family's ancestral estate in the parish of Llawhaden near Narberth, Pembrokeshire, and the nephew of Captain Thomas Foley, who accompanied George Anson, 1st Baron Anson on his voyage around the world.

American revolution.

He entered the Royal Navy in 1770, and, during his time as midshipman, saw a good deal of active service in the West Indies against American privateers. Promoted lieutenant in 1778, he served under Admiral Keppel (afterwards Viscount) and Sir Charles Hardy in the Channel, and with Rodney's squadron was present at the defeat of De Langara off Cape St Vincent in 1780, and at the relief of Gibraltar. Still under Rodney's command, he went out to the West Indies, and took his part in the operations which culminated in the victory of 12 April 1782.

French Revolution.

In the French Revolutionary War he was engaged from the first. As flag-captain to Admiral John Gell, and afterwards to Sir Hyde Parker, Foley took part in the siege of Toulon in 1793, the action of Golfe Jouan in 1794, and the two fights off Toulon on the 13th of April and the 13th of July 1795. At St Vincent he was flag-captain to the second in command on Britannia. After the battle he was transferred to the Goliath (74), in which he was sent out in the following year to reinforce Nelson's fleet in the Mediterranean.

The Nile.

The part played by the Goliath in the Battle of the Nile was brilliant. She led the squadron round the French van, and this manoeuvre contributed not a little to the result of the day. Whether this was done by Foley's own initiative, or intended by Horatio Nelson, has been a matter of controversy.

Copenhagen.

His next important service was with Nelson in the Baltic. At the beginning of 1801, Nelson was promoted to Vice Admiral of the Blue and after a few months, he took part as the second in command in the Battle of Copenhagen. The Elephant carried Nelson's flag and Foley acted as his chief-of-staff. During the action Nelson's commander, Sir Hyde Parker, who believed that the Danish fire was too strong, signaled for him to break off the action. Nelson ordered that the signal be acknowledged but not repeated. Legend has it that Nelson turned to his flag captain and said:
"You know, Foley, I only have one eye - I have the right to be blind sometimes" and then holding his telescope to his blind eye said "I really do not see the signal!"
Nelson's action was approved in retrospect.
Foley was one of Nelson's "Band of Brothers". Nelson himself was a sea-officer par excellence. Yet there were many who struggled, suffered and were wounded as often as he. This could not help but develop a close relationship among the men. Nelson himself was very aware of the brotherhood which had arisen. In his biography of Nelson, David Howarth makes this clear:
"...Nelson's famous phrase, "I had the happiness to command a band of brothers'...After his first great victory, Nelson called his captains 'my darling children', and none was the least embarrassed by that. Under Jervis, the captains of the Mediterranean fleet were becoming a brotherhood, bonded by skill, experience, mutual respect and a common cause. Maybe they had not thought of it in that way before; but from about this time they all did, and Nelson most of all. And the concept - so suitable to his nature - became an important, conscious element in his conduct of the war."
An amusing illustration of the affection Nelson inspired in his captains, and of the half maternal care they exercised over the fragile and stunted body of their famous leader, is supplied by a letter from Nelson himself to Ball, written from Kioge Bay in 1801. He was racked with the Baltic cold, and wroth, as was common with him, with the still chillier winds which blew from the Admiralty Board:
"But," he says, "all in the fleet are so truly kind to me that I should be a wretch not to cheer up. Foley has put me under a regimen of milk at four in the morning; Murray has given me lozenges; Hardy is as good as ever, and all have proved their desire to keep my mind easy."
That picture of one sea veteran administering warm milk to his admiral at four o'clock in the morning is amusing enough; but it shows more effectively than graver things could do the feeling Nelson inspired in his captains.
Ill-health obliged Foley to decline Nelson's offer (made when on the point of starting for the Battle of Trafalgar) of the post of Captain of the Fleet. Therefore it was Foley's fellow "brother" Thomas Hardy who was present at Nelson's death.
From 1811 to 1815, Foley commanded in the Downs from his flagship Monmouth, and at the peace was made KCB. Sir Thomas Foley rose to be full admiral and GCB. He died while serving as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in 1833.

Marriage.

He was married on 31 Jul 1802 to Lady Lucy Anne FitzGerald (1771–1851). She was the youngest surviving daughter of James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster and Lady Emily Lennox. Her mother was the great-granddaughter of Charles II, King of England, Scotland and Ireland and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth.

Rob.

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Captain Thomas Freemantle.


Fremantle was born in 1765, and joined the navy in 1777 aged just eleven aboard the frigate HMS Hussar. Profiting from family influence, active commissions in the American War of Independence and a keen sense of seamanship and aggressive tactical awareness, promotion came easily, making lieutenant on 13 March 1782 while on duty in Jamaica and being promoted to commander on 13 November 1790 in command of the sloop HMS Spitfire.

French Revolution.

Although he did not achieve fame with his service in this period, he was in a good position to profit from the mass promotions which accompanied the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War in 1793, being made a Post Captain on 16 May 1793 in the small frigate HMS Tartar. It was in this ship that he first came to Nelson's eye, when they both served at the Siege of Bastia, where Nelson lost an eye and Fremantle gained a reputation for daring action, taking his ship under the fortress's walls despite heavy fire from overhead, which had already sunk one frigate in the bay.
The following year Fremantle was commanding the frigate HMS Inconstant when he was engaged in Lord Hotham's indecisive and cautious fleet action in the Gulf of Genoa on 14 March 1795. The French fleet had departed Toulon and were making for the Italian coast, being chased by Hotham's fleet and an approaching storm. Fremantle, despite unspoken rules of engagement which did not require him to engage ships larger than his own, used his superior speed to overtake the 80-gun Ça Ira, which had been damaged in a collision. By taking his ship under the massive bow of his opponent, he managed to slow her enough that the oncoming British fleet was able to capture Ça Ira and another French ship which had turned back in a rescue attempt. The first British ship to the scene was Nelson's HMS Agamemnon, and the respect between the two officers continued to grow.
Nelson requested and received Fremantle as a companion and junior officer when he was detached to Italy in 1796, and the two wreaked havoc along the Italian coastline, evacuating British and royalist civilians to Corsica when the French army invaded, capturing coastal positions and raiding shore installations, capturing the island of Elba. One of the British refugees whom Fremantle rescued from Livorno was the 18-year-old Catholic Betsey Wynne, daughter of Richard Wynne (from the famous Anglo-Venetian Wynne family, acquainted with Casanova) and Camille de Royer. Fremantle was so charmed by Betsey that he married her that year, with Prince Augustus as his best man. The same year he was embroiled in an engagement with Spanish gunboats off Cadiz, again under Nelson, and the next year he was with his mentor at the disastrous Battle of Tenerife, where both officers were grievously wounded in the arm. Nelson's was amputated; Fremantle's survived, but he never regained full use of it again.
Returning home on convalescence, Fremantle used the time to hone his own theories of successful command at sea, shown by several proposals he sent to the Admiralty concerning the judgment of petty disciplinary actions on board ship. Although these were rejected out of hand, they would later be used as models when the disciplinary system was revised in the 1850s.

Copenhagen.

A very popular officer, loved by his men, his contemporaries and the public alike, Fremantle did not remain at home long, and when Nelson was given command of the Channel Fleet Fremantle joined him in August 1800 as commander of the ship of the line HMS Ganges. It was in this ship that he received further accolades for his service at the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 when he was in the thick of the action. He also dabbled in politics, standing unsuccessfully for the constituency of Sandwich in 1802 before taking it in 1806.
Sent to Ireland and then Ferrol in 1803 and 1804, Fremantle was given the massive 98-gun HMS Neptune in May 1805 and was attached to the Cadiz blockade, ready for Nelson's assumption of command later that year.

Trafgalgar.

At the Battle of Trafalgar that October, Neptune was third in Nelson's division, cutting the Combined Fleet shortly after HMS Victory did, and ploughing past the wrecked Bucentaure he engaged the massive Santissima Trinidad with which he endured a savage slogging match which left Neptune with 44 casualties and the outnumbered Spanish ship with over 300. Relatively undamaged, Neptune was able to tow the shattered Victory back to Gibraltar and Fremantle profited by taking the chapel silver from the big Spanish ship which he used to adorn his home.
Fremantle spent the next five years in England, serving as a member of parliament for Sandwich 1806–1807 and as a Lord of the Admiralty (1806–1807), before being posted rear-admiral^] and taking command in the Adriatic Sea, where he employed the frigate squadrons under him to great effect against French-held Italy and Dalmatia. When the French empire surrendered in 1814, the entire Balkan coast surrendered to him with over 800 ships, netting Fremantle a vast fortune. For his services he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 12 April 1815, as well as a baron of the Austrian Empire and later a vice-admiral and, from 1818, the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet. He also received several Austrian and Italian knighthoods as well as initiation into the Royal Guelphic Order of Hanover. Fremantle died in December 1819 from a sudden illness and was buried at Naples where his grave can still be seen in the Garden of Don Carlo Califano outside the gate of San Gennaro, Naples.

Sons of Thomas Fremantle.

His eldest son of the same name was a politician, originally given a baronetcy at his father's death before later being made Baron Cottesloe for his own services to the country.
Another son, Charles Howe Fremantle, became the captain of the 26-gun frigate HMS Challenger, the first ship to arrive in a fleet of 3 ships sent out from Britain to establish a colony at the Swan River in Western Australia. The Australian city of Fremantle is named after him.
Another son, William Robert Fremantle (c.1808–1895) was the Dean of Ripon.
His youngest son, Stephen Grenville Fremantle (1810–1860), was captain of HMS Juno from 1853 to 1858.

Rob.

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Captain James Robert Mosse.

He was born from a long line of naval commanders. He was baptised at Little Missenden in Buckinghamshire, on 5 December 1745.
At the age of 11 years at 8 months, on 6 August 1757, he took on the role of Captain’s Servant (then a standard route into a commissioned rank) on the newly built HMS Burford, where he served until October 1758.

Seven Years War.

In November 1758 he joined HMS Lizard as a Master’s Mate where he remained until May 1763, serving in the Americas and West Indies. During this period Mosse was captured by the Americans and held prisoner for some time.
From 1763 until 1771 he served on the English Channel on several ships: Hussar, Tweed, Yarmouth and Bellona.
In 1771 he was promoted to Midshipman under the overall command of Sir Robert Harland, and served on HMS Northumberland in the East Indies. In October 1771 he was promoted to lieutenant, and served on Swallow, Orford and Buckingham before returning to England in 1775.

Revolutionary War.

After a brief respite, presumably in the company of his family he returned to active duties in March 1776, stationed in what was then the critical location of North America, under Lord Howe. Here he served on HMS Juno until her scuttling at Rhode Island in 1778 to evade capture. He was then posted to the relatively new HMS Eagle.
He returned to England briefly, marrying Ann Grace Kinchin of Stoke Charity on 16 March 1780 at Deane, Hampshire before being redeployed in October 1780 again to the West Indies. Here he served on the Alfred and the Vengeance.
In April 1782 he received a post of First Lieutenant under Lord Howe on the now world-renowned HMS Victory and was subsequently present at the Great Siege of Gibraltar in October of that year, where he commanded the fire-ship Pluto as part of the attack.

Promotion.

On 19 April 1783 he was confirmed in the rank of Master and Commander, rising to Captain soon thereafter, and he served in the English Channel as Captain of the Wasp, a duty which continued until 1790, but whose proximity to England probably permitted more home leave than previously.
A three year gap in his service record possible reflects a well-deserved break. His career then resumes in February 1793 as Captain of the HMS Sandwich patrolling the sandbanks of the Thames at Nore. In 1797 he therefore became deeply embroiled in the Nore Mutiny and was part of the prosecution and execution of its ringleader Richard Parker, both of which took place on board Mosse’s ship.
He changed command soon thereafter, and served in the North Sea for 18 months until April 1799, during which time he commanded both HMS Braak/Braakel and HMS Veteran.

Copenhagen.

On 1 May 1799 Mosse had been appointed Captain of HMS Monarch under the overall command of Admiral Horatio Nelson.
On 30 March 1801 the Monarch, under Mosse’s command, led the fleet through the Sound of Copenhagen towards the capital, under fire from Kronborg Castle. On 2 April the Battle of Copenhagen began.
Mosse took a leading role, sailing from one end of the line to the other, whilst both firing and receiving fire. He was killed soon after adopting his required position, his last orders being to “cut away the anchor”.
He was buried at sea.

The grave of his wife (d.1843) and children in Wickham, Hampshire also acts as his memorial (See above).

Rob.

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Rear-Admiral. Thomas Graves.

Thomas Graves was born circa 1747, the third son of Reverend John Graves of Castle Dawson, County Londonderry, by his wife Jane Hudson. He was a nephew of Admiral Samuel Graves and a first cousin once removed of Admiral Thomas, Lord Graves. Graves' three brothers all served as captains in the navy, becoming admirals on the superannuated list. Thomas entered the navy at a very early age, and served during the Seven Years' War with his uncle Samuel on board HMS Scorpion, Duke, and Venus. After the peace he was appointed to HMS Antelope with his cousin Thomas, whom he followed to the HMS Edgar, and by whom, in 1765, while on the coast of Africa, he was promoted to be lieutenant of HMS Shannon. It is stated in Foster's ‘Peerage’ that he was born in 1752, a date incompatible with the facts of his known service: by the Regulations of the Navy he was bound to be twenty years old at the date of his promotion, and though the order was often grossly infringed, it is highly improbable that he was only thirteen: it may fairly be assumed that he was at least eighteen in 1765.
Arctic seas and North America.

In 1770 Graves was lieutenant of HMS Arethusa, and in 1773 was appointed to HMS Racehorse with Captain Constantine Phipps for the voyage of discovery in the Arctic Seas. In the following year he went out to North America with his uncle Samuel, and was appointed by him to command HMS Diana, one of the small schooners employed for the prevention of smuggling. She had thirty men, with an armament of four 2-pounders, and on 27 May 1775, being sent from Boston into the Charles River, was attacked by a large force of insurgents, whose numbers swelled till they reached a total of something like two thousand men, with two field-pieces. It fell calm, and towards midnight, as the tide ebbed, Diana ran aground, and lay over on her side, when the colonial forces succeeded in setting her on fire, and the small crew, after a gallant defence, were compelled to abandon her, Graves having been first severely burnt, as well as his brother John, then a lieutenant of the flagship HMS Preston, who had been sent in one of the Preston's boats to the Diana's support.
Promotion and further service.

After this Graves continued to be employed in command of other tenders in the neighbourhood of Boston and Rhode Island until, on the recall of his uncle, he rejoined Preston and returned to England; but was again sent out to the North American station in the same ship, commanded by Commodore William Hotham. In 1779 he was promoted to the command of the sloop HMS Savage on the West Indian and North American stations, and in May 1781 he was advanced to post rank. In the temporary absence of Commodore Edmund Affleck, he commanded HMS Bedford in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September, and continuing afterwards in Bedford, as Affleck's flag captain, was present in the engagement at St. Kitts on 26 January 1782, and in the Battle of the Saintes on 9 and 12 April, in which last the Bedford had a very distinguished part.
In the following autumn Graves was appointed to the frigate HMS Magicienne, in which, on 2 January 1783, he fought a very severe action with the French Sibylle, which was encumbered with a second ship's company which she was carrying to the Chesapeake. Both frigates were reduced to a wreck, and so parted; the Magicienne to get to Jamaica a fortnight later; the Sybille to be captured on 22 February 1783 by HMS Hussar under Thomas McNamara Russell.
Years of peace and the French Revolutionary Wars

During the peace Graves spent much of his time in France, and in the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars had no employment. It was not until October 1800 that he was appointed to command the 74-gun HMS Cumberland, in the Channel Fleet, under the orders of Lord St. Vincent. This was only for a few months; for on 1 January 1801 he was promoted to be Rear-Admiral of the White Squadron, and in March hoisted his flag on board the 64-gun HMS Polyphemus, one of the fleet proceeding to the Baltic with Sir Hyde Parker.

Copenhagen.

Graves afterwards shifted his flag to HMS Defiance, and in her was second in command under Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. For his services on this important occasion he received the thanks of Parliament, and an appointment as Knight Commander of the Bath. Towards the end of July the fleet left the Baltic, and on its return to England Graves, who had been in very bad health during the greater part of the campaign, retired from active service. HMS Foudroyant, captained for a time by Christopher Nesham, carried his flag in the Bay of Biscay from October 1804 to February 1805. He became a vice-admiral on 9 November 1805 and admiral on 2 August 1812.
Personal life.

He was twice married, but had only one daughter. He died at his house, Woodbine Hill, near Honiton on 29 March 1814.

Rob.

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Captain William Cuming.

This officer, a native of Totness in Devonshire, went to sea at an early age; served twenty-three years as a Midshipman and Lieutenant; was made a Commander in 1795; commanded the Alliance store-ship, attached to the Mediterranean fleet, in 1796; and as a reward for his services on that station, was posted by Earl St. Vincent into his own flag-ship, the Victory, of 100 guns. His post-commission bears date Oct. 13, 1797.

Copenhagen.

In Jan. 1801, he obtained the command of the Russell, 74, and soon after accompanied the expedition sent against Copenhagen, where he assisted at the capture and destruction of the Danish line of defence, on the glorious 2d April^[1]. Subsequent to his return from the Baltic, he was employed off Cadiz, under the orders of Sir James Saumarez.
On the renewal of hostilities in 1803, Captain Cuming was appointed to the Prince of Wales, a second rate, bearing the flag of Sir Robert Calder, with whom he continued to serve till that officer struck his flag in the autumn of 1805. During the remainder of the war he commanded in succession the Isis, of 50 guns, Sampson 64, and Bombay 74; the latter employed in the blockade of Toulon. From 1813 he was in command of the Royal George He was nominated a C.B. in 1815, and advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral July 19, 1821. Nothing is recorded after 1849.

Rob.

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Captain Thomas Boulden Thompson.

Thompson was born in Barham, Kent on 28 February 1766. His uncle, through his mother, was Commodore Edward Thompson, and it was through this relative's influence that Thomas joined the navy in June 1778, when Edward was appointed to command the sloop HMS Hyaena. He served on the Hyaena with his uncle, spending most of the time in the waters off the British Isles, before accompanying Rodney's fleet to the Relief of Gibraltar in January 1780. The Hyaena was later entrusted with carrying copies of Rodney's despatches. Thompson later moved to the West Indies, being promoted to lieutenant on 14 January 1782. He was given command of a small schooner, with which he captured a larger French privateer. After the end of the American Revolutionary War, Thompson was moved onto his uncle's flagship, the 50-gun HMS Grampus. He served off the coast of Africa until his uncle's death in 1786, after which he was given command of the sloop HMS Nautilus. He remained in command for the next twelve months, before returning to Britain where she was paid off. He was promoted to post-captain on 22 November 1790.

Command.

He spent a number of years on land without command of a ship until the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars provided employment. By late 1796 he had secured command of the fourth rate HMS Leander. He then joined the Mediterranean Fleet under John Jervis, and was assigned to the squadron under Horatio Nelson. Thompson took part in Nelson's attack on Santa Cruz in July 1797. Thompson was among those leading the landing parties, under the overall direction of Nelson and Thomas Troubridge. The initial attempts to force a landing were hampered by the wind, and when the parties made a successful landing in the evening of 22 July, they came under heavy fire from the Spanish defenders. Thompson's party were able to advance and spike several of the enemy's cannon, but the British forces had become dispersed throughout the town, and were forced to negotiate a truce to allow them to withdraw. Thompson himself was wounded in the battle.

Battle of the Nile.

Thompson was later given command of a squadron, and carried out cruises in the Mediterranean, intercepting French and Spanish ships. He returned to Gibraltar, but was ordered to sea again in June 1798 to reinforce Nelson's squadron in their hunt for the French fleet that had earlier escaped from Toulon. He was with Nelson when they located the French fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral Brueys, moored in Aboukir Bay. In the ensuing engagement Thompson came to the assistance of HMS Culloden, which had run aground on shoals in the entrance to the bay. Finding that there was nothing he could do, Thompson took Leander into the battle, despite his ship being considerably smaller than the French ships of the line. He anchored between the Franklin and Brueys' flagship the Orient, firing on them in company with HMS Defence and HMS Swiftsure until the Franklin surrendered. Thompson then took the Leander to assist the British attack on the French rear.

Fight with the Généreux.

After the battle Thompson was joined aboard the Leander by Captain Edward Berry, and sent with Nelson's despatches to Gibraltar. Whilst sailing there, they were spotted on 18 August by the Généreux, which had escaped the Battle of the Nile. The French pursued the Leander. Being a 60 gun ship to the Généreux′s 78, and still having battle damage and men wounded from the Nile, Thompson attempted to escape, but was eventually forced to come to battle. The two eventually clashed in a long running engagement, which eventually resulted in Leander being disabled and unmanageable. After conferring with Berry, Thompson agreed to surrender. The Généreux had suffered 100 killed and 188 wounded, to the Leander′s 35 killed and 57 wounded. Arriving on board the French ship, Berry and Thompson were almost immediately stripped of their possessions. The French went on to plunder their prize, even going so far as to steal the surgeon's equipment as he tried to attend to the wounded. When Thompson protested, and reminded the French captain of how French prisoners were treated under Nelson, he received the reply 'I am sorry for it; but the fact is, that the French are expert at plunder.'
Thompson was later repatriated and brought to court-martial aboard HMS Alexander at Sheerness. He was honourably acquitted for the loss of his ship, the court deciding
that his gallant and almost unprecedented defence of the Leander, against so superior a force as that of le Généreux, was deserving of every praise his country and the assembled court could give; and that his conduct, with that of the officers and men under his command, reflected not only the highest honour on himself and them, but on their country at large.
Berry was also commended, and whilst being rowed back to shore after his acquittal, Thompson was given three cheers by the crews of the ships moored at Sheerness. He was subsequently knighted and awarded a pension of £200 per annum.

Copenhagen.

Thompson was appointed to command HMS Bellona in spring 1799, joining the fleet under Lord Bridport, off Brest. He then went to the Mediterranean, sailing with the flying squadron. He was involved in the capture of three frigates and two brigs. He returned to England in autumn, and participated in the blockade of Brest, until being assigned to Sir Hyde Parker's Baltic expedition in early 1801.He was present at the Battle of Copenhagen, but ran aground on shoals whilst trying to enter the bay. He continued to fire on the enemy's shore batteries, but being a stationary target was heavily damaged, having 11 killed and 63 wounded. Thompson was amongst the wounded, losing a leg. He shared in the thanks of Parliament after the battle and had his pension increased to £500. He was then appointed to command the yacht HMS Mary.

Later life.

Thompson was appointed Comptroller of the Navy in November 1806, an office he held until November 1816. He was created a baronet on 11 December 1806. On relinquishing the post of Comptroller he became Treasurer of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, succeeding the late Sir John Colpoys, and also became Director of the Chest. He became Member of Parliament for Rochester in 1807, relinquishing the position in June 1818. He became a Rear-Admiral on 25 October 1809 and a Vice-Admiral on 4 June 1814. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the reorganisation of that order on 2 January 1815, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 14 September 1822, and was formally invested on 21 April 1823. On his death three years later he was buried at the Greenwich Hospital, where his tomb monument is still visible.

Family and personal life.

Thomas married Anne Raikes on 25 February 1799. They had a total of five children, three boys and two girls. The two girls were named Anne and Mary. Their first son, Thomas Boulden, died young. Their second, Thomas Raikes-Trigge inherited the baronetcy. He followed his father and had a career in the navy. Their third son, Thomas John, died in 1807. Sir Thomas died at the family seat of Hartsbourne, Manor-Place, Hertfordshire on 3 March 1828.

Rob.

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Captain Robert Devereux Fancourt.

This officer was first Lieutenant of the Gibraltar, of 80 guns, bearing the broad pendant of the late Sir Richard Bickerton, in Feb. 1782, at which period that officer sailed for the East Indies, with several men of war, to reinforce the squadron on that station under Sir Edward Hughes. On his passage the Commodore touched at Rio Janeiro, where he purchased a cutter on Government account, and promoted Mr. Fancourt into her, with the rank of Commander. In this vessel, .which we believe was named the Substitute, and mounted 14 guns, Captain Fancourt proceeded to India, and continued there during the remainder of the war.
In 1790, a dispute arose with Spain relative to Nootka Sound; and Captain Fancourt, who had been advanced to post rank, on the 2d Dec., in the preceding year, was appointed to the command of the Ambuscade frigate, stationed in the Mediterranean. Soon after the commencement of the war with France, in 1793, we find him in the Chichester, of 44 guns, employed principally in escorting the trade to and from the West Indies and Mediterranean. This vessel, in company with the Intrepid, 64, captured la Sirenne, French corvette, off St. Domingo, about the month of Aug. 1794.

Mutiny at the Nore.

In the year 1797, Captain Fancourt was removed into the Agamemnon, of 64 guns, attached to Admiral Duncan’s fleet in the North Sea. This ship appears to have been implicated in the mutiny at the Nore, but previous to its suppression seceded from the rebellious cause.

In the summer of 1800, she formed part of the squadron sent to Elsineur under the orders of Vice-Admiral Dickson, for the purpose of giving weight to the arguments adduced by the British Minister in support of the right claimed by Great Britain to search neutral vessels.

Copenhagen.

We next find Captain Fancourt accompanying Sir Hyde Parker on an expedition against Copenhagen, in the spring of 1801; but from the unfortunate circumstance of the Agamemnon striking upon a shoal when approaching the Danish line of defence, he was prevented from participating in the glorious victory achieved by Lord Nelson, to whose division he had been attached. On the Agamemnon’s return to England, she was stationed as a guard ship in Hosely Bay. Captain Fancourt subsequently commanded the Zealand, 64, bearing the flag of the Commander-in-Chief at the Nore. He was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 28, 1808; and Vice-Admiral, Aug. 12, 1812.

Rob.

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Captain Henry Inman.

Henry Inman was born in 1762, the son of the vicar of the Somerset village of Burrington, Reverend George Inman. Educated by his father until the age of 14, Inman was sent to join the Royal Navy in 1776, posted aboard the 90-gun second rate HMS Barfleur. Barfleur's captain was Sir Samuel Hood, later to become Viscount Hood, who formed a close personal and professional attachment to his subordinate that continued throughout Inman's military service.

American Revolution.

After two years on Barfleur, Inman was transferred to the frigate HMS Lark in 1778 for service off New England. The American Revolutionary War had broken out three years earlier, but Barfleur had been based in Britain and so there had been no opportunity for action aboard Hood's ship. His career in Lark was cut short on 5 August 1778, when Captain John Brisbane, the senior officer off Rhode Island, ordered the frigate beached and burnt with four other ships when a French fleet under Vice-Admiral Comte d'Estaing appeared off the harbour. Inman and the rest of the crew were transferred to shore duties and over the following week engaged D'Estaing's ships from fixed gun batteries as they bombarded the British positions.
Inman had lost all his personal possessions in the destruction of Lark and was forced to replace his uniform from his own wages when the Navy refused to provide compensation. Returning to Britain in the frigate HMS Pearl, Inman was promoted to lieutenant in 1780 and returned to the Americas in HMS Camel, transferred soon afterwards into HMS Santa Monica in the West Indies. Shortly after his arrival however, Inman was once again shipwrecked when Santa Monica grounded off Tortola. Although the crew reached the shore in small boats, the ship broke up rapidly and once again Inman lost all of his possessions. Remaining on shore service in the West Indies for the next two years, Inman was again employed in the aftermath of the Battle of the Saintes, appointed to the prize crew of the captured French vessel Hector for the journey to Britain. Hector's masts and hull had been seriously damaged in the battle, requiring lighter spars to be fitted and 22 of her 74 guns removed to make her more seaworthy. As the fleet could not spare men to man her, the 223-strong prize crew was made up of men pressed in the Caribbean, principally invalids unfit for frontline service.
On 14 August 1782, Hector separated from the rest of the prize ships in heavy weather and on 22 August encountered two large French frigates, Aigle of 40 guns and Gloire of 32 guns. Together these vessels significantly outclassed the leaky ship of the line in weight of shot, but Captain John Bourchier determined to resist the French attack, preparing Hector as the French approached. The French ships surrounded Hector at 02:00 and the engagement was furiously contested, with Bourchier wounded early on and many of his officers following him below with serious injuries. Within a short period, Inman was the only officer remaining on deck, but he was able to successfully drive the French away following a failed attempt to board, although Hector was left in a severely damaged state with 75 men killed or wounded. A hurricane that followed the battle inflicted further damage and the ship was badly flooded, seawater ruining the food supplies and threatening to sink the ship completely. Some of the crew were so ill and exhausted that they collapsed and died while manning the pumps. Inman only managed to prevent the remaining sailors from fleeing below decks by carrying loaded pistols and threatening men who refused his orders. Once the storm had abated it was clear that Hector was foundering; her rudder and masts had been torn away and the pumps were unable to keep pace with the water leaking through the battered hull. For two weeks Inman made desperate efforts to keep the ship afloat, as food and water supplies ran low and the hull began to collapse in on itself. Fortunately for the men aboard Hector, the tiny snow Hawke appeared and approached the ship of the line to render assistance. Throwing his cargo overboard, Captain John Hill worked with Inman to supervise the transfer of all of Hector's remaining men, many of whom were wounded or sick, into Hawke as Hector rapidly sank. No men were lost in the operation and Inman was the last to leave, Hector disappearing ten minutes after the boat carrying him reached Hawke. The snow set sail for St John's in Newfoundland, its crew and passengers subsisting on short rations; they arrived off the port on the same day they consumed the last water supplies.
With the Peace of Versailles in 1783, the war ended and Inman was placed on half-pay in reserve, suffering from poor health caused by his ordeal on Hector. Retiring to his father's house in Somerset, Inman was not employed again until 1790, when the Spanish Armament provoked a rapid expansion of the Navy. He was initially commissioned into the frigate HMS Latona under Captain Albemarle Bertie, but in the aftermath of the emergency Inman was given command of the 14-gun cutter HMS Pigmy, stationed on the Isle of Man. He also married the daughter of Commander Thomas Dalby in 1791; the couple would have a son and a daughter.

