The Lord de Saumarez | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Saumarez,NMM | |
| Born | (1757-03-11)11 March 1757 |
| Died | 9 October 1836(1836-10-09) (aged 79) Guernsey |
| Allegiance | Great Britain United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1770–1821 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Red |
| Commands | Channel Islands Station Baltic Fleet Plymouth Station |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | |
Admiral of the RedJames Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez,[a]GCB (11 March 1757 – 9 October 1836) was aRoyal Navy officer known for his victory at theSecond Battle of Algeciras.[2]
Saumarez was born atSaint Peter Port,Guernsey,[3] to an old island family, the eldest son of Matthew de Sausmarez (1718–1778) and his second wife Carteret, daughter of James Le Marchant. He was a nephew of CaptainPhilip Saumarez and John de Sausmarez (1706–1774) ofSausmarez Manor. He was also the elder brother ofGeneral SirThomas Saumarez (1760–1845),Equerry andGroom of the Chamber to theDuke of Kent, and afterwardsCommander-in-Chief ofNew Brunswick[4][5] and ofRichard Saumarez (1764–1835), a surgeon and medical author. Their sister married Henry Brock, the uncle of Major-General SirIsaac Brock andDaniel de Lisle Brock. Many of de Sausmarez's ancestors had distinguished themselves in the naval service, and he entered it asmidshipman at the age of thirteen.[6] Upon joining the Navy, he dropped the second 's' to becomede Saumarez.
In 1767, Saumarez was entered as a volunteer on the books ofHMS Solebay although he never set foot in the ship, studying at a school near London until in 1770, Saumarez joined theMontreal in the Mediterranean. Placed on boardHMS Winchelsea, he was ratedmidshipman in November 1770.[7]: 20 A transfer toHMS Levant in February 1772 until she returned to Spithead in 1775 gave an opportunity to take his examination for lieutenant.[7]: 24
In 1775, at the age of 18, Saumarez was ordered toSir Peter Parker'sflagshipHMS Bristol in North America.[6] Saumarez distinguished himself under Parker, showing courage and being promoted to acting lieutenant at the July 1776Battle of Sullivan's Island which required theBristol to fire broadsides at Fort Sullivan. The engagement lasted 13 hours and 111 men were killed in theBristol.[7]: 27–30
Saumarez moved toHMS Chatham as temporary 5th lieutenant. He received his first command, the tenderLady Parker. On promotion to lieutenant in 1778 he received his second command, the 8-gun galleySpitfire. After forty-seven engagements, unfortunately he had to runSpitfire ashore and burn her on 30 July 1778 when a French fleet under Admirald'Estaing arrived atNarrangansett Bay.[7]: 32–40 Saumarez then served on land at theBattle of Rhode Island before returning to Portsmouth.
Saumarez next served as third lieutenant inHMS Victory, under various admirals until it became Vice AdmiralHyde Parker's flagship,[3] by which time he had moved up to 1st lieutenant. He moved with the Admiral toHMS Fortitude, in which he was present at theBattle of Dogger Bank on 5 August 1781,[3] when he was wounded. He was promotedcommander and appointed to the fireshipTisiphone.[6] In 1782, Saumarez sailed his ship to the West Indies with despatches forSamuel Hood and arrived in time to witness the closing stages of Hood's operations atSt Kitts on 25 January 1782.[8]
While commandingHMS Russell (74 guns), Saumarez contributed toRodney's victory overde Grasse at theBattle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782.[3] During the battle and on his own initiative, Saumarez took his ship out of line to assist in the capture of de Grasse's flagship,Ville de Paris. This action prompted Admiral Rodney to remark that, "TheRussell's captain is a fine fellow, whoever he is."[8]
When the war in America was finished, Saumarez went ashore and did not go to sea again until 1793 when he was given command of the frigateHMS Crescent, a 36-gunfifth ratefrigate.[8]
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It was inCrescent that Saumarez was involved in one of the first major single-ship actions of the war when he captured the French frigate Réunion, in theaction of 20 October 1793.[3][8] British casualties were exceptionally light, with only one man wounded during the engagement.[9] In reward, Saumarez was knighted by King George III[10] and given a presentation plate by the City of London, although he later received a bill for £103 6s 8d (equivalent to £15,300 in 2023), from a Mr. Cooke for "the honour of a knighthood". Saumarez refused to pay, telling Cooke to charge whoever had paid for Edward Pellew's knighthood afterhis successful action. Saumarez later wrote to his brother that "I think it hard to pay so much for an honour which my services have been thought to deserve".[3][11]
While in command of a Guernsey-based squadron consisting of three frigates,HMS Crescent,HMS Druid, andHMS Eurydice, and some smaller vessels a planned invasion by 20,000 French soldiers of the Channel Islands scheduled for February 1794 was frustrated and cancelled due to Saumarez's vigilant eye.[12]: 9 On 8 June 1794 on the way fromPlymouth to Guernsey, the squadron, which included six smaller vessels, includinghired armedluggerCockchafer andValiant, encountered a superior French force of tworazees, three frigates, and a cutter. The French squadron outgunned the British by 192 guns to 92, but Saumarez succeeded in getting his frigates to safety by sailing between rocks on the west coast of Guernsey and around the island to theSt Peter Port anchorage. The British luggers and cutters had returned to Plymouth before the start of the action.[12]: 10–11 The British threat to any invasion force stayed intact.
