Sir George Cockburn | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1772-04-22)22 April 1772 London, England |
| Died | 19 August 1853(1853-08-19) (aged 81) Leamington Spa, England |
| Buried | Kensal Green Cemetery, London |
| Allegiance | Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1786–1846 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | HMSSpeedy HMSInconstant HMSMinerve HMSMeleager HMSPhaeton HMSCaptain HMSPompée HMSImplacable Cape of Good Hope Station North American Station |
| Battles / wars | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral of the FleetSir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet,GCB, PC, FRS (22 April 1772 – 19 August 1853) was aRoyal Navy officer and politician. As acaptain, he was present at theBattle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during theFrench Revolutionary Wars. He commanded the naval support at theinvasion of Martinique in February 1809 during theNapoleonic Wars.
He also directed the capture andBurning of Washington on 24 August 1814 as an advisor to Major GeneralRobert Ross during theWar of 1812. He went on to beFirst Naval Lord and in that capacity sought to improve the standards of gunnery in the fleet, forming agunnery school atPortsmouth; later he ensured that the Navy had the latest steam and screw technology and put emphasis on the ability to manage seamen without the need to resort to physical punishment.
Cockburn was born the second son ofSir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet and his second wife, Augusta Anne Ayscough.[1] He was educated at the Royal Navigational School and joined the Royal Navy in March 1781 as a Captain's servant in the sixth-rateHMSResource.[2] He joined thesloop HMSTermagant in 1787, transferred to the sloop HMSAriel under theCommander-in-Chief, East Indies in 1788, and then becamemidshipman in the fifth-rateHMSHebe in theChannel Squadron in 1791.[3] He joined the fourth-rateHMSRomney in theMediterranean Fleet later in 1791 and then became acting lieutenant in the fifth-rateHMSPearl in 1792.[3] He was promoted to the substantive rank oflieutenant on 2 January 1793, and became lieutenant on thebrig-sloopHMSOrestes later that month before transferring to the first-rateHMSBritannia in the Mediterranean Fleet in February 1793 and then to the first-rateHMSVictory, Flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, in June 1793.[3] He became the sloopcommanderHMSSpeedy in October 1793 and acting captain of the fifth-rateHMSInconstant in January 1794.[4]
Cockburn was promoted to the substantive rank ofcaptain on 10 February 1794 and given command of the fifth-rateHMSMeleager in the Mediterranean Fleet later that month.[4] He took part in the blockade ofLivorno in March 1795 and was given command of the frigateHMSMinerve in August 1796, having beenmentioned in despatches in May 1796.[4] He fought a gallant action with theSpanishfrigateSanta Sabina in January 1797 and was present at thebattle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during theFrench Revolutionary Wars.[4]
In company with those of the frigateHMS Lively,Minerve's boats' crews successfully cut out theFrench shipMutine atSanta Cruz, Tenerife in May 1797.[5]
Cockburn commanded the fifth-rateHMSPhaeton on the East Indies Station in July 1803, the third-rateHMSCaptain in July 1806, and the third-rateHMSPompée in March 1808.[6] He commanded the naval support at thereduction of Martinique in February 1809 during theNapoleonic Wars, for which he received the thanks of Parliament.[6]
Cockburn commanded a squadron of warships for the landings inWalcheren in July 1809 during theWalcheren Campaign.[6] He took command of the third-rateHMSImplacable off the coast of Spain in January 1810 and sailed toQuiberon Bay with a small squadron whose mission was to arrange the escape of theKing of Spain, whom the French had imprisoned at theChâteau de Valençay. The mission failed when Ferdinand refused to have anything to do with the British.[7] Cockburn was promoted tocommodore, hoisting his broad pennant in the fourth-rateHMSGrampus in November 1811.[6]
Cockburn was promoted torear admiral on 12 August 1812,[8] and hoisted his flag in the third-rateHMSMarlborough as commander of a squadron of ships offCádiz. He was reassigned in November 1812 to theNorth American Station, where he played a major role in theWar of 1812 as second-in-command to AdmiralSir John Warren until the end of March 1814, and then to Warren's successor, AdmiralSir Alexander Cochrane, for the rest of the war.[6]
He led forces cruising up and down theChesapeake Bay and other parts of the Atlantic coast in 1813 and 1814, seizing American merchant shipping, disrupting U.S. commerce, and raiding local ports.[6] Warren "had been waging a pretty tepid campaign on the Atlantic seaboard, and the Admiralty decided he could use an aggressive subordinate." Cockburn's prior military experience made him a suitable candidate for the role in the eyes of the Admiralty. Historian Steve Vogel compared Cockburn's raids on U.S. interests along the Eastern Seaboard toSherman's March to the Sea during theAmerican Civil War.[9]
The most important of Cockburn's involvements during the War was his role in the capture andburning of Washington on 24 August 1814, undertaken as an advisor to Major GeneralRobert Ross.[10][11] The plan to attack Washington had been formulated by Cockburn, who accurately predicted that "within a short period, with enough force, we could easily have at our mercy the capital."[9] ACBC News article described General Ross as less optimistic than Cockburn, having "never dreamt for one minute that an army of 3,500 men with 1,000 marines reinforcement, with no cavalry, hardly any artillery, could march 50 miles inland and capture an enemy capital."[12]