French Revolutionary Wars.

With the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793, Inman was transferred to Lord Hood's flagship HMS Victory in the Mediterranean, receiving a promotion to commander on 11 September. Serving during the Siege of Toulon, Inman assisted in the removal of captured French ships from Toulon harbour and as a reward was promoted to post captain on 9 October and given command of the newly captured HMS Espion. While she was stationed off Hyères, Aurore engaged French Republican gun batteries, expending 20,000 cannonballs in November and December.
When Toulon fell to the Republicans on 18 December 1793, Inman was initially sent to Corsica and then tasked with carrying a large number of Republican prisoners of war to Malta. With an understrength crew, Inman had difficulty in controlling the prisoners, who deliberately holed the bottom of the ship during the voyage. On arriving at Malta, Inman anchored his leaking ship in deep water under the guns of the port's defensive batteries and then removed his entire crew, leaving instructions with the prisoners that they could either pump out the water and repair the damage or drown when the ship sank. The prisoners repaired the ship and were taken into captivity on Malta. Transferred from Aurore, Inman spent a brief period on the frigate HMS San Fiorenzo before returning to Britain in command of the fourth rate HMS Romney.
Romney was paid off on arrival in Britain and Inman returned to the reserve until 1796, when he was made temporary captain of Lion and then took command of the frigate HMS Espion. Ordered to sail for the River Clyde, Inman set sail with his family on board but Espion, an old ship in a poor state of repair, was struck by a gale in the English Channel and was almost destroyed. Eventually reaching safety in Spithead, Espion was reduced to the reserve until extensive repairs could be made and Inman was again placed on half-pay. He was reinstated in 1797 as temporary commander of the ship of the line HMS Belliqueux in the immediate aftermath of the Nore Mutiny. Belliqueux had been heavily involved in the uprising: three members of the crew were under sentence of death and six others facing severe punishment for their part in the revolt. Inman was consequently afraid for his life and for the next six months slept with three loaded pistols beside him. Belliqueux was assigned to the blockade of the French Atlantic seaport of Brest and Inman continued to perform this service after he was moved to HMS Ramillies during 1798, in which he participated in the chase that eventually led to the capture of Hercule. He was subsequently posted to the frigate HMS Andromeda in early 1799.

Désirée and Copenhagen.

On 2 August 1799, Inman seized the neutral merchant ship Vrienden carrying a cargo of hemp. Although the vessel's legal state was uncertain, no merchant claimed its cargo and in 1802 she was condemned and sold for over £2470. In November 1799, Andromeda was attached to the force that evacuated the Duke of York's army following the failure of the Expedition to Holland and he remained in the region, observing movements off the Elbe. Andromeda also participated in the Raid on Dunkirk on 7 July 1800, when four French frigates were attacked by a squadron of British ships in Dunkirk harbour. Although an assault with fireships failed, HMS Dart captured the French frigate Désirée, with Inman following in the cutter Vigilant, crewed by thirty volunteers from Andromeda. Under fire from all sides, Inman successfully boarded the French ship following her surrender and brought her out of the harbour, sending the crew ashore on parole to avoid having to assign men to guard them. Désirée was brought back to Britain and commissioned into the Royal Navy, Inman taking command of the new frigate.

Copenhagen.

In 1801, Désirée was attached to the fleet gathering at Yarmouth under Sir Hyde Parker and Lord Nelson for service in the Baltic Sea against the League of Armed Neutrality. Sailing for Denmark in March, the fleet anchored off Copenhagen and on 1 April a squadron under Nelson closed with the Danish fleet, which was anchored in a line of battle protecting the harbour. Désirée was ordered to operate at the Southern end of the Danish line, engaging shore batteries and nearby ships while their attention was focused on the main British battle-line. When the battle began at 10:00 on 2 April, Inman engaged the Provesteen, which was firing on the 50-gun HMS Isis. Désirée succeeded in inflicting considerable damage on the Danish ship and drew some fire away from the battered Isis. Once Provesteen had been abandoned by her Danish crew Désirée was engaged with a number of Danish shore batteries, but due to poor aim of the Danish gunners, who fired over the frigate throughout the engagement, she was not badly damaged and suffered only four men wounded in the battle. At 14:00 Danish fire slackened and shortly afterwards Nelson began to withdraw his ships out of range of the Danes. A number of his ships of the line grounded on the complicated shoals in the region and when Désirée came to the assistance of HMS Bellona] she too became stuck. Bellona was hauled off by Isis shortly afterwards, but Désirée was forced to remain on the sandbank for two days until boats from the squadron could be spared to drag her free.

Napoleonic Wars.

At the Peace of Amiens, Désirée remained in service with orders to sail for the West Indies. Inman, whose health was beginning to suffer, resigned command and returned to his family on half-pay until the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803, when he was given the 64-gun ship of the line HMS Utrecht. In 1804 he moved from Utrecht to the 74-gun HMS Triumph and in February 1805 was attached to the fleet under Sir Robert Calder stationed off Cape Finisterre during the Trafalgar campaign. At 11:00 on 22 July, Calder sighted the French and Spanish fleet under Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve emerging from the fog off Ferrol and attacked, Triumph third in line behind HMS Hero and HMS Ajax. The battle lines tacked and closed with one another, beginning a general action at 18:00, eventually separating at 21:30. Triumph was heavily engaged in the melee, in which two Spanish ships were captured, and suffered severe damage although light casualties of five killed and six wounded.
On 26 July, Inman was briefly detached from the fleet to chase away the French frigate Didon before returning to her station in the battle line, but the action was not resumed, Calder ordering the fleet to return to Britain.
In the aftermath of the battle, Calder faced a court martial for his failure to resume the engagement and Inman was called to give evidence: when questioned as to why he had not informed Calder about the damage to his ship, Inman replied "I did not think that a proper time to trouble the admiral with my complaints".
Inman's health had suffered during his long career at sea, and although he returned to sea in December 1805 aboard Triumph during the Atlantic campaign of 1806 as part of the squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, his ill-health forced his replacement by Sir Thomas Hardy in May.
Returning to his family ashore, Inman was initially given command of the sea fencibles at King's Lynn before he was made Admiralty commissioner at Madras by Lord Mulgrave in 1809. The journey to India broke his health completely and he died on 15 July 1809, just ten days after arriving in Madras.


Rob.

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Captain Edward Riou.

Riou was born at Mount Ephraim, near Faversham, Kent, on 20 November 1762, the second son of Captain Stephen Riou of the Grenadier Guards, and his wife Dorothy. He embarked on a naval career at the age of 12, joining Sir Thomas Pye's flagship, the 90-gun HMS Barfleur at Portsmouth. His next ship was the 50-gun HMS Romney, flagship of Vice-Admiral John Montagu on the Newfoundland station. Riou was rated midshipman by 1776 and joined Captain Charles Clerke's HMS Discovery for a voyage to the Pacific under Captain James Cook aboard HMS Resolution. The expedition was Cook's third voyage of discovery, and after his death at Hawaii Clerke took command, transferring to Resolution and bringing Midshipman Riou with him.
Riou took and passed his lieutenant's examination on 19 October 1780, shortly after the expedition's return to Britain, and received his promotion on 28 October. His first appointment as lieutenant was to the 14-gun brig-sloop HMS Scourge, which was sent to serve in the West Indies. Here Riou appears to have become ill, a common experience for naval officers serving in the tropics, but he survived to return to Britain and was discharged from his ship on 3 February 1782 and went into the Royal Naval Hospital at Haslar. He recovered his health and by April 1783 was back on active service, joining the Portsmouth guardship HMS Ganges. Discharging from the Ganges in June 1784, he went on to half-pay, which lasted for two years until he received another appointment, this time to the 50-gun HMS Salisbury in March 1786. The Salisbury was the flagship of Rear-Admiral John Elliot, who sailed to Newfoundland take up his post as Commodore-Governor there. During this period in his life, Riou was described by a seaman aboard the Ganges as 'a strict disciplinarian with a fanatical regard for cleanliness'. He was also noted to be a religious man, and an affectionate son and brother. A further period on half-pay followed his discharge from the Salisbury in November 1788, but meanwhile he had succeeded in attracting the attention of the Townsend family, and was able to use their patronage to secure an appointment to command HMS Guardian, in April 1789.

Command of the Guardian.

The Guardian was a former two-decked 44-gun frigate, but had been armed en flûte and loaded with stores to be taken to the British colony at Botany Bay. In addition to these stores, consisting of seeds, plants, farm machinery and livestock with a total value of some £70,000, the Guardian was also to transport a number of convicts and their overseers. Aboard the Guardian was a young midshipman named Thomas Pitt, the son of politician Thomas Pitt, and nephew of Prime Minister William Pitt.
With over 300 people aboard his ship, Riou left Spithead on 8 September 1789, and had an uneventful voyage to the Cape of Good Hope where he loaded more livestock and plants. While at the Cape, Riou met Lieutenant William Bligh, who had sailed with Riou on Cook's third voyage during which Bligh had been the sailing master of Resolution. Bligh had arrived at the Cape from Timor, where he had landed after a 3,618 mile voyage in an open boat following a mutiny aboard his ship, HMS Bounty. After completing his re-provisioning, Riou sailed from the Cape in mid-December, and picking up the Westerlies, began the second leg of his voyage to New South Wales.^] On Christmas Eve, twelve days after his departure from the Cape, a large iceberg was spotted, and Riou decided to use the ice to replenish his stocks of fresh water that were quickly being depleted by the need to supply the plants and animals he was transporting.

Riou and the iceberg.

Riou positioned himself near the iceberg, and despatched boats to collect the ice. By the time the last boats had been recovered, night had fallen and a sudden fogbank descended, hiding the iceberg from view. Riou found himself in a dangerous situation. Somewhere to leeward lay a large mass of ice, concealed in the darkness and fog. He posted lookouts in the bows and rigging, and began to edge slowly forward. After sometime the danger seemed to be past, and the iceberg left behind, when at 9 o'clock a strange pale glow was reported by the lookout in the bows. Riou ordered the helm to turn hard a starboard, turning into the wind as a wall of ice higher than the ship's masts slid by along the side. It briefly appeared that the danger had been avoided, but as she passed by, the Guardian struck an underwater projection with a crash. Caught in a sudden gust of wind, the ship reared up and swung about, driving the stern into the ice, smashing away the rudder, shattering her stern frame and tearing a large gash in the hull. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Riou remained calm, using the sails to pull clear of the ice, and then taking stock of the damage.
Now clear of the immediate danger of the ice, Riou found himself in a desperate situation. There was two feet of water in the hold and more was rushing in, while the sea was rising and a gale had sprung up. The pumps were manned, but could not keep up with the influx of water, and by midnight there was 6 feet of water in the hold. At dawn on Christmas Day, an attempt was made to fother the hull, which involved lowering an oakum-packed studding sail over the side to cover the gash in the hull and slow the flooding. This was temporarily successful and by 11 o'clock the pumps had been able to reduce the water to a level of 19 inches. The respite was short-lived, as the sail split under the pressure of the water and the water level began to rise again. A number of seaman requested permission to take to the ship's boats. Riou convinced them to stay, but another attempt to fother the hull with another sail failed when the sail immediately ripped. By nightfall on 25 December, the water in the hold had risen to 7 feet, and the ship was rolling violently, allowing water to pour over the ship's side. Riou ordered the stores, guns and livestock to be thrown overboard in an attempt to lighten the ship, but was injured when his hand was crushed by a falling cask while trying to clear the bread-room. By morning the next day, the ship was settling by the stern, while the sails had been torn away in the gale. Again the seamen, this time joined by the convicts, requested to be allowed to take to the boats. Riou at last agreed to this, well aware that there were not enough boats for everyone, and announced 'As for me, I have determined to remain in the ship, and shall endeavour to make my presence useful as long as there is any occasion for it.

'I have determined to remain in the ship'

While the boats were prepared, Riou wrote a letter to the Secretary to the Admiralty;

Sir,
If any part of the officers or crew of the Guardian should ever survive to get home, I have only to say their conduct after the fatal stroke against an island of ice was admirable and wonderful in everything that related to their duties considered either as private men or on his Majesty's Service.
As there seems no possibility of my remaining many hours in this world, I beg leave to recommend to the consideration of the Admiralty a sister who if my conduct or service should be found deserving any memory their favour might be shown to her together with a widowed mother.
I am Sir remaining with great respect
Your ever Obedt & humble servt,
E. Riou
Riou gave the note to Mr Clements, the master of the Guardian, who was given command of the launch. A total of 259 people chose to join the five boats, leaving Riou with sixty-two people; himself, three midshipmen, including Thomas Pitt, the surgeon's mate, the boatswain, carpenter, three superintendents of convicts, a daughter of one of the superintendents, thirty seamen and boys and twenty-one convicts. The Guardian was nearly awash by now with 16 feet of water in the hold, but a bumping noise on the deck attracted attention, and on investigation was found to be a number of casks that had broken free and were floating in the hold, trapped under the lower gundeck. Realising that this was providing extra buoyancy, Riou had the gun deck hatches sealed and caulked, while another sail was sent under the hull to control the flooding. Having now created a substitute hull out of his deck, Riou raised what little sail he could and began the long journey back to land, with the pumps being continuously manned.
For nine weeks Riou and his small crew navigated the Guardian, by now little more than a raft, across the 400 leagues to the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope was sighted on 21 February 1790, and whalers were despatched from Table Bay to help the battered ship to safety. Riou ran her aground to prevent her sinking, but a gale struck the coast shortly afterwards, completing the wreck of the Guardian. The voyage was described by J. K. Laughton in the Dictionary of National Biography as 'almost without parallel'. Those who remained with the Guardian were among the few survivors of the accident. Of the boats sent out on 25 December, only the launch with 15 people survived, having been rescued by a French merchant. The launch had witnessed the sinking of the jolly-boat, before losing contact with the two cutters and the long-boat. Riou arranged for the surviving convicts who had helped to save the ship to be pardoned for their good service.

