Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Alexander Wilson (12 January 1760 – June 1834) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer most notable for his rise to

flag rank A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

from his position as a common seaman. Wilson joined the navy in 1777 and soon after became

coxswain The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...

to Alexander Hood. By 1778 Wilson had been made a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

, fighting at the Battle of Ushant and

Battle of Cape Henry The Battle of Cape Henry was a naval battle in the American War of Independence which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 16 March 1781 between a British squadron under Vice-admiral Mariot Arbuthnot and a French squadron under Admira ...

. Wilson was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1787 and, continuing to serve with Hood, fought at the

Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was fought on 1 June 1794 between the British and French navies during the War of the First Coalition. It was the first and largest fleet a ...

and

Battle of Groix The Battle of Groix (, ) took place on 23 June 1795 off the island of Groix in the Bay of Biscay during the War of the First Coalition. It was fought between elements of the British Channel Fleet and the French Ponant Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, whi ...

before being promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

. After a brief command of HMS ''Kingfisher'' Wilson was promoted to

post-captain Post-captain or post captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term "post-captain" was descriptive only; it was never used as a title in the form "Post-Captain John Smith". The term served to dis ...

on 2 September 1795. He temporarily commanded HMS ''Flora'' in 1798, and in 1801 joined the

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

HMS ''Trusty''. ''Trusty'' then participated in the Battle of Abukir. Returning home from the Egypt Campaign in 1802 in command of HMS ''Alexandria'', Wilson's ship was

laid up A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed". ...

. He went on to command the

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

Sea Fencibles The Sea Fencibles were naval fencible (a shortening of ''defencible'') units established to provide a close-in line of defence and obstruct the operation of enemy shipping, principally during the French Revolutionary Wars, French Revolutionary a ...

through the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, but never again went to sea. He was made a superannuated rear-admiral in 1814.

Naval career

American Revolutionary War

Alexander Wilson was born on 12 January 1760. As a child he aspired to become a sailor, and in an attempt to halt this his family sent him to serve on a

West Indiaman West Indiaman was a general name for any merchantman sailing ship making runs from the Old World to the West Indies and the east coast of the Americas. These ships were generally strong ocean-going ships capable of handling storms in the Atlantic ...

commanded by his uncle. Wilson was not swayed by this experience, and joined the

in 1777. Wilson was sent to serve on the 74-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

HMS ''Robust'', which was one of the ships activated to serve in the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history th ...

at the beginning of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The commander of ''Robust'', Captain Alexander Hood, was impressed by Wilson's seamanship and appointed him to serve as his

. Wilson was rewarded for his good conduct as coxswain, and by the middle of 1778 had been promoted to

. He fought in ''Robust'' at the Battle of Ushant on 27 July of that year, in which the ship had five men killed and seventeen wounded. Hood afterwards left the ship, but Wilson stayed on under the new captain, Captain

Phillips Cosby Admiral Phillips Cosby (c. 1729 – 10 January 1808) was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Naval career Cosby joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman in 1747. He was given command of a schooner at the Siege ...

. On 1 May 1779 ''Robust'' sailed in a squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral

Mariot Arbuthnot Admiral of the Blue Mariot Arbuthnot (1711 – 31 January 1794) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American War of Independence. Early life A native of Weymouth, Dorset in England, Arbuthnot was the son of Robert Arbuthnot and Sarah ...

to join the

North American Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956, with main bases at the Imperial fortresses of Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ...

. Arbuthnot's squadron served off

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

, and on 16 March 1781 fought the

there. ''Robust'' led the British line into the opposing French fleet, with Wilson serving as the signals midshipman during the battle. The ship received the most damage among the British fleet because of her prominent position, but the descent of some fog made the battle an indecisive encounter. Wilson received a severe wound to the right arm during the fighting, being one of twenty-three men wounded alongside a further fifteen killed. ''Robust'' was heavily damaged structurally at Cape Henry, and had to go into

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

for repairs, with her crew thus missing the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1 ...

on 5 September. The ship returned to sea, still in a poor state, in October, forming part of the fleet that made an aborted attempt to save Lieutenant-General

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

' army at the

Siege of Yorktown The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Ma ...

. ''Robust'' was afterwards ordered to sail to England for further repairs, but was judged unfit to survive the crossing in her current state. The ship instead went to

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

where repairs were completed, and Wilson finally returned home in the ship in the summer of 1782. ''Robust'' was then

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

Peace

After the American Revolutionary War came to a close, Wilson continued in the Royal Navy. He served in this period on board the 74-gun ship of the line HMS ''Triumph'' followed by the 98-gun ship of the line HMS ''Barfleur'', the latter of which was the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of Vice-Admiral Lord Hood, the

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Thomas Williams (Royal Navy officer), Si ...

. Wilson was promoted to

on 24 September 1787, at which point he went on

half pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...

. After around eighteen months of this Wilson was appointed to the 16-gun sloop HMS ''Nautilus''. He served as ''Nautilus''s

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

for three years on the

Newfoundland Station The Newfoundland Station was a formation or command of, first, the Kingdom of Great Britain and, then, of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. Its official headquarters varied between Portsmouth or Plymouth in England where a squadron of ships would s ...

. Wilson had a successful term in post on ''Nautlius'', and was noticed by Captain

Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...

. When Pellew was given command of the 36-gun

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

HMS ''Nymphe'', he requested that Wilson become his first lieutenant. Wilson declined the appointment because he wanted to instead wait until his old captain Hood, now a

vice-admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

, received a command which he could join.