After being promoted in 1795, Saumarez was appointed to the 74-gunHMS Orion in the Channel fleet, where he took part in the defeat of the French fleet at theBattle of Groix offLorient on 22 June.[3]Orion was one of the ships sent to reinforce Sir John Jervis in February 1797, when Saumarez distinguished himself in theBattle of Cape St. Vincent. During the early stages he helped repel a sustained attack on the British line and covered the retreat ofHMS Colossus when she was forced to retire from the action.[8]Colossus had sustained serious damage, her sails being virtually shot away and it looked as though she would be raked by Spanish warships, untilOrion intervened. Later, when the engagement had turned to a general melee, Saumarez forced theSalvador del Mundo to surrender before attacking theSantissima Trinidad with the help ofHMS Excellent. Saumarez was certain he had forced her surrender too when the arrival of the remainder of the Spanish fleet forced Jervis to break off the engagement.[8]
Saumarez remained with Jervis's fleet and was present at the blockade ofCádiz from February 1797 to April 1798. In May 1798, theOrion joined the squadron under Nelson's command that was sent into the Mediterranean to seek and destroy the French. Saumarez was Nelson's second in command at theBattle of the Nile where he distinguished himself once more, forcing the surrender of thePeuple Souverain and the 80-gunFranklin.[3][13]
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| Annuity to Admiral Saumarez Act 1803 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An act to enable his Majesty to grant a certain Annuity to Rear Admiral Sir James Saumarez Baronet, and Knight of the most Honourable Order of the Bath, in Consideration of his eminent Services which he has performed on various Occasions. |
| Citation | 43 Geo. 3. c. 37 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 April 1803 |
| Commencement | 22 April 1803 |
| Repealed | 6 August 1872 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1872 |
Status: Repealed | |
On his return from Egypt Saumarez received the command ofHMS Caesar, of 80 guns, with orders to watch the French fleet offBrest during the winters of 1799 and 1800. In 1801 he was promoted to the rank ofRear-Admiral of the Blue, was created a baronet,[3] and received the command of a small squadron which was to watch the movements of the Spanish fleet at Cádiz.[14] Between 6 and 12 July he performed an excellent piece of service in theAlgeciras campaign. In the first battle of Algeciras he launched an attack on a French squadron anchored under the protection of shore batteries in Algeciras Bay. Extensive shoals and a fickle breeze hindered his chances of success and HMSHannibal was captured by the French.
Saumarez refused to accept this first defeat and repaired his ships and regrouped for a further attack. When the French squadron, reinforced by Spanish ships sent from Cádiz, tried to leave the bay, Saumarez, although substantially outnumbered, went in pursuit. He sentHMS Superb, CaptainRichard Keats, ahead and that ship almost singlehandedly brought about the destruction of two Spanish three-deckers and the capture of a French 74[15] in theSecond Battle of Algeciras.[13] For his services, Saumarez received theOrder of the Bath and theFreedom of the City of London.[16] In 1803, the United Kingdom Parliament bestowed upon him an annuity of £1,200 a year (Annuity to Admiral Saumarez Act 1803).
On 30 April, 1802HMS Caesar, under his command, made contact with USS Constellation near Gibraltar.[17] During thePeace of Amiens, 1802–3, Saumarez remained at home with his family in Guernsey, and when war broke out again he was given command of the naval forces defending the Channel Islands. He therefore was not present at the 1805Battle of Trafalgar.[13] On 23 April 1804 he was promoted toRear-Admiral of the White.[18]
On 9 November 1805 he was advanced to the rank ofRear-Admiral of the Red.[18] In 1806 he took command of the Channel Islands squadron on that station for the second time, his flagship wasHMS Inconstant.[19] While in command he was promoted Vice-Admiral in April 1807, his flagship wasHMS Prince of Wales.[19] He remained in command of the station until February 1808.[19]
In March 1808 Saumarez was given command of theBaltic fleet with his flag inHMS Victory.[19] Saumarez's mission was to protect the British trade which was of vital importance for Royal Navy supplies and to blockade enemy ports such as those under French control in northern Germany. The Russian fleet was also kept under blockade until Alexander I reopened Russian ports.[20] On 13 July 1810 he was promoted to the rank ofVice-Admiral of the Red.[18]Sweden, under pressure fromFrance, declared war on Britain in November 1810 but Saumarez showed conspicuous tact towards the government ofSweden and her shipping, correctly guessing that the Swedes, like their Russian neighbours, would eventually defyNapoleon.[20]Charles XIII later bestowed on him the Grand Cross of the militaryOrder of the Sword.[3]Denmark, a French satellite, also needed to be kept under observation until it was invaded by the Swedish Army in 1814.[20] In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with half a million troops and Saumarez's fleet was instrumental in hampering French operations.[13][20]
At the Peace of 1814, Saumarez attained the rank ofAdmiral of the Blue,[19] On 18 July 1819 he was madeRear-Admiral of the United Kingdom.[19] On 12 August 1819 he was advanced to the rank ofAdmiral of the White.[19] On 21 November 1821 he was appointedVice-Admiral of the United Kingdom.[19] From 1824 to 1827 he wasCommander-in-Chief, Plymouth.[3] On 22 July 1830 he was promoted to the rank ofAdmiral of the Red.[19] He was raised to the peerage asBaron de Saumarez in 1831 and died in Guernsey in 1836. In memory of Saumarez's achievements, there is a statue of him byJohn Steell in theNational Maritime Museum in London.[21] The public bar at the Duke of Normandie Hotel in Saint Peter Port was named after Saumarez and features a portrait of him.[22]
Saumarez andNelson served together in 1797 and 1798, but their relationship was not a close one. In fact on a number of occasions it became quite strained. They first clashed after the Battle of Cape St Vincent. Saumarez had forced the surrender of theSantissima Trinidad but was unable to capture her because Jervis was forced to break off the engagement. Nelson attempted to console Saumarez by telling him that the Spanish had confirmed that the Trinidad had indeed surrendered. Saumarez tersely replied "Whoever doubted it, sir? I hope there is no need for such evidence to establish the truth of a report of a British officer."[8]
In May 1798, when Saumarez was appointed to Nelson's squadron in the Mediterranean, Nelson preferred to confer with Troubridge and even though, as the senior captain, Saumarez was technically second in command, he was often left out of their conversations.[13] After the Battle of the Nile, while in conversation with Nelson, on the quarterdeck of HMSVanguard, Saumarez suggested that the tactic of doubling the French line had been a dangerous one as it exposed British ships to 'friendly fire'. Before he had a chance to explain, Nelson cut him off and angrily went below. Nelson decided that Saumarez should escort the prizes home, and they never served together again.[13] Later Nelson wrote a letter saying, "I could have formed no opinion ofOrion that was not favourable to her gallant and excellent commander [Saumarez] and crew". However, the awkwardness between them remained.[13]
In 1788, Saumarez married Martha le Marchant (d. 1849) of a wealthy Guernsey family, who brought the estate now known asSaumarez Park into the marriage. They had three sons and four daughters:[3] The eldest, James (1789–1863), succeeded to the peerage, was a clergyman and died without children; he was succeeded in the peerage by his brother,John St. Vincent Saumarez (1806–1891).
Saumarez appears as a minor character inC. S. Forester'sHornblower novelThe Happy Return as arear-admiral and is mentioned again in the later Hornblower novelThe Commodore as the admiral soon to be commanding in the Baltic.
Saumarez appears asadmiral of theGibraltar Squadron inMaster and Commander and also asadmiral of the Baltic Fleet inThe Surgeon's Mate, books fromPatrick O'Brian'sAubrey–Maturin series.
InTreachery (2008) (US titleThe Privateer's Revenge) byJulian Stockwin, Saumerez's purported orders (actually a forgery) result in the disgrace ofThomas Kydd. Saumarez returns as commander of the Baltic Fleet inThe Baltic Prize (2017).
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Saumarez, James Saumarez, Baron de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 236–237.
Media related toJames Saumarez, 1st Baron de Saumarez at Wikimedia Commons| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth 1824–1827 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1819–1821 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1821–1832 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron de Saumarez 1831–1836 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Guernsey) 1801–1836 | Succeeded by |