Promotion.

Riou returned to Britain and was met with popular acclaim for his feat. Acquitted of any blame for the loss of his ship, he was promoted to master and commander on 21 September 1790, and advanced to post-captain on 4 June 1791. These promotions were for rank only, and he did not receive a command until after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. Appointed to command the sixth rate HMS Rose in June 1793, he served in the West Indies with Sir John Jervis and was active in the operations against Guadeloupe and Martinique in 1794. He was moved to the 40-gun HMS Beaulieu in November 1794, capturing a number of small French vessels before ill-health forced him to be invalided home. In the meantime, he was appointed to the yacht HMS Princess Augusta, but his health improved and he was able to return to active service in June 1799 with an appointment to command the 38-gun HMS Amazon. He was active against French privateers, before being assigned to Sir Hyde Parker's expedition to the Baltic in 1801 to compel the Danes to abandon the League of Armed Neutrality.
In May 1796 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society

Battle of Copenhagen .

After the British force had surveyed the Danish positions around Copenhagen, a council of war was held between Parker, his second in command Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, and the other British captains. Riou was among those present.
Riou had worked closely with Nelson and Captain Thomas Foley in the lead up to the attack, and Nelson duly appointed him commander of the frigates and smaller vessels, with the instruction to deploy his ships to support the main fleet.

As the battle began, several of Nelson's ships ran aground on shoals in the harbour, and a new plan of attack had to be improvised. As Nelson's ships of the line engaged their Danish counterparts, Riou took his frigates in to harass the Tre Kroner forts and blockships.
Despite being heavily outmatched and dangerously exposed, they exchanged fire for several hours.
The ships suffered heavy casualties; Riou was hit on the head by a splinter.

'What will Nelson think of us?'

Attack of the Danish Fleet and Batteries off Copenhagen April 2nd 1801
At 1.15 pm Parker, waiting outside the harbour with the reserve, raised a signal ordering Nelson to withdraw. Nelson acknowledged the signal but ignored it, while Nelson's second in command, Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves repeated the signal but did not obey it.^[17] Riou now found himself in a difficult position. Too junior an officer to risk disobeying a direct order, he reluctantly gave the order for his small squadron to withdraw. In doing so his ships were forced to turn their sterns to the Danish guns, leaving themselves open to heavy fire on their most vulnerable area.
The withdrawal of HMS Alcmene and then HMS Blanche reduced the thick cloud of gun smoke that was helping to obscure the British ships, leaving the Amazon exposed to the full force of the Danish guns. Riou remained in action for a further half an hour before reluctantly giving the order to withdraw.
Lieutenant-Colonel William Stuart, commanding the soldiers of the 48th Regiment recorded that Riou:
...was sitting on a gun, was encouraging his men, and had been wounded in the head by a splinter. He had expressed himself grieved at being thus obliged to retreat, and nobly observed, 'What will Nelson think of us?' His clerk was killed by his side; and by another shot, several marines, while hauling on the main-brace, shared the same fate. Riou then exclaimed, 'Come, then, by boys, let us all die together!' The words were scarcely uttered, when the fatal shot severed him in two.

Rob.

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Captain Graham Eden Hamond.

Born the only son of Captain Sir Andrew Hamond and Anne Hamond (née Graeme), Hammond joined the Royal Navy in September 1785. He was recorded, as a captain's servant, on the books of the third-rate HMS Irresistible, his father's flagship in his role as Commander-in-Chief, The Nore and, having been promoted to midshipman in 1790, actually served in the third-rate HMS Vanguard, the third-rate HMS Bedford and then the second-rate HMS Duke. In January 1793 he transferred to the fifth-rate HMS Phaeton and assisted in the capture of Le Général Dumourier and her prize St. Iago in an action during the French Revolutionary Wars and received his portion of a large amount of prize money. He then joined the first-rate HMS Queen Charlotte, flagship of Earl Howe in his role as Commander-in-Chief, Channel Squadron, and saw action at the Glorious First of June in June 1794. He served in the fifth-rate HMS Aquilon and the third-rate HMS Zealous before transferring to the first-rate HMS Britannia, flagship of Sir William Hotham in his role as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, in June 1795 and seeing action at the Battle of Toulon in July 1795.
Promoted to lieutenant on 19 October 1796, Hamond served in the fifth-rate HMS Aigle in the Mediterranean Squadron in Autumn 1796 and in the fifth-rate HMS Niger in Spring 1797. Promoted to commander on 20 October 1798, he became commanding officer of the sloop HMS Echo and was employed in the blockade of Le Havre and on different occasions took charge of convoys. Promoted to captain on 30 November 1798, he became commanding officer of the sixth-rate HMS Champion and captured the French privateer Anacreon in June 1799. Hamond described Anacreon as "almost a new vessel, sails remarkably fast, is copper-bottomed, and seems fit for His Majesty's Service." He then took part in the Siege of French-held Malta in Spring 1800 before becoming commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Lion later that year.

Copenhagen.

He went on to be commanding officer of the fifth-rate HMS Blanche and took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801.
Hamond became commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Plantagenet in February 1803 and captured the French ships Le Courier de Terre Neuve and L'Atalante in an action later that year during the Napoleonic Wars. He took command of the fifth-rate HMS Lively in July 1804 and took part in the action of 5 October 1804 when three Spanish frigates laden with treasure were captured. HMS Lively captured two other treasure ships, the San Miguel and the Santa Gertruyda off Cape St. Vincent and Cape St Maria respectively in December 1804. He went on to engage in a duel with the Spanish ship Glorioso in May 1805 and then to transport British troops to Naples in November 1805. He was then given command of the third-rate HMS Victorious on the Home Station in December 1808 and took part in the attack on Flushing during the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in Summer 1809. He went on to be commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Rivoli in the Mediterranean Squadron in May 1813. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 4 June 1815 and a Deputy Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight on 27 October 1821.
After a period of leave from the Navy, Hamond became commanding officer of the third-rate HMS Wellesley in March 1824 and then conveyed the diplomat Lord Stuart de Rothesay to Brazil to negotiate a commercial treaty with the Emperor Pedro I.

Senior command.

Promoted to rear admiral on 27 May 1825, Hamond travelled in the third-rate HMS Spartiate on his new mission to deliver the treaty of separation between Brazil and Portugal to King John VI of Portugal. He inherited his father's baronetcy in September 1828. He was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 13 September 1831 and became Commander-in-Chief, South American Station, with his flag in the third-rate HMS Spartiate, in September 1834. Promoted to vice admiral on 10 January 1837 and to full admiral on 22 January 1847 he was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 5 July 1855. He was appointed Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 22 November 1860 and Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 5 June 1862 before being promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 10 November 1862.
Hamond died at his home at Norton Lodge near Yarmouth, Isle of Wight on 20 December 1862.

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Captain Samuel Sutton.

Sutton was born in 1760 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and entered the navy on 9 April 1777 as an able seaman and later a midshipman aboard the 74-gun HMS Monarch, which was under the command of Captain Joshua Rowley. Sutton and Rowley served in the English Channel until Rowley's promotion to rear-admiral in December 1778 and his shifting his flag to the 74-gun HMS Suffolk, with Hugh Cloberry Christian as his flag captain.

American Revolution.

Sutton accompanied Rowley to the Suffolk, and moved with him again when Rowley raised his flag aboard Captain Thomas Watson's 74-gun HMS Conqueror in December 1779. During this time Sutton saw action at the Battle of Grenada on 6 July 1779, and the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780. Sutton was with Rowley on his next two flagships, the 74-gun HMS Terrible from June 1780 and the 98-gun HMS Princess Royal from July, both times serving under Captain John Thomas Duckworth. Sutton became an acting-lieutenant while on board Princess Royal, retaining the position after being transferred to the 16-gun sloop HMS Jamaica under Captain Manley Dixon. He was next aboard the 18-gun ex-French HMS Duguay Trouin under commander Benjamin Hulke from December, though in May 1782 he returned to Rowley when he joined him aboard his flagship, the 90-gun HMS London under Captain James Kempthorn. He stayed at Rowley's side when the admiral moved to the 74-gun HMS Ajax under Captain N. Chasington in December, and then the 50-gun HMS Preston under Captain George Martin in March 1783.

Promotion.

He was confirmed as lieutenant on 21 April 1783, despite never having formally been examined, but was in poor health and had to return to Britain aboard the 14-gun brig-sloop HMS Childers. He recovered and received an appointment in March 1785 to the sloop HMS Merlin, under Commander Edward Pakenham, with whom he went out to Newfoundland for the rest of the year. The end of the war left Sutton without a ship, and he spent four and a half years ashore after leaving Merlin.

Return to service.

The Spanish Armament in 1790 led to the Admiralty ordering the manning and storing of a large number of ships in preparation for war. Sutton was posted to the 32-gun frigate HMS Iphigenia on 22 June 1790 as signal officer to Captain Patrick Sinclair, and served for a while with Lord Howe's fleet. The easing of tensions after the crisis passed led to a draw-down in the navy, and Sutton came ashore again on 7 February 1791.

French Revolution.

The tensions leading up to the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars provided another opportunity for employment, and Sutton joined the 74-gun HMS Culloden on 3 January, which was serving in the Channel as the flagship of Sir Thomas Rich. Sutton transferred to the 74-gun HMS Mars under Captain Sir Charles Cotton in November 1794, and in June 1795 was involved in Admiral William Cornwallis's successful retreat from a superior French force led by Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse. The Mars as the rear-most ship bore the brunt of the French fire, but suffered only 12 wounded. Cornwallis brought his fleet about to rescue Cotton, causing Villaret de Joyeuse to believe that Cornwallis had reinforcements nearby, and so broke off the pursuit. .
Sutton was promoted to commander on 1 September 1795 and was given the 16-gun sloop HMS Martin for service off West Africa and in the North Sea. While in the North Sea in 1797 his duties included transporting the Duc d'Angoulême, the future Charles X of France from Leith to Cuxhaven. His good service brought him a quick promotion to post-captain, on 27 June 1797, but left him without a ship for over a year. He returned to sea on 3 September 1798 as flag captain to Sir Richard Onslow aboard the 74-gun HMS Monarch, the ship he had entered the service on twenty-one years earlier as an able seaman under Rowley. Sutton was transferred to the 90-gun HMS Prince on 13 March 1799, becoming flag captain to his old commander, now rear-admiral, Sir Charles Cotton. He remained with Prince until being transferred to the 32-gun HMS Alcmene on 23 February 1801.

Copenhagen and Nelson.

Alcmene was one of the ships assigned to Admiral Sir Hyde Parker's expeditionary force to the Baltic in 1801. Sutton commanded her as part of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson's force at the Battle of Copenhagen. The frigates engaged the Trekroner fortress during the battle, before obeying Parker's signal to withdraw, an order Nelson ignored. After the battle Nelson appointed Sutton to command the 38-gun HMS Amazon, whose captain, Edward Riou, had been killed in the battle. Sutton remained serving in the Baltic as Nelson's flag captain, returning him to Britain and continuing to serve under him during Nelson's period in charge of the anti-invasion defences. Nelson went ashore in October 1802, after which Sutton took Rear-Admiral John Borlase Warren to St Petersburg.

HMS Victory.

Sutton stepped down from the command of Amazon in November 1802, and by early 1803 had been assigned to take over the command of the 100-gun first rate HMS Victory.
Nelson arrived at Portsmouth on 18 May and hoisted his flag aboard her, but Victory had been assigned to Admiral William Cornwallis in the Channel, and was not ready for sea. Nelson struck his flag two days later, and immediately took passage for the Mediterranean aboard Thomas Hardy's HMS Amphion, leaving Sutton to finish preparing Victory and deliver her to Cornwallis.Nelson left orders that if Cornwallis did not want her for his flagship, Sutton was to proceed onwards to join him in the Mediterranean. Sutton joined Cornwallis off Ushant, whereupon Cornwallis ordered him on to Nelson. Sutton and the Victory sailed to rendezvous with Nelson off Cape Sicie, and while doing so, came across the French frigate Embuscade on 28 May as the latter was entering the Bay of Biscay after a journey from the West Indies. Embuscade, a former British ship, attempted to escape, but could not outrun the newly refitted Victory and was forced to surrender without a shot being fired. Sutton took possession of her, and then continued on his way, joining the Mediterranean Fleet in late July, whereupon Nelson hoisted his flag on her. He brought Hardy with him as his flag captain, while Sutton took command of Hardy's former ship, Amphion.

Mediterranean.

Sutton remained in the Mediterranean with Nelson's fleet, initially patrolling off Toulon, before transferring to Cadiz. On 3 October 1804 Amphion was one of four frigates sent to intercept four Spanish frigates approaching Cadiz with a large cargo of specie. The British ships, consisting of Amphion, HMS Indefatigable, HMS Lively and HMS Medusa, sighted the Spanish early on the morning of 5 October, and gave chase. The Spanish were hailed, but refused to surrender to the British, and fighting broke out. After a short but fierce action, one Spanish ship blew up and the other three struck their colours. The Amphion had three wounded in the action. The treasure recovered from the three surviving ships was valued at £1,000,000, but its seizure contributed to the Spanish decision to ally with France and declare war on Britain.

West Indies, retirement, and later life.