French Revolutionary War

At the start of the

French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries ...

in 1793, Hood was given the 100-gun ship of the line HMS ''Royal George'' as his flagship in the English Channel, and Wilson was appointed to the ship. ''Royal George'' subsequently fought at the

in 1794, at which battle Wilson was wounded. The British fleet afterwards returned to their base at

Spithead Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...

, where Wilson was appointed as ''Royal George''s first lieutenant. In this position he fought at the

on 23 June 1795. In the aftermath of the battle Wilson was selected to take command of one of the French ships captured, the 74-gun ship of the line ''Alexandre'', for her return to port. He was promoted to

on 29 June, and for a period continued in temporary command of the newly recommissioned HMS ''Alexander''. In August Wilson was given his first true command, the 16-gun sloop HMS ''Kingfisher'', tasked with taking dispatches to Vice-Admiral

Thomas Pringle Thomas Pringle (5 January 1789 – 5 December 1834) was a Scottish writer, poet and abolitionist. Known as the father of South African poetry, he was the first successful English language poet and author to describe South Africa's scenery, nati ...

in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. Wilson returned from this voyage and was promoted to

on 2 September. He was given command of the 28-gun frigate HMS ''Boreas'', which was

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household and public officials more generally, it indicates that a position is a permanent one (in contrast to positions that are extraordinary). In naval matt ...

Sheerness Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the Sheerness peninsula, at the mouth of the River Medway in Kent. It was opened in the 1660s and closed in 1960. Location In the Age of Sail, the Royal Navy would often establish shore ...

, before going on a period of half pay. In around May 1798 he was appointed temporary captain of the 36-gun frigate HMS ''Flora'', which was serving in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. Captain Robert Gambier Middleton returned to take command of ''Flora'' again soon afterwards. In early 1800 Wilson was sent to join the 50-gun

fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...

HMS ''Trusty'', which was armed

en flute EN or En or en may refer to: Businesses * Bouygues (stock symbol EN) * Island Rail Corridor, formerly known as the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (reporting mark EN) * Euronews, a news television and internet channel Language and writing * N, 14t ...

as a

. In ''Trusty'' Wilson joined a squadron of three ships of the line, two frigates, and a

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (Naval long gun, long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but ...

, which sailed to

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

to join Admiral Lord Keith's fleet. The fleet subsequently sailed to the Mediterranean, arriving off Cadiz in October. Sent to support the British response to the

French campaign in Egypt and Syria The French invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...

, they reached

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

on 1 March 1801. Having embarked a portion of Major-General George Ludlow's Guards Brigade, ''Trusty'' participated in the landings at the Battle of Abukir on 8 March. Subsequent to this, Keith began to sail off the Egyptian coast with his ships of the line. Wilson was left in

Aboukir Bay The Abū Qīr Bay (sometimes transliterated Abukir Bay or Aboukir Bay) (; transliterated: Khalīj Abū Qīr) is a spacious bay on the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria in Egypt, lying between the Rosetta mouth of the Nile and the town of Abu Qir ...

with upwards of fifty vessels under his command. He also had control over the transport ships working to supply and assist the army ashore, and was in command of the port as a whole. As the campaign found success Wilson was one of many officers awarded the Turkish

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

. Keith wrote that Wilson was "indefatigable in his duties of the port". Some time after this Wilson was translated from ''Trusty'' into the command of the 38-gun frigate HMS ''Alexandria'', which had been the French frigate ''Régénérée'' until captured on 2 September. Wilson returned to England in ''Alexandria'', arriving at Sheerness in early 1802. The ship was then officially commissioned into the Royal Navy, but was never fitted for service and was instead

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

. ''Alexandria'' was

broken up Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sol ...

in April 1804 and Wilson was left on half pay. This was his last active sea service in the Royal Navy.

Napoleonic Wars and retirement

Wilson stayed on half pay until 1805 when he was chosen to replace Captain

Josias Rowley Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, 1st Baronet, (1765 – 10 January 1842) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Birth and family Rowley was born in 1765 the second son of Clotworthy Rowle ...

as commander of the

. He continued to apply for the command of another ship throughout this period, but was unsuccessful. As such Wilson spent the entirety of the rest of the

with the Sea Fencibles, only relinquishing his position when the unit was

towards the end of the conflict. On 18 July 1814 he was promoted to become a superannuated

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

, in effect being promoted into retirement. This also meant he could not receive further promotion through the

s. Wilson was highly disappointed to be put in this position; embittered, he believed that it had occurred because he did not have enough powerful support behind his career. His unusual rise from common seaman to commissioned officer has been compared by naval historian

N. A. M. Rodger Nicholas Andrew Martin Rodger, FSA, FRHistS, FBA (born 12 November 1949) is an English historian who is currently senior research fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Life and academia The son of Lieutenant Commander Ian Alexander Rodger, Ro ...

to the careers of Captain

John Quilliam Captain John Quilliam (29 September 1771 – 10 October 1829) was a Royal Navy officer who served as first lieutenant on HMS ''Victory'' at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was a farmer's son who was impressed into the Royal Navy in 1791. Biography ...

, Rear-Admiral

John Pasco Rear-Admiral John Pasco (1774–1853) served in the Royal Navy between 1784 and 1853, eventually rising to the rank of rear admiral. He acted as signal officer on board at the Battle of Trafalgar and notably advised on the wording of Nelson's f ...

, and Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge, all of whom had similarly humble beginnings. In retirement Wilson lived at Birchgrove, Wexford; he died there in June 1834. While little is recorded of Wilson's personal life, his son James Henry Richard Wilson also joined the Royal Navy. He became a lieutenant in 1825, and commanded the

Putney Heath Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Commons totalling 46 ...

semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

station.

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{refend 1760 births 1834 deaths Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars