Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Joseph Hamilton, 1st Baronet KCB
(22 March 1772 – 21 March 1851) was an officer of the Royal Navy
, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral
.
in 1776. Edward Hamilton's mother was Cassandra Agnes, sister of Admiral Charles Chamberlayne. Edward first appeared on the muster books of his father's ship, the 74-gun , in 1777 when he was five years old. He did not actually join the ship until the age of seven, when he came aboard on 21 May 1779 at the rank of midshipman
. He sailed with the Hector to the Jamaica station, where he was subsequently lent to . He returned to England after the end of the war and attended the Royal Grammar School, Guildford
. He subsequently returned to active service in 1787, spending the next three years aboard the 74-gun . He took and passed his lieutenant's examination in 1790, after which he moved aboard the 36-gun frigate , under Captain Charles Pole.
of Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood
. He then entered another period of retirement from active service, during which time he studied at the University of Caen, and travelled through both France and Portugal. With the outbreak of war
with Revolutionary France in February 1797 Hamilton again returned to active service, being assigned to Lord Howe's
flagship, the 100-gun first rate . By July he had moved to his brother, Sir Charles Hamilton's ship, the 28-gun , and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 29 October 1793. While serving on the Dido he helped in the capture of a privateer
and her crew. He took a boat, crewed by only eight sailors, and captured the grounded privateer, put out the fire that had been set by her crew to destroy her, and then went ashore to capture her escaped crew. He was later present at the siege of Bastia
, and was given command of 100 British and 300 Corsican soldiers at Girolate. Here he constructed a number of batteries within pistol shot of the enemy, from which he was able to subject them to continuous bombardment. The enemy surrendered after 13 days under fire.
He returned to the Victory on 10 July 1794, being appointed her ninth lieutenant. Admiral Hood showed him special favour though when he exercised his right to promote whom he wished, and on 7 October he appointed Hamilton as Victorys first lieutenant. It was not long before Hood was ordered to return to Britain though, and after his arrival he struck his flag to spend the winter ashore. With Hood gone, Victory returned to being a private ship
, and Hamilton returned to being a junior lieutenant. Hamilton and the Victory were back at sea in 1795, returning to the Mediterranean. He was present at the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
on 13 July 1795, shortly after which Admiral Jervis
arrived to take command of the fleet. Jervis promoted Hamilton to Commander on 11 February 1796, and appointed him to the fireship with orders to sail to the West Indies. Hamilton did so, returning to Lisbon
with dispatches.
on 3 June 1797, and was initially appointed to serve aboard the 114-gun first rate , which had been captured at the Battle of Cape St Vincent. He was then transferred to the 24-gun aboard which he sailed to Newfoundland
, and then on to Jamaica
, where he remained between October 1798 and January 1800, serving with the squadrons under Sir Hyde Parker. He was a particularly effective frigate captain, capturing or destroying over 80 armed vessels, privateers and merchants, bringing in an estimated £200,000 in prize money. It was while serving with Parker that Hamilton carried out the most famous act of his career, the cutting-out of the former from the Spanish port of Puerto Cabello
.
The Hermione was a former frigate of the Royal Navy, commanded by Captain Hugh Pigot
. In September 1797 a number of the crew had risen up against the apparently tyrannical Pigot and had murdered him and nine other officers, throwing their bodies overboard. Fearing retribution for their actions, the mutineers had sailed the Hermione to the Spanish port of La Guaira
, and handed her over to the authorities. When news of the mutiny reached Parker, he demanded the return of the ship and the surrender of the mutineers, instigating a process that would eventually see the apprehending of 33 of them. The Hermione meanwhile had been renamed Santa Cecilia, but remained in port. News eventually reached Parker that the Santa Cecilia had been sighted in Puerto Cabello, and ordered the Surprise to intercept her, should she attempt to put to sea. Hamilton decided that the honour of the Navy depended on the recovery of the ship, and was determined to retake her. Anchoring near the port he devised a plan to cut her out of the harbour and asked for a boat and an extra 20 men from Parker. Parker declared the scheme too risky, and refused to send the men, but Hamilton went ahead anyway.
He and a force of some 100 soldiers and sailors in ships' boats approached the Santa Cecilia, which was heavily manned with around 400 Spanish, and lay under the guns of two shore batteries, together mounting some 200 guns. In the ensuing struggle Hamilton and his men fought their way aboard the ship, overpowered the Spanish defenders after a hard fought battle, and sailed the Hermione out of the port. The Spanish had lost 119 killed, while 231 were taken prisoner, 97 of whom were wounded. All but three were subsequently returned to the port the next day. Another 15 Spanish escaped by jumping overboard and swimming ashore, while 20 more escaped in a launch that had been guarding the ship. By contrast the British had not lost a single man, and had just 11 wounded, four of them seriously. One of them was Hamilton himself, who had suffered a blow to the head from a musket, and cuts from sabre, pike
and grapeshot
. Parker had the recaptured Hermione renamed HMS Retaliation, after which the Admiralty
ordered her to be renamed HMS Retribution on 31 January 1800.
in Jamaica awarded him a £300 sword. King George III
created him a Knight Bachelor
on 1 February 1800. Hamilton also received a Naval Gold Medal
for the action. He was also voted a freeman
of the City of London
on 6 March 1800, which was to be awarded him in a gold box with a value of 50 guineas. The wounded Hamilton was sent home to recover aboard the Jamaica packet
, but on her voyage she was captured by the French and Hamilton was taken prisoner. He was sent to Paris
, where he seems to have come to the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte. Hamilton spent six months in prison, before being released and repatriated, having been exchanged
for four French midshipmen. He finally made it to London, in time to be present at a special banquet held by the Court of Common Council of the City of London to celebrate the anniversary of his cutting out of the Hermione. Here he received his gold box and the freedom of the city. He was also offered a pension of £300 a year for his wounds, which he turned down. He was both rich enough from his prize money not to need the pension, and also feared that taking it might be used as an excuse not to give him active employment again.
in March 1802, he did not take a degree at Cambridge. He married on 1 November 1804, and in June 1806 was appointed to the royal yacht
Mary. He moved to command the Prince Regent, where he remained until his resignation on 7 January 1819. He was nominated a KCB
on 2 January 1815, and was created a baronet
on 26 January 1819. He also served for a time as Deputy Lieutenant
of Brecknockshire
. Through his seniority he continued to receive promotions. He became a rear-admiral on 19 July 1821, a vice-admiral on 10 January 1837 and finally an admiral on 9 November 1846. He died at 17 Cumberland Terrace
, Regent's Park
on 21 March 1851 at the age of 79, his wife having predeceased him on 27 March 1840. His son, Edward Hamilton, inherited the baronetcy.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(22 March 1772 – 21 March 1851) was an officer of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral
Admiral (United Kingdom)
Admiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-9, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet...
.
Family and early life
Hamilton was born on 22 March 1772, the second and youngest son of Captain Sir John Hamilton who had been made a baronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1776. Edward Hamilton's mother was Cassandra Agnes, sister of Admiral Charles Chamberlayne. Edward first appeared on the muster books of his father's ship, the 74-gun , in 1777 when he was five years old. He did not actually join the ship until the age of seven, when he came aboard on 21 May 1779 at the rank of midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
. He sailed with the Hector to the Jamaica station, where he was subsequently lent to . He returned to England after the end of the war and attended the Royal Grammar School, Guildford
Royal Grammar School, Guildford
The Royal Grammar School is a selective English independent day school for boys in Guildford, Surrey. The school dates its founding to the death of Robert Beckingham in 1509 who left provision in his will to 'make a free scole at the Towne of Guldford'; in 1512 a governing body was set up to form...
. He subsequently returned to active service in 1787, spending the next three years aboard the 74-gun . He took and passed his lieutenant's examination in 1790, after which he moved aboard the 36-gun frigate , under Captain Charles Pole.
Early French Revolutionary Wars
Hamilton then joined the 100-gun , which at that time was the flagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a British Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars...
. He then entered another period of retirement from active service, during which time he studied at the University of Caen, and travelled through both France and Portugal. With the outbreak of war
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
with Revolutionary France in February 1797 Hamilton again returned to active service, being assigned to Lord Howe's
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
flagship, the 100-gun first rate . By July he had moved to his brother, Sir Charles Hamilton's ship, the 28-gun , and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 29 October 1793. While serving on the Dido he helped in the capture of a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
and her crew. He took a boat, crewed by only eight sailors, and captured the grounded privateer, put out the fire that had been set by her crew to destroy her, and then went ashore to capture her escaped crew. He was later present at the siege of Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, and was given command of 100 British and 300 Corsican soldiers at Girolate. Here he constructed a number of batteries within pistol shot of the enemy, from which he was able to subject them to continuous bombardment. The enemy surrendered after 13 days under fire.
He returned to the Victory on 10 July 1794, being appointed her ninth lieutenant. Admiral Hood showed him special favour though when he exercised his right to promote whom he wished, and on 7 October he appointed Hamilton as Victorys first lieutenant. It was not long before Hood was ordered to return to Britain though, and after his arrival he struck his flag to spend the winter ashore. With Hood gone, Victory returned to being a private ship
Private ship
Private ship is a term used in the British Royal Navy to describe that status of a commissioned warship in active service that is not currently serving as the flagship of a flag officer . The term in no way implies any type of private ownership of the vessel, but is more akin to private...
, and Hamilton returned to being a junior lieutenant. Hamilton and the Victory were back at sea in 1795, returning to the Mediterranean. He was present at the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
Naval Battle of Hyères Islands
The Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought on 13 July 1795 off the Hyères Islands, a group of islands off the French Mediterranean coast, about 25 km east of Toulon. The battle was fought between the van of a British fleet chasing the French squadron, and the French rear...
on 13 July 1795, shortly after which Admiral Jervis
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
arrived to take command of the fleet. Jervis promoted Hamilton to Commander on 11 February 1796, and appointed him to the fireship with orders to sail to the West Indies. Hamilton did so, returning to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
with dispatches.