Sutton and the Amphion remained with Nelson's fleet into 1805, and took part in the Trafalgar Campaign, chasing Villeneuve's forces to the West Indies and back. Sutton was in poor health by the time the fleet returned to anchor off Lisbon in October, and Nelson sent Sutton ashore to recuperate, replacing him with William Hoste as commander of Amphion. Sutton was rich from the prize money of the captured Spanish ships, and appears to have retired ashore, never serving at sea again. He served as a magistrate and a deputy lieutenant for the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and was promoted to rear-admiral on 19 July 1821. Samuel Sutton died at Ditchingham, Norfolk in June 1832 at the age of 72.

Rob

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Captain Jonas Rose.


Just for a change I have a portrait but very little information on this Captain excepting that he was Captain of the Agamemnon when it sank and was never employed again in the service thereafter, even though at the court-martial for the loss of Agamemnon which was held at Rio de Janeiro on 22 July 1809, aboard HMS Bedford, it was found that the ship might have been saved if she had not been in such poor general condition, and Captain Rose was honourably acquitted.

1779/10/09		Lieutenant
1795/08/01		Commander
1795/08/01	1797/11	Esperance, as Commanding Officer
1799/07	1799/11/17	Espion, as Commanding Officer
1801/01/01		Captain
1801/01/01	1801	Shannon, as Commanding Officer
1801/03	1804/12	Jamaica, as Commanding Officer
1801/04/02		Battle of Copenhagen
1801/08/04	1801/08/16	Attacks on Boulogne
1804/11	1806/06	Circe, as Commanding Officer
1807		Ethalion, as Commanding Officer
1807	1809/06/16	Agamemnon, as Commanding Officer

Jonas Rose married a Frances Dale on the 14th May 1768 at St Andrew Undercroft, in the City of London.

Details of his death.

Captain Jonas Rose,
Birth About 1758,
Death 21st July 1820

Rob.

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Captain William Boulton.

1777-1830, the eldest son of the Rev. William Bolton, Rector of Hollesby, co. Suffolk, and of Brancaster, in Norfolk; brother of Thomas Bolton, Esq.
He was married to Catherine Bolton, daughter of Susanna Nelson (sister to Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson of Trafalgar fame). Under Nelson's command, his naval career commenced in 1793. By 1795, he had become a midshipman in the 32-gun frigate HMS Blanche in which he continued until 1797. rising to the rank of Lieutenant.

Copenhagen.

He commanded the sloop Arrow at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801),
He was advanced to the rank of Commander in 1801, appointed to the Childers sloop Of war in 1803
In May, 1803, Captain Bolton acted as proxy for Lord Nelson at his installation as a K.B., and on that occasion received the honor of knighthood.
He was posted April 10, 1805. in command of HMS Eurydice (this was the first ship in which Fletcher Christian, later of HMS Bounty under Captain Bligh, served in 1783).

Captain Bolton subsequently commanded the Eurydice, Druid, Endymion, and Forth frigates, on the Mediterranean, Irish, Channel, and North American stations. Among the captures made by him in those ships were le Basque, French national brig, of 16 guns and 112 men, laden with flour, &c. for the relief of Guadaloupe; le Milan, privateer, of 14 guns and 80 men; and the Regent, American letter of marque, of 5 guns and 35 men.

Sir William Boulton died in Cossey, Norfolk on 16 Dec 1830.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Captain John Ferris Devonshire.

All I can find on this officer is this account from the early 1800s.

This officer was made a Lieutenant by Sir John Jervis, into the Terpsichore of 32 guns, during the West India campaign in 1794. He subsequently served in succession on the Halifax, Leeward Islands, North Sea, and Mediterranean stations.
Early in Oct. 1796, the Terpichore was despatched from Gibraltar to inform the commander-in-chief, of the squadron under Rear-Admiral Mann having been chased thither by the Spanish fleet. On her return she fell in with, and captured an enemy’s frigate of far superior force. The particulars of the action, with its splendid result, we here submit to our readers in the words of her gallant commander, Captain Richard Bowen, who unfortunately fell at Teneriffe in the following year.

Gibraltar, Oct. 23, 1796.

“Sir,– On the morning of the 13th inst., at day-light, we discovered a frigate to windward, standing towards us. About eight I could perceive her making every preparation for battle, and she was then apparently in chase of us; our situation altogether was such as to prevent my being over desirous of engaging her: out of our small complement of men, (215) we had left 30 at the hospital, and we had more than that number still on board on our sick and convalescent lists, all of whom were either dangerously ill, or extremely weak. We were scarcely out of sight of the spot where we knew the Spanish fleet had been cruising only two days before, and in fact we had stood on to look for them, with a view of ascertaining their movements; a small Spanish vessel, which we conjectured to be a sort of tender, was passing us, steering towards Carthagena; so that I could hardly flatter myself with being able to bring the frigate off, in the event of a victory, or of even escaping myself if disabled. On the other hand, it appeared that nothing but a flight and superior sailing could enable me to avoid an action; and to do that from a frigate apparently not much superior to us, except iu point of bulk, would have been committing the character of one of his Majesty’s ships more than I could bring myself to resolve on. I therefore continued standing on, without any alteration of our course. Having, with infinite satisfaction and comfort to myself, commanded the Terpsichore’s crew for two years and a half, through a pretty considerable variety of services, I well knew the veteran stuff which I had still left in health to depend upon, for upholding the character of British seamen; and I felt my mind at ease as to the termination of any action with the frigate in sight only. At half-past nine she came within hail, and hauled her wind on our weather beam; as I conceived she only waited to place herself to advantage, and to point her guns with exactness, and being myself unwilling to lose the position we were then in, I ordered one gun to be fired, as a trier of her intention. It was so instantaneously returned, and followed up by her whole broadside, that I am confident they must have done it at the sight of our flash. The action of course went on, and we soon discovered that her people would not, or could not resist our fire. At the end of about an hour and forty minutes, during which time we had twice wore, and employed about twenty of the last minutes in chase, she surrendered. At this period she appeared almost entirely disabled, and we had drawn close up alongside with every gun well charged and pointed. It was nevertheless with considerable difficulty that I prevailed on the Spanish commander to decline receiving such a broadside, by submitting; and from every thing I have since heard, the personal courage, conduct, and zeal of that officer, whose name is Don Thomas Agalde, was such during the action, notwithstanding the event of it, as reflects on him the greatest honor, and irresistibly impressed on my mind the highest admiration of his character. After (from the effect of our fire) his booms had tumbled down, and rendered his waste guns unserviceable, all the standing rigging of his lower masts shot away, and I believe every running rope cut through, and a great number of his people killed and wounded, he still persevered, though he could rally but few of his men, to defend his ship, almost longer than defence was justifiable. Had there been the smallest motion in the sea, every mast must inevitably have gone by the board. Our loss^[2] has been much less than could have been expected; but our masts, sails, and rigging, were found to be pretty much cut up. The spirited exertions of every officer, man, and boy, belonging to the ship I command, as well in the action as in securing the two disabled ships, and bringing them off instantly from a critical situation, by taking the prize in tow, and by their incessant labour ever since, will, I trust, when their small number is considered, place them in a light superior to any praise I could bestow. I am even unwilling to speak of the particular conduct of any of the officers; but the talents displayed by the first Lieutenant, Devonshire, who was but just out of the sick list, during the action, added to his uncommon fatigue in taking care of the prize, and the very able manner in which he conducted and prepared to defend her, entitle him to this distinction, and prove him highly deserving of the recommendation you gave him with his appointment in the West Indies; and although I had rather any other person should observe the conduct of a brother of mine in action, and speak of it afterwards, yet I feel it my duty, as Captain of the ship, to state that I thought Mr. Bowen’s conduct was particularly animating to the ship’s company, and useful, from the number of guns he saw well-pointed in the course of the action; added to which, from the absence of the first Lieutenant on board the prize, the labouring oar of this ship has fallen on him, and, in my mind, the task we have had, has been infinitely more arduous than the action itself^[3]. The name of the prize is the Mahonesa, carrying on the main-deck twenty-six Spanish 12-pounders, weighing 18 ounces more than ours; 8 Spanish sixes on the quarter-deck, and a number of brass cohorns, swivels, &c.; had on board 275 men, besides six pilots, qualified for the Mediterranean as high as Leghorn, and to be put on board Admiral Langara’s fleet, which she had been sent from Carthagena to look for. She was built in 1789, at Mahon; is of very large dimensions, measuring 1114½ tons (Spanish); was before the action in complete good condition; and is considered by the Spanish officers the fastest sailer, one of the best constructed, and what they attach considerable importance to, the handsomest frigate in their navy. Both the ships have this moment anchored in safety. I am, &c.

(Signed)“richard Bowen.”

“Mahonesa, by the best accounts I have been able to collect, had about 30 killed or died of their wounds the day of the action, and about the same number wounded, several of whom are since dead.
“R. B.”

In consequence of the well-merited commendation bestowed in the above letter, the Admiralty promoted Lieutenant Devonshire to the rank of Commander. His post commission, dated April 27, 1801, was given him as a reward for his gallant conduct when commanding the Dart sloop of war, attached to Lord Nelson’s division, in the battle off Copenhagen. The Dart on that occasion had a Lieutenant and 2 men killed, and 1 man wounded. During the late war he commanded several line-of-battle ships, but does not appear to have had any opportunity of further distinguishing himself.

Agents.– Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son.


Rob.

[Bligh]

Captain James Brisbane.

James Brisbane was born in 1774, the son of Admiral John Brisbane and the younger brother of future Admiral Charles Brisbane. In 1787 Brisbane went to sea aboard HMS Culloden and by 1794 he was signal midshipman aboard Lord Howe's flagship HMS Queen Charlotte.

The Glorious First of June.

Brisbane served in this capacity at the Glorious First of June, where Queen Charlotte was heavily engaged and badly damaged. In the aftermath of the battle, Brisbane was promoted to lieutenant and was sent to the Cape of Good Hope, later joining George Elphinstone's flagship HMS Monarch and being present at the surrender of a Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay.
Brisbane was promoted to commander and given command of one of the captured Dutch ships, the sloop Sireene, which the Royal Navy renamed Daphne. When he she reached Plymouth in September 1797 the Navy paid-off Daphne and Brisbane was put on half-pay.
Brisbane remained on half-pay until 1800; he married Jemima Ann Ventham shortly before he returned to sea in command of HMS Cruizer.

Copenhagen.

Cruizer was attached to Sir Hyde Parker's Baltic fleet on commissioning and Brisbane came under the direct command of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who used Cruizer to take soundings and make charts of the approaches to Copenhagen prior to the British attack on the city at the Battle of Copenhagen. Brisbane impressed his superiors in this duty and in 1801 was made a post captain and commanded HMS Saturn under Admiral Thomas Totty until the admiral's death.
Between 1803 and 1805, Brisbane commanded the Kent sea fencibles and in 1807 took command of HMS Alcmene off Ireland. In 1809, he moved to HMS Belle Poule, and commanded her in the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea in the early stages of the Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814. There Brisbane captured the French frigate Var off Valona. He later participated in the capture of several of the Ionian Islands and remained in the region until 1811, becoming an expert in coastal operations.
In late 1811 Brisbane took command of Vengeur, and stayed with her for a year. He then transferred to the command of the newly built HMS Pembroke in the Channel Fleet. In 1813 he returned to the Mediterranean, where he remained for the rest of the war.
In 1816, Pembroke was attached to the force under Lord Exmouth that bombarded Algiers and on his return home, Brisbane was knighted. He was already a Companion of the Order of the Bath, having been admitted to the order in 1815.
In 1825, Brisbane was made commander-in-chief of the East Indies Station and sailed there as commodore, arriving in 1826 and taking part in the latter stages of the First Anglo-Burmese War, in which he had some success in riverine operations. During the campaign however he contracted a fatal illness and died from it at Penang in Malaya late in 1826.

Brisbane was remembered as a popular and capable commander whose expertise was focused on coastal and riverine operations, which he conducted with success throughout his career.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Captain John Conn.

(c. 5 August 1764 – 4 May 1810) was a senior captain in the Royal Navy, whose career, which included service at the battles of the Saintes, the Glorious First of June, Copenhagen and Trafalgar, ended in a shipboard accident before he could reap the rewards of his long service. Conn could also claim membership of Nelson's "Band of Brothers", a clique of dashing naval officers who participated in Nelson's campaigns during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a close friendship with the admiral himself, who once said: "A better or more zealous officer than Captain Conn is not in His Majesty's service."
Born to a Royal Navy warrant officer of Irish extraction, also named John Conn, he was baptised at Stoke Damerel, Devon, on 5 August 1764. Conn first went to sea in 1778, aged thirteen, aboard on his father's ship Weazel, before securing a place on Arrogant as a midshipman, and in which he saw action at the battle of the Saintes in April 1782.

Promotion.

In 1788 he was made a lieutenant, but had to wait five years before being given a good position, using the intervening time to get married to Margaret Nelson, a vicar's daughter.

The Glorious First of June.

Serving aboard the flagship Royal Sovereign at the Glorious First of June, he came to the attention of Admiral Lord Howe. He commissioned the 12-gun gun vessel Staunch in June 1797 but left her a year later. He then further distinguished himself in October 1798 in Foudroyant at the battle of Donegal, which resulted in the destruction of a French invasion fleet headed for Ireland. He was promoted to commander on 11 August 1800 and took command of the bomb vessel Discovery.

Copenhagen.

At the first battle of Copenhagen his expertise caused terrible damage to the Danish fleet. Next, he participated in Nelson's bold but disastrous attack on the French invasion force in Boulogne shortly afterwards, commanding the division of gun-boats, and gaining his commanding officer's attention and respect.
Conn received promotion to post-captain on 29 August 1802 and took command of Culloden. His nine-year-old son Henry joined him on Culloden. Conn then transferred to the French prize Canopus and joined Nelson in the Mediterranean at Nelson's request.

Trafalgar.