Cockburn had reachedBenedict, Maryland, via thePatuxent River with his warships; the troops then disembarked and marched to Washington to mount the attack.[13] The 4,500 troops, commanded by Ross, successfully captured the capital on 24 August 1814. Cockburn accompanied Ross and recommended burning the entire city. Ross decided instead to put only public buildings to the torch, including theWhite House and theUnited States Capitol, while sparing nearly all privately owned properties.[14][15]
Following the battle, Cockburn oversaw the destruction of theNational Intelligencer newspaper's offices and printing house by his soldiers; he famously stated: "Be sure that all the C's are destroyed, so that the rascals cannot any longer abuse my name."[16]
He was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 4 January 1815.[17]
In August 1815, Cockburn was given the job ofconveyingNapoleon I in the third-rateHMSNorthumberland toSaint Helena. Cockburn remained there for months asgovernor of the island and Commander-in-Chief of theCape of Good Hope Station.[18][19] He was advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 20 February 1818,[20] and promoted tovice-admiral on 12 August 1819.[21] He was elected aFellow of the Royal Society on 21 December 1820.[22]
Entering politics, Cockburn was electedToryMember of Parliament forPortsmouth at the1818 general election[23] and was appointed a Junior Naval Lord in theLiverpool ministry in April 1818.[24] He became Tory Member of Parliament forWeobly at the1820 general election and, having become Major-General of theRoyal Marine Forces on 5 April 1821[25] and a member of thePrivy Council on 30 April 1827,[26] he was elected Tory Member of Parliament forPlymouth at aby-election in June 1828.[27] While serving as a Junior Naval Lord, he forced the resignation of theDuke of Clarence asLord High Admiral in September 1828 for acting without the authority of theBoard of the Admiralty.[18] Cockburn was elevated toFirst Naval Lord in theWellington ministry in September 1828 and in that capacity sought to improve the standards of gunnery in the fleet, forming agunnery school atPortsmouth.[18] He resigned when the Government fell from power in November 1830,[24] but remained active in Parliamentary affairs, including leading the opposition to the abolition of theNavy Board in 1832.[28] After losing his seat in Parliament at the1832 general election, he returned to sea and becameCommander-in-Chief of theNorth America and West Indies Station, hoisting his flag in the fourth-rateHMSVernon, in December 1832.[18]
Cockburn became First Naval Lord briefly again in theFirst Peel ministry in December 1834 but resigned when the Government fell from power in April 1835.[24] He returned to his old post as Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station.[18] Promoted to fulladmiral on 10 January 1837,[29] he was elected Conservative Member of Parliament forRipon at a by-election in September 1841[30] and became First Naval Lord again in theSecond Peel ministry later that month.[24] As First Sea Lord he ensured that the Navy had latest steam and screw technology and put emphasis of the ability to manage seamen without the need to resort to physical punishment.[2] He resigned when the Government fell from power in July 1846, becameRear-Admiral of the United Kingdom on 10 August 1847[31] and was promoted toAdmiral of the Fleet on 1 July 1851.[32] He inherited thefamily baronetcy from his elder brother in February 1852 and died atLeamington Spa on 19 August 1853.[33] He is buried inKensal Green Cemetery.[2]
Cockburn Sound inWestern Australia was named after him by CaptainJames Stirling in 1827.[34] Subsequently, theCity of Cockburn also adopted the name.[35] At the tip of theAntarctic Peninsula,Cockburn Island was named for him by SirJames Clark Ross duringhis Antarctic expedition between 1839 and 1843.[36] Cape Cockburn and Cockburn Bay on Nelson Island on the west coast of Canada were named after him.[37]
In 1809, Cockburn married his cousin Mary Cockburn. The couple had one surviving daughter, Augusta Harriot Mary Cockburn (d. 1869), who married Captain John Cochrane Hoseason.[2]
Cockburn, who accompanied Ross into the capital, reportedly wanted to burn the entire city in retaliation for American depredations in Canada. But it was an army operation and Ross' call, and he would have none of it.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forPortsmouth 1818–1820 With:John Bonham-Carter | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Viscount Weymouth Lord Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck | Member of Parliament forWeobley 1820–1828 With: Lord Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck to 1824 Lord Henry Thynne 1824–26 Lord William Thynne 1826–31 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forPlymouth 1828–1832 With:Sir Thomas Byam Martin | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forRipon 1841–1847 With:Thomas Pemberton 1835–43 Thomas Cusack-Smith 1843–46 Edwin Lascelles 1846–57 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station 1815–1816 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by The Duke of Clarence and St Andrews (Lord High Admiral) | First Naval Lord 1828–1830 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station 1832 – December 1834 | Vacant Title next held by himself |
| Preceded by | First Naval Lord December 1834 – April 1835 | Succeeded by |
| Vacant Title last held by himself | Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station April 1835 – 1836 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Naval Lord 1841–1846 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1847–1853 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of Nova Scotia | ||
| Preceded by | Baronet (of Langton) 1852–1853 | Succeeded by |