Promotion to command
He was again promoted, this time to Post-CaptainPost-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
on 3 June 1797, and was initially appointed to serve aboard the 114-gun first rate , which had been captured at the Battle of Cape St Vincent. He was then transferred to the 24-gun aboard which he sailed to Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, and then on to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, where he remained between October 1798 and January 1800, serving with the squadrons under Sir Hyde Parker. He was a particularly effective frigate captain, capturing or destroying over 80 armed vessels, privateers and merchants, bringing in an estimated £200,000 in prize money. It was while serving with Parker that Hamilton carried out the most famous act of his career, the cutting-out of the former from the Spanish port of Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast oil...
.
Recovering the Hermione
Hugh Pigot (Royal Navy captain)
Hugh Pigot was an officer in the Royal Navy. Through his connections and their patronage he was able to rise to the rank of captain, despite apparently poor leadership skills and a reputation for brutality. While he was captain of Hermione he eventually provoked his men to mutiny...
. In September 1797 a number of the crew had risen up against the apparently tyrannical Pigot and had murdered him and nine other officers, throwing their bodies overboard. Fearing retribution for their actions, the mutineers had sailed the Hermione to the Spanish port of La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
, and handed her over to the authorities. When news of the mutiny reached Parker, he demanded the return of the ship and the surrender of the mutineers, instigating a process that would eventually see the apprehending of 33 of them. The Hermione meanwhile had been renamed Santa Cecilia, but remained in port. News eventually reached Parker that the Santa Cecilia had been sighted in Puerto Cabello, and ordered the Surprise to intercept her, should she attempt to put to sea. Hamilton decided that the honour of the Navy depended on the recovery of the ship, and was determined to retake her. Anchoring near the port he devised a plan to cut her out of the harbour and asked for a boat and an extra 20 men from Parker. Parker declared the scheme too risky, and refused to send the men, but Hamilton went ahead anyway.
Pike (weapon)
A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
and grapeshot
Grapeshot
In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of shot that is not a one solid element, but a mass of small metal balls or slugs packed tightly into a canvas bag. It was used both in land and naval warfare. When assembled, the balls resembled a cluster of grapes, hence the name...
. Parker had the recaptured Hermione renamed HMS Retaliation, after which the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
ordered her to be renamed HMS Retribution on 31 January 1800.
Rewards
Hamilton was widely lauded for his daring feat. The House of AssemblyHouse of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
in Jamaica awarded him a £300 sword. King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
created him a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
on 1 February 1800. Hamilton also received a Naval Gold Medal
Naval Gold Medal
The Naval Gold Medal was a medal awarded between 1793 and 1840 to senior officers of the Royal Navy in specified actions.Two different sizes were struck. 22 large-size medals were awarded to flag officers , commodores and captains of the fleet...
for the action. He was also voted a freeman
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
on 6 March 1800, which was to be awarded him in a gold box with a value of 50 guineas. The wounded Hamilton was sent home to recover aboard the Jamaica packet
Packet ship
A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
, but on her voyage she was captured by the French and Hamilton was taken prisoner. He was sent to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he seems to have come to the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte. Hamilton spent six months in prison, before being released and repatriated, having been exchanged
Prisoner exchange
A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners. These may be prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc...
for four French midshipmen. He finally made it to London, in time to be present at a special banquet held by the Court of Common Council of the City of London to celebrate the anniversary of his cutting out of the Hermione. Here he received his gold box and the freedom of the city. He was also offered a pension of £300 a year for his wounds, which he turned down. He was both rich enough from his prize money not to need the pension, and also feared that taking it might be used as an excuse not to give him active employment again.
Decline
Perhaps due to the injury to his head he had sustained in the action on the Hermione, or because of a degree of insanity aggravated by the hero worship he received, Hamilton soon revealed a ruthless streak. He was brought to court-martial on 22 January 1802 on a charge of having strung his gunner and the gunner's mates in the rigging for a trivial offence, a punishment that was both excessive and illegal. The offence proved, Hamilton was dismissed from the navy. He was restored in June 1802 but never again received employment in an operational role. Admitted as fellow-commoner to Emmanuel College, CambridgeEmmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
in March 1802, he did not take a degree at Cambridge. He married on 1 November 1804, and in June 1806 was appointed to the royal yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
Mary. He moved to command the Prince Regent, where he remained until his resignation on 7 January 1819. He was nominated a KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
on 2 January 1815, and was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
on 26 January 1819. He also served for a time as Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
. Through his seniority he continued to receive promotions. He became a rear-admiral on 19 July 1821, a vice-admiral on 10 January 1837 and finally an admiral on 9 November 1846. He died at 17 Cumberland Terrace
Cumberland Terrace
Cumberland Terrace is a neoclassical terrace on the eastern side of Regent's Park in the London Borough of Camden, completed in 1826. It was one of several terraces and crescents around Regent's Park designed by the British architect John Nash , under the patronage of the Prince Regent...
, Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
on 21 March 1851 at the age of 79, his wife having predeceased him on 27 March 1840. His son, Edward Hamilton, inherited the baronetcy.