In 1805 Conn was given temporary command of the first rate flagship Victory and his old ship Royal Sovereign whilst their commanders were on leave; his performance further contributed to his reputation as a reliable and steady officer. On 10 October he returned the Royal Sovereign to Admiral Collingwood and took command of the fast new second rate Dreadnought.
Eleven days later Conn and his crew were thrown into battle as the Franco-Spanish fleet attempted to break out of Cadiz. Situated halfway down Collingwood's division, Conn struggled to reach the action, only getting there around the time Nelson was mortally wounded in the northern division. Making up for the delay, Dreadnought tangled with the Spanish ship San Juan Nepomuceno, rescuing the battered Bellerophon, killing the Spanish captain Cosmé Damián Churruca and forcing his ship to surrender. Charging on from this victory, the Dreadnought engaged the Spanish flagship Principe de Asturias, mortally wounding the Spanish admiral Gravina, but being unable to defeat the enemy, which succeeded in escaping back to Cadiz. Conn even managed to rescue his prize, the San Juan Nepomuceno being one of only four captured enemy ships to survive the storm.
Following the battle, in which Dreadnought suffered 33 casualties, Conn continued in service taking over the massive 112 gun San Josef and then the 120 gun Hibernia as flag captain before moving as a commodore to the West Indies in Swiftsure in 1810. Admiral's rank and the honours which came with it were surely not far away when tragedy struck on 4 May when during the chase of a small French ship near Bermuda, Conn became over-eager, slipped and fell overboard. Swiftsure was halted and a search was conducted, but Conn had drowned before help arrived. His passing was mourned in Britain and especially in the Navy where he was a popular and respected figure. Sir John Borlase Warren, an old commander and friend, expressed regret at the death of "so deserving an officer as Captain Conn."

Rob.

[Bligh]

Cmdr. John Henry Martin.

John Henry Martin, who sailed on Cook’s Third Voyage, was born about 1753, most probably in Pembrokeshire in west Wales and possibly in Manorbier. Martin went to sea and had nearly five and a half years’ service on Royal Navy vessels before joining Cook. He began in Peggy, an 8-gun sloop, serving for a year as a midshipman. This year probably began in 1765 under Commander James O’Hara. It was followed by three months in Yarmouth, a 3rd rate, which at the beginning of 1767 was acting as a guard ship at Sheerness. The captain was James Gambier.

Seven Year's War.

HMS Romney was re-commissioned in March 1767 by Captain John Corner. Martin joined her as a midshipman and together they sailed to North America in May 1767. Romney flew the pennant of Samuel Hood. Martin served for two and a half years in Romney in American waters. Captain Hyde Parker was briefly in command. Martin then spent a year and a half in Bonetta, a 10 gun sloop under Commander James Wallace, again as a midshipman.

Cook's voyage.

Martin re-joined James O’Hara (now a captain) on HMS Alderney for three months as an AB in about 1772. He appears to then have had a break of several years from active service before he joined Cook’s expedition on 6 March 1776 as an AB in Discovery. Shortly after the ship sailed, Clerke had him rated as a midshipman. He remained in Discovery as such until late October 1777. On the 30th at Huahine, a local who had been in custody escaped, and William Harvey who had been on watch was dis-rated to midshipman. As a result, Martin was promoted in his place and transferred to Resolution.
Martin was involved on 1 March 1779 at Kauai when James King and two other men were scrambling to reach a pinnace and reach ships. Martin was in charge of the pinnace and fired muskets, killing one Hawaiian.

During the voyage, Martin kept a journal. Beaglehole described it thus: “Martin’s entries are not long, even at their longest; but he seems to have looked at life for himself.”


Promotion.

After the voyage, Martin sat his lieutenant’s examination on 19 October 1780 and received his commission on 11 December. He was immediately posted to HMS Union, a 2nd rate captained by John Dalrymple operating as part of the western squadron.

Other details of his naval career are sketchy. He probably served in 1795 in HMS Syren and in 1797 in HMS Melampus, both times under Captain Graham Moore. Martin was made a commander on 17 February 1800.

He was given command of HMS Xenophon for operations in the North Sea in 1800. However, he was relieved of this position when that ship was selected for use as Matthew Flinders’ expedition to Australia. Flinders wrote, “On the 19th of January 1801, a commission was signed by the Admiralty appointing me lieutenant of his Majesty’s sloop Investigator, to which the name of the ship, heretofore known as Xenophon, was changed by this commission; and captain John Henry Martin having received orders to consider himself superseded, I took command at Sheerness on the 25th.”

Copenhagen.

Instead Martin was given command of HMS Explosion, a bomb ship, in Admiral Nelson’s squadron. He took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801 and also in the unsuccessful attack on Boulogne in August 1801.

Martin married, and he and his wife had a son, Henry Owen Martin, born about 1805. However, this wife must have died as Martin was married to a much younger woman called Margaret when he died in 1823.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Cmdr. Richard Hatherill.

This is all the information that I can find on this Officer.

1794/10/18		Lieutenant
1801/01/13		Commander
1801/01/13	1803/05	Hecla, as Commanding Officer
1801/04/02		Battle of Copenhagen
1802/04/29		Captain

Richard Hatherill was buried in Queenborough, Kent on 15 November 1804.


Rob.

[Bligh]

These are the only known details for this officer.

Cmdr. Hender Whitter.

DATE	TO	EVENT
1794/02/08		Lieutenant
1801/01/01		Commander
1801/01/01	1803/05	Sulphur, as Commanding Officer
1801/04/02		Battle of Copenhagen
1806/01/22		Captain
1807/03	1808	Garland, as Commanding Officer

[Bligh]

Cmdr. Samuel Campbell Rowley.

He was born 19 Jan. 1774. He was third son of the late Clotworthy Rowley, Esq., Barrister-at-Law, and M.P. for Downpatrick, by Letitia, daughter and co-heir (with her sister, the late Lady de Clifford) of Sam. Campbell, Esq., of Mount Campbell, co. Leitrim; brother of Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, Bart., G.C.B., G.C.H.; and first-cousin of Admiral Sir Chas. Rowley, Bart., G.C.B., G.C.H.
This officer (who had been educated at the Royal Naval Academy) embarked, 10 March, 1789, as a Volunteer, on board the Blonde, Capt. Affleck, in which vessel he served for nearly three years and a half on the West India station.

French Revolution.

In the course of 1793 he became attached in succession to the Alligator 28, Capt. Affleck, Romulus, Capt. Sutton, Sceptre, Capt. Dacres, and Boyne, bearing the flag of Sir John Jervis. On his arrival in the latter ship in the West Indies he was made Lieutenant, 30 Jan. 1794, into the Vengeance 74, Commodore Chas. Thompson. In the following summer, after he had served on shore at the capture of the French islands, he returned to England in the Reprisal, Capt. Jas. Young.
On the night of 10 April, 1795, a few weeks prior to which he had joined the Astraea of 32 guns and 212 men, Capt. Lord Henry Paulet, he assisted at the capture of the French frigate La Gloire of 42 guns and 275 men, 40 of whom, in the course of a spirited action of 58 minutes, were killed and wounded, with a loss to the British of not more than 8 wounded. In the course of the same year he took part in Lord Bridport’s encounter with the French fleet off the Ile de Groix. He continued serving in the Astraea in the Channel, West Indies, and North Sea, until made Commander, 6 April, 1799, into the Terror bomb.

Copenhagen.

Having fought in that vessel at the battle of Copenhagen, 2 April, 1801, Capt. Rowley was advanced, 29 April, 1802, to Post-rank.

His subsequent appointments were – 7 Jan. 1811, to the Venerable 74, lying at Spithead – 14 Feb. following, to the Laurel 38, in which ship, after visiting St. Helena, he was wrecked on the Govivas Rock, in the Teigneuse Passage, 31 Jan. 1812 – 24 March, 1815, for nine months, to the Inpregnable 104, bearing the flag of his brother, Sir Josias Rowley, on the coast of France and in the Mediterranean – 28 Sept. 1818, to the Spencer 76, flag-ship of the same officer at Cork, where he remained for three years – and 15 Sept. 1830, to the Wellesley 74, employed on particular service. He paid the latter ship off early in 1832, and attained Flag-rank 10 Jan. 1837.
Rear-Admiral Rowley, a Magistrate for co. Leitrim, was presented, in 1819, with the freedom of the city of Cork in a silver box.

He married first, 16 Sept. 1805, Mary, daughter of ?? Thompson, Esq., of White Park, co. Fermanagh; and, that lady dying in 1821, secondly, 4 Nov. 1830, Mary Frances, only daughter of Edm. Cronyn, Esq., of Newton, co. Kilkenny.

Rowley died on the 28th of January, 1846.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Cmdr. James Watson.

He entered the naval service in 1776; serving during the American war of Independence and received his first commission in May 1782. He was wrecked on Yarmouth Sands, while commanding the Mastiff gun-brig, Jan. 5, 1800. Being honorably acquitted of all blame on that occasion, he was immediately afterwards appointed to the Kent 74, bearing the flag of Lord Duncan; and at a subsequent period to command the Saxe Cobourg cutter, on the North Sea station, in which vessel he continued until his promotion to the rank of Commander, in Jan. 1801, During the remainder of the French revolutionary war he commanded the Bomb Ketch Volcano, also his ship during the action at Copenhagen.

He was subsequently promoted to Post Captain in 1806.

Watson died on the 22nd of December, 1842.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Cmdr. Edward Sneyd Clay.


Clay was born c. 1768 and entered the Navy towards the end of the American War of Independence, on 15 April 1783. He was initially a midshipman aboard the 74-gun HMS Hector, under Captain Sir John Hamilton, but later moved to a number of different ships after the end of the war. In the years of peace between 1783 and 1792, Clay served in succession on the Home, West India and Mediterranean stations. He was first aboard the 50-gun HMS Europa, the flagship of Vice-Admiral James Gambier, but moved to the yacht HMY Catherine under Captain Sir George Young, the 38-gun HMS Phaeton under Captain George Dawson, and the 32-gun HMS Solebay under Captain William Squire.

The French Revolution.

By September 1793, after the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Clay was serving aboard the 74-gun HMS Alcide, under Captain Robert Linzee.
Clay saw action aboard Alcide in the Mediterranean, and was present at the occupation and siege of Toulon. Linzee later was posted as a commodore, and Alcide supported the operations to capture Corsica, working alongside Corsican General Pasquale Paoli.


Promotion.

Clay was promoted to lieutenant during these operations, on 19 May 1794, and was appointed to the 20-gun sloop HMS Mulette, at first under Captain Joseph Bullen, and later under Captain Richard Goddard. He then moved to the 74-gun HMS Magnificent, which was then being commanded by Clay's old captain, William Squire. Clay soon changed ships, serving aboard the 74-gun HMS Montagu under Captain John Knight. Then the 74-gun HMS Venerable.

Camperdown.

Venerable was at this time the flagship of Admiral Adam Duncan, commander of The Downs squadron. On 11 October 1797 Duncan's fleet engaged a Dutch fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan Willem de Winter and decisively defeated it at the Battle of Camperdown. Venerable was heavily engaged in the fighting, losing 13 seamen and two marines, and having a further 62 men wounded. Clay was one of the two of Venerable's lieutenants wounded, apparently severely. He nevertheless recovered and resumed his service, joining Duncan's new flagship, the 74-gun HMS Kent. Aboard the Kent he was involved in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland, and was chosen by Duncan to deliver his despatches detailing the successful invasion to Britain. In his despatch Duncan advised the Lords of the Admiralty to apply for any further details they required to Lieutenant Clay, describing him as 'an intelligent and deserving officer'.

Command.

The deliverer of important despatches was usually marked out for special favour by the Admiralty, and Clay's reward was a promotion to be master and commander of the bomb vessel HMS Zebra on 3 December 1799. He spent 1800 serving in the North Sea, and the following year was assigned to the fleet dispatched to Copenhagen under Vice-Admiral Archibald Dickson to support a diplomatic mission led by Lord Whitworth. The subsequent negotiations over matters such as Britain's position on the searching of neutral warships for contraband, ended in Britain's favour, given that Whitworth was backed up by a strong force, and the Danes had not yet completed fortifying their capital. The Danes remained disgruntled, and by early 1801 had concluded a treaty with Russia and Sweden to form the League of Armed Neutrality.

Copenhagen.

Concerned by these developments, the British dispatched a fleet under Sir Hyde Parker to take action against the members of the league. Zebra was again sent out to the Baltic, and took part in the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801.

After serving on this station, Clay was promoted to post-captain on 29 April 1802. He served from 20 July 1805 until May 1808 as the Regulating Officer at Belfast, and then joined the 98-gun HMS St George as her commanding officer. During this time St George was the flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey.
Clay then moved to take command of the 98-gun HMS Temeraire on 6 February 1809, with orders to return to the Baltic as the flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Manley Dixon. War had broken out with the Danes after the Second Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, and a British fleet was stationed in the Baltic under Sir James Saumarez. Temeraire arrived in May 1809 and was sent to blockade Karlskrona on the Swedish coast.

Temeraire carried out several patrols, including one with the 64-gun HMS Ardent and the frigate HMS Melpomene. During this patrol the Melpomene was attacked by a flotilla of thirty Danish gunboats. Clay immediately dispatched boats to her assistance, which helped to fight off the Danish gunboats, and then towed the damaged frigate to safety. Temeraire's later Baltic service involved being dispatched to observe the Russian fleet at Revel, during which time she made a survey of the island of Nargen. After important blockading and convoy escort work, Temeraire was ordered back to Britain as winter arrived, and she arrived in Plymouth in November 1809. Clay left her at this point and was appointed to the 36-gun HMS Nymphe.

Nymphe and wreck.

Clay had some success against privateers during his time in command, capturing the 2-gun Danish privateer Norwegian Girl on 26 October 1810.

Clay then returned to Leith in December 1810 after a month cruising off the Norwegian coast, in company with the 32-gun HMS Pallas. Returning at night the two frigates had difficulty distinguishing their exact location, and the pilot aboard Nymphe mistook the light of a lime kiln burning at Broxmouth, for the signal light marking the Isle of May.Though the May light was visible, it was instead mistaken for the Bell Rock light. The master of Nymphe agreed with the pilot, with the consequence that both frigates ran aground at the entrance to the Firth of Forth on the night of 18 December, with the Nymphe striking a rock known as the Devil's Ark, near Skethard. Both Pallas and Nymphe had to be abandoned. The crew of Nymphe were taken off without loss of life. Clay received the customary court martial for the loss of his ship. The court acquitted Clay and his officers of blame for the loss, instead placing responsibility on the master, Mr G. Scott and the pilot, Mr C. Gascoigne, determining that they had been 'very incautious', and severely reprimanding both.

Later life.

Clay's final command was a posting to the 64-gun HMS Raisonnable on 16 July 1812, which by this time was a receiving ship at Sheerness Dockyard. He commanded Raisonnable until June 1814, when she was paid off as the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close. He never received another seagoing command, being placed on half-pay in 1823, though he was advanced to flag rank on 10 January 1837. He was restored to full pay in 1840 and was in receipt of a pension for his wounds to the value of £250.

Further promotions followed, until he died holding the rank of rear-admiral of the red on 3 February 1846 at Southwell, Nottinghamshire, at the age of 78. He had been married, though his wife had predeceased him on 20 April 1837.

Rob.

[Bligh]

Cmdr. George M'Kinley.

Born at Devonport, he was the son of a Lieutenant in the R.N. One of his brothers, Samuel, commanded the Comet galley, and died on the American station; and another, John, who served as a Lieutenant under the late Sir Charles. Maurice Pole at the capture of the Santa Catalina Spanish frigate, died off St. Domingo in 1782.
He entered the Navy, on the 5th of August. 1773, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Albion 74, Capts. Hon. James. Barrington and Hon. John Leveson Gower, in which ship, he served until 1777.

American Revolution.

In Jan. 1778 he rejoined the former officer, then a Rear-Admiral, on board the Prince of Wales 98, and sailed for the West Indies, where, on being discharged at the close of the same year into the Ceres sloop, commanded by Capt. James. Richard. Dacres, he was captured, while holding the rating of Midshipman, by the French frigate Iphigénie.
Regaining his liberty in the early part of 1779, he served during the next three years, still on the West India station, in the Surprise, Alcmene frigate (which he had assisted in taking from the French), and Belliqueux 64, all commanded by Capt. James Brine, whom he fought under in the latter ship in the actions of 29th of April and 5th of Sept. 1781, off Martinique and the Chesapeake, and also in the Barfleur 98, bearing the flag of Sir Samuel. Hood.

Promotion.

On 14th of January. 1782 M‘Kinley was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Stormont sloop, but that vessel being captured before he could join her he returned to the Barfleur, and was in consequence present in the actions of 9th and 12th of April, and at the capture, on 19th of the same month, of the enemy’s ships Jason, Caton, Almable, and Ceres, in the Mona passage. On the date last mentioned he exchanged into the Champion 24, Capt. Alexander Hood, with whom, in July, 1783, he returned home from America in L'Aimable frigate. Between April, 1784, and Aug. 1791, he was serving on the Newfoundland and Home stations in the Thorn sloop, Capt. William Lechmere, Edgar 74, Capt. Adam Duncan, Trimmer 16, Capt. Charles Tyler, and Illustrious 74 and Formidable 98, bearing each the flag of Hon. J. L. Gower. When in the Trimmer in 1787, M‘Kinley was sent in pursuit of a smuggler in the jolly-boat, and during an absence of 30 hours without food was caught in a heavy gale and all but lost.
His first appointment, on leaving the Formidable was on the 1st of Dec. 1792, to the Alcide 74, Captain (afterwards Commodore and Rear-Admiral) Robert Linzee; previously to accompanying whom, in 1794, in the Windsor Castle 98, he participated in two unsuccessful attacks upon the tower of Mortella in the island of Corsica.
Assuming command, in March, 1795, after four months of half-pay, of the Liberty cutter, he cruised for upwards of three years in her on the Channel station, and on the 17th of March, 1796, gained the particular notice of Sir William Sidney Smith by the "gallant and judicious manner in which, having entered the harbour of Herqui in company with the Diamond frigate and Aristocrat lugger, he went into action with the corvette Etourdie, of 16 guns, preparatory to her destruction."
On 16th of May, 1798, M‘Kinley was promoted to the command of the Otter fire-ship. In the following year, being ordered to accompany the expedition to Holland, he witnessed the surrender of Rear-Admiral Storey’s squadron in the Texel, and was placed in charge of the town of Enkuysen, with a detachment of marines, where he remained until the evacuation of the Den Helder and the removal of the British naval force from the Zuyder Zee.

Copenhagen.

On the 2nd of April, 1801, immediately after the battle of Copenhagen, during which the Otter had formed part of the light squadron attached to Lord Nelson’s division, Capt. M‘Kinley was nominated to the temporary command of the Bellona 74, whose Captain, Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, had lost a leg in the action.

As soon as he had refitted that ship he was superseded and sent in charge of the Ardent 64 to England On the 20th of Oct following, and the day he was confirmed as Post Captain, he sailed for the West Indies in the Pelican sloop with despatches relative to the treaty of Amiens. Immediately on his arrival, he took command of the Abergavenny 54, and was subsequently appointed on the 23rd of July, 1802, to the Ganges 74, in which ship he returned home via Halifax on the11th of July, 1803 His next command was the roebuck 44, employed at first as a guard-ship at Leith (where the explosion of a powder-horn, while on duty, deprived him of sight for several weeks), and then as flagship to Rear-Admiral Billy Douglas in Yarmouth Roads. On the 23rd of Jan. 1806, he transferred to the Quebec 32, stationed off the coast of Holland and on the 20th of May following, to the Lively 38. On the 19th of April, 1811, he took command of the San Josef 110, bearing the flag in the Mediterranean and Channel of Sir Charles Cotton, with whom he continued until his commander's death in February. 1812. On the 5 May that year, he transferred to the Bellona74 once more, in which he cruised off the Scheldt, made a voyage to St. Helena, and served with the Channel fleet – and (after an interval of nine months), 21 Nov. 1814, and 26 Aug. 1815, he moved first to the Namur and then Bulwark, both 74’s, as Flag-Captain to Sir Charles Rowley in the River Medway.

The Peninsular War.

During his command of the Lively, Capt. M‘Kinley was for some time Senior officer on the Lisbon station, where he rendered an essential service in rescuing the British merchants and all the English merchant-vessels lying in the Tagus, at a time when General Junot was rapidly approaching with a powerful French army to take possession of the Portuguese capital. His conduct, indeed, afforded so much satisfaction to the merchants that they united in presenting him with a piece of plate. In Jan. 1808 the Lively conveyed Rear-Admiral William Albany Otway to the squadron employed in the blockade of Lisbon; and then went on a cruise off the Western Islands. After the convention of Cintra, M‘Kinley was sent into the Tagus, with orders to take charge of the naval arsenal, which he retained until it was delivered over to the Portuguese authorities. He subsequently cruised off Oporto, and received the thanks of the merchants there for his exertions in clearing the river Douro of all the British shipping prior to the French entering that city. In March, 1809, his assistance being solicited by the inhabitants of Galicia, he took an active part in the operations which led to the capture of Vigo and Santiago. On the advance of Marshal Soult towards St. Payo, Capt. M‘Kinley was the means of saving it from capture by effectually destroying the bridge.

In July, 1809, he convoyed a fleet from Lisbon to England; and on 18 Sept. in the same year he contributed to the capture of L’Aurore French lugger-privateer, of 16 guns and 69 men. After lying for a time in the Downs as flag-ship of the late Sir George. Campbell, the Lively, conveyed Sir Charles Cotton to Cadiz in April, 1810. On her return she was ordered to escort the outward bound trade to Portugal and the Mediterranean. After completing this she was unfortunately wrecked on the 10th of August. 1810, on a reef of rocks near Point Coura, in the island of Malta; a disaster of any share in which Capt. M‘Kinley was by court-martial fully acquitted.
He was then appointed, Captain of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich; and in April, 1821, he was nominated Superintendent of the Royal Naval Asylum on the occasion of its incorporation with the former institution. His services in the latter capacity were acknowledged in 1828 by a special increase of £100. per annum to his salary. He became a Rear-Admiral on the 22nd of July, 1830; and attained his ultimate rank of Vice-Admiral on the 23rd of November.1841.

Rob

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Cmdr. Clotworthy Upton.

1795/09/16		Lieutenant
1801/01/01		Commander
1801/01/01	1801/11	Zephyr, as Commanding Officer
1801/04/02		Battle of Copenhagen
1802/04/29		Captain
1804/12	1806	Lapwing, as Commanding Officer
1805/08	1807/07	Aimable, as Commanding Officer
1805/12		Camilla, as Commanding Officer
1807/08	1813/09	Sybille, as Commanding Officer
1807/08/15	1807/09/07	Second Battle of Copenhagen
1813/09	1815/06	Junon, as Commanding Officer
1815		Royal Oak, as Commanding Officer

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Admiral Sir Hyde Parker.

He was born in Devonshire, England, the second son of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet (1714–1782). He entered the Royal Navy at an early age, and became lieutenant on 25 January 1758, having passed most of his early service in his father's ships. On 16 December 1762 was promoted to command the Manila, from which, on 18 July 1763, he was posted to the Baleine.

Seven Years War, and American Revolution.

From 1766 onwards for many years he served in the West Indies and in North American waters, particularly distinguishing himself in breaking the defences of the North River at New York in 1776. His services on this occasion earned him a knighthood in 1779. In 1778 he was engaged in the Savannah expedition, and in the following year his ship was wrecked on the hostile Cuban coast. His men, however, entrenched themselves, and were in the end brought off safely. He became commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands Station in 1779.
Parker was with his father at the Battle of Dogger Bank, and with Richard Howe in the two actions in the Straits of Gibraltar. He reached flag rank on 1 February 1793, the same day that war was declared against the new French Republic. As Rear Admiral, he served under Samuel Hood at Toulon and in Corsica. He was promoted to Vice-Admiral on 4 July 1794 and took part, under The Lord Hotham, in the indecisive fleet actions on 13 March 1795 and 13 July 1795. From 1796 to 1800 he was in command at the Jamaica Station and ably conducted the operations in the West Indies.

Copenhagen.

In 1801 he was appointed to command the fleet destined to break up the northern armed neutrality, with Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson as his second-in-command. Copenhagen, the first objective of the expedition, fell in the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801 to the fierce attack of Nelson's squadron – Parker, with the heavier ships, taking little part due to the shallowness of the channel. At the height of the battle Parker, who was loath to infringe the customary rules of naval warfare, raised the flag to disengage. Famously, Nelson ignored the order from his commander by raising his telescope to his blind eye and exclaiming "I really do not see the signal"(although this is generally accepted to be a myth). Nelson pressed on with the action and ultimately compelled the Danish forces to capitulate. Parker's hesitation to advance up the Baltic Sea after his victory was later severely criticised. Soon afterwards he was recalled and Nelson succeeded him. He died on 16 March 1807.

Character assessment.

In Parker's entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography his biographer Clive Wilkinson writes that until the Copenhagen affair he had "a good professional reputation" but after Copenhagen he was "considered irresolute and dilatory. In Wilson's opinion "As an officer, Parker was an able administrator rather than a great leader and this was to prove a weakness when it came to having both St Vincent as his chief and Nelson as a subordinate"; and that "He was evidently a popular man for as Nelson wrote after Copenhagen:"
We all respect and love Sir Hyde; but the dearer his friends, the more uneasy they have been at his idleness for that is the truth—no criminality. I believe Sir H. P. to be as good a subject as His Majesty has.

Family.

Parker was twice married: first, to Anne, daughter of John Palmer Boteler, and by her had three sons; second, in 1800, he married Frances a daughter of Admiral Sir Sir Richard Onslow, and made their home at the manor house in Benhall on the Suffolk coast.
His first son — the third Hyde Parker (1786–1854) — became a Rear-Admiral in turn on 23 November 1841 and Vice-Admiral on 4 June 1852. From 1853 he served as First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, and died on 25 May 1854. His son Hyde, a captain in the navy, commanded the Firebrand in the Black Sea, and was killed on 8 July 1854 when storming a Russian fort at the mouth of the Danube.
Two other notable family members who fought in the Napoleonic wars are Parker's second son, John Boteler Parker, died a major-general and C.B. in 1851; and the youngest, Harry, a lieutenant in the guards, fell at the Battle of Talavera.

Rob.

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1st Captain William Domett.

Little is known of Domett's birth or upbring, although it is thought he was born in the Hawkchurch, Devon region in 1752. The first solid record of him available was in 1769, when he joined the Navy and appears on the muster books of HMS Quebec, under the patronage of Captain Alexander Hood. Domett spent the next five and a half years in the Mediterranean Sea, leaving Quebec in 1772 and joining HMS Scorpion. In 1775, Domett was briefly attached to HMS Marlborough before joining HMS Surprize on the Newfoundland Station at the start of the American Revolutionary War.

American Revolution.

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Domett was in Surprise when she was at the relief of the Siege of Quebec. As reward for his service in this operations, Admiral John Montagu promoted Domett to lieutenant aboard HMS Romney. Less than a year later, Montagu returned to Britain and brought Domett with him, seconding him to Hood's service. Serving aboard Hood's ship HMS Robust, Domett was in action at the First Battle of Ushant in 1778.

Three years later, Domett was still aboard Robust, and in her took part in the Battle of Cape Henry. A few months later, Domett had moved to HMS Invincible, under Captain Charles Saxton, and was engaged at the Battle of the Chesapeake. Following this action, Domett was again taken from his side to be the aide of an admiral, Admiral Sir Samuel Hood.

Domett acted as his signal lieutenant in HMS Barfleur and in this capacity participated at the Battle of St. Kitts and the Battle of the Saintes. For his services in these actions, Domett became first lieutenant and when, a few months later, Barfleur captured four enemy ships in an action, Domett was given command of the small prize brig Ceres, which he safely brought back to Britain.

Post Captain.

On his return, Domett was made a post captain.
As a captain, Domett was immediately requested by Alexander Hood to be his flag captain in HMS Queen. On board this ship Domett saw out the war, joining Lord Howe's fleet which relieved the Great Siege of Gibraltar and later fought at the Battle of Cape Spartel. The end of the war saw Domett, with many other officers, unemployed and on half-pay.

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Domett's close ties with the Hood family meant that he had good connections, and so in 1786, Domett was given the 24-gun HMS Champion at Leith. Several years later, Domett moved to the HMS Pomone and conducted a year long cruise down the coast of West Africa and through the West Indies.
On his return, Domett was requested by Admiral Mark Milbanke for service in Newfoundland on HMS Salisbury but in 1790 Domett was back in Britain as Hood's captain on HMS London during the Spanish armament.

When this emergency died down, Domett took command of HMS Pegasus and then later he took command of HMS Romney, a ship he had served aboard as a lieutenant, before returning to Hood's service as captain of HMS Royal George in 1803 at the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars.

The Glorious First of June.

Royal George was second flagship of the Channel Fleet, and Lord Howe its overall commander. In 1794, Lord Howe embarked on the Atlantic campaign of May 1794, which ended in the Glorious First of June, at which Domett and Royal George were heavily engaged and the ship badly damaged. Domett remained in command when Hood became Viscount Bridport and served under him again the following year at the Battle of Groix. Domett did not leave Royal George until 1800, the seven years he spent in command being a record in the Channel Fleet at the time.
When Lord St Vincent took command of the Channel Fleet, Domett was initially sceptical of his new commander, but the two soon developed a close working partnership and Domett even retained the flag captaincy over the claims of Sir Thomas Troubridge.

Copenhagen.

When St Vincent stepped down a year later, his replacement Admiral Hyde Parker initially transferred Domett to HMS Belleisle but later changed his mind and made Domett his flag captain on HMS London for the expedition to Copenhagen. At the Battle of Copenhagen, Domett disagreed with Parker's tactical plan and persuaded him to change it, resulting in the attack by Nelson at which the Danish fleet was destroyed. Parker did not credit Domett in the dispatch to the Admiralty and Domett was furious, writing an angry letter to Lord Bridport on the matter. When Nelson replaced Parker, he retained Domett again and when he in turn was replaced by Admiral William Cornwallis, Domett was again flag captain, aboard HMS Ville de Paris.

Retirement.

The Peace of Amiens saw Domett briefly on the Irish station before rejoining Cornwallis at the outbreak of hostilities. In 1804, Domett was made a rear-admiral but refused a seagoing commission due to a sudden deterioration of his health. Instead, he served as one of the commissioners for revising the civil affairs of the navy. Domett was rapidly promoted during the next eight years but was unable to rejoin the fleet at sea, his health remaining too weak for the strain of such service. Instead, Domett joined the board of the Admiralty and continued to serve in an administrative capacity, his frequent bouts of ill-health making service of any kind difficult. In 1813, Domett became Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth but he resigned fifteen months later due to a recurring foot injury which had rendered him lame.
Domett continued to gain rank in retirement, and in 1825 he reached admiral of the white. He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815 and was promoted to Knight Grand Cross in 1820. Domett settled on his estate in Hawkchurch, Devon near the home of Lord Bridport, who had died in 1814. He never married and had no children, but was highly esteemed in the service as a consummate sailor and brave fighter whose extremely long and dedicated sea service had earned him an excellent reputation in the Navy. He died suddenly in 1828 and was buried in the local church.

Rob.

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2nd Captain Robert Walker Otway.

Otway was born in the family home of Castle Otway (now ruined) in Tipperary, Ireland, one of the very large family of Cooke and Elizabeth Otway. One of his younger brothers was Loftus Otway, later a significant army officer of the Peninsular War. Otway however, chose a navy career over his father's objections and became a midshipman in 1784 on the guardship HMS Elizabeth. Between 1785 and 1793, Otway experienced many transfers between ships, mainly operating on frigates in the Mediterranean, West Indies and along the West African Coast. During this time he served on board HMS Phaeton, HMS Trusty and HMS Blonde, making lieutenant in the sloop HMS Falcon.

French Revolutionary Wars.



The eruption of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793 brought Otway back to Europe as lieutenant on the second-rate ship of the line HMS Impregnable with the Channel Fleet. Impregnable was flagship of Rear-Admiral Benjamin Caldwell, who was later to prove an important influence on Otway's career.

The Glorious First of June.

Within a year of joining the large ship, Otway saw his first action in the massive fleet engagement of the Glorious First of June. Otway distinguished himself in the action by going aloft despite the heavy fire of the French fleet to repair the damaged fore topsail yard and thus allow Impregnable to engage the enemy closer.

Promotion.

In the aftermath of the action, Caldwell publicly thanked Otway for his services and appointed him first lieutenant on Caldwell's new flagship, HMS Majestic.
With Majestic in the West Indies as personal favourite of the commander-in-chief, Otway was soon promoted again, becoming commander in early 1795 in command of the brig HMS Thorn. Between 1795 and 1800 as commander of Thorn and subsequently the frigates HMS Mermaid, HMS Ceres and HMS Trent, Otway became one of the most proficient and prolific commerce raiders in the Royal Navy, reputedly capturing or destroying over 200 French and Spanish vessels, making a fortune in prize money in the process. His exploits during this period included destroying, on two separate occasions, the sloops La Belle Créole and Courier National which were on passage to Guadeloupe with orders to massacre the French Royalist population there. He later supported insurgencies in French held Grenada and St. Vincent and also raided La Guayra in Venezuela in an unsuccessful effort to capture the HMS Hermione, whose crew had mutinied, murdered their captain, Hugh Pigot, and turned her over to the Spanish.
Admiral Thomas Ussher, who served under Otway during this period, later reported "that no captain was more attentive to the comfort of his officers and men and that there was so much method in his manner of carrying on the service that, though in a constant state of activity, they had as much leisure as any other ship's company." He also commented that Otway insisted on inspecting every gun aboard after every action and led every coastal raid despite never mentioning this in his dispatches.

Copenhagen.

In 1800, Otway returned to Europe and was made flag captain to Sir Hyde Parker in HMS Royal George and then HMS London. Otway was still at this post when Parker lead a fleet to the Baltic Sea to engage the League of Armed Neutrality which threatened Britain's trade routes in the region and he was an important contributor to the tactical planning of the Battle of Copenhagen. At Copenhagen, Otway's suggestion that Nelson lead the inshore squadron through the Sound yielded immediate results but when Admiral Parker lost his nerve and ordered Nelson to withdraw, the battle seemed in vain. Otway successfully mediated, mitigating the terms of Parker's signal and then taking a boat to Nelson on the HMS Elephant and supporting Nelson's famous "failure" to see the signal.

Napoleonic Wars.


In the aftermath of the victory and the ensuing Peace of Amiens, Otway spent a period ashore in ill-health. During this time he married Clementina Holloway, daughter of Admiral John Holloway, with whom he would have twelve children. By 1804 he was sufficiently recovered to take command of HMS Montagu off Brest under Admiral William Cornwallis and whilst on this duty he participated in a brief artillery duel with the French ship Alexandre during the French attempt to break the blockade in August 1805. The following year he participated in Sir Richard Strachan's operations in the Atlantic to intercept a French squadron eventually apprehended by another British squadron in the West Indies. In 1807, Otway sailed to Calabria to provide material and military aid to partisans and did the same in 1808 in Catalonia at the outbreak of the Peninsular War.
Taking over HMS Malta in 1809, Otway sailed for England before returning to the Mediterranean in the new HMS Ajax. He later commanded HMS Cumberland in the blockade off Toulon but suffered a recurring bout of ill-health in 1811 which necessitated a period in England recovering. He returned to service in 1813 and commanded Adamant at Leith, before returning to Ajax, which he sailed to the Bay of Biscay. The same year he used Ajax's guns to bombard the breaches of the Spanish fortress town of San Sebastian during the British siege.
In 1814, Otway convoyed merchant ships to Quebec and whilst in Canada was dispatched as a rear-admiral on a special commission to prepare the small ships squadron on Lake Champlain. The commission failed and the squadron was totally defeated at the Battle of Lake Champlain in September although Otway was not present.
Brazil and retirement.

In 1818, three years after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, Otway was made commander-in-chief of naval forces at Leith, a commission he performed so well in that in 1826 he was knighted into the Order of the Bath and sent as commander-in-chief to the South American station. There Otway supported the Brazilian forces diplomatically, being presented with the Order of the Southern Cross. In 1829 he returned to Britain and enjoyed a quiet retirement as courtier, holding the office of Groom of the Bedchamber to King William IV. He was also promoted to full admiral and in 1831 made Baronet of Brighton for his services. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1837. He died suddenly in 1846, survived by his wife and eight of their twelve children.

Rob.

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Captain Robert Lambert.

This officer is the eldest son of Robert Lambert, Esq. many years a Captain R.N. He entered the naval service at an early age, and in 1791 was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant by the late Hon. Sir William Cornwallis, in the East Indies. He served as such on board the Barfleur, of 98 guns, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Bowyer, and commanded by the late Lord Collingwood, in the memorable battle of June 1, 1794, after which he was made a Commander, into the Swift sloop of war. From that vessel he removed into the Suffolk, of 74 guns, as Flag-Captain to the late Admiral Rainier, with whom he served at the reduction of Ceylon, Amboyna, Banda, &c. &c. in the years 1795 and 1796.

Promotion to Captain.

His post commission bears date April 11th in 1796.
Captain Lambert continued to command the Suffolk till June, 1798, when ill health compelled him to return to England.

Copenhagen.

His next appointment was to the Saturn, in which ship he accompanied the expedition sent to the Baltic under Sir Hyde Parker, in 1801. On his return from that station, he joined the Alcmene frigate, and was employed during the remainder of the war in affording protection to the Halifax, Newfoundland, and Lisbon trade.
Early in 1812, Captain Lambert was appointed to the Duncan, of 74 guns, from which ship he removed into the Royal Sovereign, a first-rate, on the Mediterranean station, where he remained until the termination of hostilities. His advancement to the rank of Rear-Admiral took place Aug. 12, 1819.
Our officer soon after hoisted his flag in the Vigo, of 74 guns, as Commander-in-Chief of the squadron employed at St. Helena for the secure detention of General Buonaparte. He returned from that station Jan. 1, 1822, and struck his flag on the 3d of the same month.

Rob.

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Captain John William Taylor Dixon

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Nationality British
First Known Service1763/05/
Last Known Service1804/04/Date of Death1804/04/02Cause of Death Shipwreck

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Event History

Date from		Date to
1793/05/25			Lieutenant
1796/02/27			Commander
1796/06		1797/02	Eclair, as Commanding Officer
1798/12/24			Captain
1801/01		1801/06	Ramillies, as Commanding Officer
1801/04/02			Battle of Copenhagen
1802/10		1804/04/02	Apollo, as Commanding Officer

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Captain John Dilkes.

This officer was made a Commander during the American Revolution. subsequent to which, in consequence of some temporary disgust, he entered into the Portuguese service, and obtained the rank of Rear-Admiral; but on the opening of war with France he returned to the Royal Navy, and became a Post-Captain, Sept. 21, 1790.
In 1795, Captain Dilkes commanded the Madras, of 54 guns, stationed in the North Sea. He afterwards proceeded to the West Indies, and was present at the reduction of St. Lucia by the forces under Sir Hugh Christian and Sir Ralph Abercromby. The Madras remained for about two years on the Leeward Island station, and on her arrival in England was again ordered to join the North Sea fleet.

China.

About the end of 1799, Captain Dilkes sailed for the Cape of Good Hope and the East Indies. Here he became involved in an affair of the most unpleasant nature with the Chinese government, of which the following account is given in Schomberg’s Naval Chronology.
“Early in 1800, the Providence schooner, commanded by Lieutenant Mayo, whilst lying at Whampoo, had her cables cut two or three times during the night. Her commander, irritated at these repeated robberies, gave orders that the first boat that approached near the vessel, with the supposed intention of cutting the cables, should be fired upon.
“On the 11th Feb. this order was carried out, and a young Chinese, fifteen years of age, wounded in the shoulder.
“The Viceroy of the Provinces of Canton and Quangsi, ordered the Collector of the Customs to publish on the 14th, an edict, by which the English were accused of having drowned one man and wounded another. It was enjoined the president of the cohengists, the society of traders, to communicate its contents to Mr. Hall, chief of the English Factory, and demand from him that the guilty should be given up to justice.
“Just at this moment, the Madras arrived from Macoa; and the matter being represented to Captain Dilkes, he prevailed on the traders of the factory to carry a letter to the Viceroy. This step, unexampled at Canton, was contrary to all ordinary customs. The letter was however favourably received.
“Captain Dilkes complained of the robbery which had been committed, demanded an impartial examination, and prayed his Excellency to consider the affair as a national business, and having no connection whatever with the East India company. The Viceroy did not consent to this last demand; but he sent a confidential mandarin to confer with Captain Dilkes and Mr. Hall. The parties concerned on both sides were present at the interview. The Viceroy at last decided, in conformity with the Chinese custom, that the affair should be carried before an inferior tribunal, in order to be finally brought before a superior court.
“Captain Dilkes, with the guilty person, a witness, and Mr. Staunton, in quality of interpreter, went into the town where the people treated them with much indignity. After having waited for several hours for the criminal judge of the province, they were brought into Court. Captain Dilkes insisted on the Mate (who was the one accused) being examined. The judge refused, saying that English sailors could not be believed; he added, that if the wounded person survived forty days, the laws of China only ordered banishment and that the magistrates would pass over this sentence in consideration that the guilty person was a foreigner.
“Captain Dilkes persisting in demanding the examination of the sailors, and having unfortunately raised his voice higher than what is permitted by the regulations of the courts in China; immediately the judge made a signal to his officers, who seized Captain Dilkes by the shoulders and pushed him violently out of the court; as was also Mr. Staunton.
“Some days after, as the young man was likely to recover from his wound, the Viceroy sent word to Captain Dilkes, that in consideration of the friendship subsisting between the English and the Chinese, he had dispensed with the execution of the law.”
It should here be observed, that the Chinese have no idea of making a distinction between accidental and premeditated murder; as was fatally exemplified some years ago, in the case of a poor gunner belonging to an Indiaman, who was given up, because the wad of a gun, fired by the command of an officer, happened to strike a native in a boat at some distance, and occasioned his death.
By the Chinese laws, if the person survives the accident forty days, and after that period dies, even in consequence of the same accident, yet it is not considered as murder. When any case of this kind occurs, it is best to secure the wounded Chinaman, and have him under the care of Europeans during that space of time; for the Chinese would otherwise, perhaps, bring some man who had died a natural death in the interval, and swear that it was the person who died of the accident, in hopes of extorting a sum of money. The boy alluded to above, notwithstanding his seeming convalescence, lingered about fifty days, and then expired. In these cases, the sentence of death, by the laws of China, is generally commuted for that of banishment into the wilds of Tartary. This court, however, on the boy’s decease, sent a message to Captain Dilkes, intimating that he might punish the seaman according to the laws of his own country; and consequently a British subject was thus preserved from an ignominious and unjust death, by a proper mode of interference.

Copenhagen.

Captain Dilkes appears to have returned to Europe soon after the above affair, since in the spring of 1801, he was in command of the Raisonable, 64 guns, in the expedition against Copenhagen, under Sir Hyde Parker^]. On the renewal of the war, in 1803, he was appointed to the Salvador del Mundo, bearing the flag of the Port Admiral at Plymouth; where he continued until the autumn of the following year, when he was nominated Resident Commissioner at Jamaica, which seems to have been his last public employment. His advancement to the rank of Rear-Admiral took place April 28, 1808; and on the 12th Aug. 1812, he was made a Vice-Admiral.

Rob.