John Rous (21 May 1702 – 3 April 1760) 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 and privateer. He served during

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...

and the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. Rous was also the senior naval officer on the

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

station during

Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...

. Rous' daughter Mary married Richard Bulkeley and is buried in the Old Burying Ground in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

Family and early life

Rous was born in Charlestown,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

on 21 May 1702, to William Rouse (Rows) and Mary, ''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Peachie.

King George's War

He became a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

during

, part of the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

carried out in the North American colonies of Britain and France. He appears to have been in the navy in April and May 1740, serving as

master's mate Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the British Royal Navy, Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the sailing master, master. Master's mates evolved into th ...

aboard the 50-gun . ON the ship

Young Eagle Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one's age is low, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American ...

, he made raids on the French fishing fleets and ports on the north shore of Newfoundland. He went on to command his own privateer ship, the 20-gun

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

, serving as second in command of the New England naval forces at the Siege of Louisbourg in 1745. On 19 May 1745 he came to the assistance of HMS ''Mermaid'', which was engaged with the 64-gun French . He was the first to render assistance, and the French ship was duly captured. Rous was rewarded for his efforts by Rear-Admiral

Sir Peter Warren Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Warren, KB (10 March 1703 – 29 July 1752) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the British House of Commons representing the constituency of Westminster from 1747 to 1752. Warren is best known for his care ...

, who ordered ''Vigilante'' be purchased for the navy, and appointed Rous third lieutenant of her on 22 June 1745. Rous remained as captain of the ''Shirley'' and was sent to London in July, carrying Warren's dispatches. Warren purchased the ''Shirley'' on her return, and on 24 September 1745 Rous was appointed a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

and given command of her. He was present at the

Battle at Port-la-Joye The Battle at Port-la-Joye (also known as the ''Port-la-Joye Massacre'') was a battle in King George's War that took place with British against French troops and Mi'kmaq militia on the banks of present-day Hillsborough River, Prince Edward I ...

. In September 1746 with

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal is a town in and the county seat of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community, known as Port Royal before 1710, is recognised as having one of the longest histories in North America, preceding the settlements at Plym ...

under threat of attack by the remnants of Duc d'Anville's fleet, Captain Rous, commanding the ''Shirley'', was ordered to assist in the defence of the fort. There he along with Captain

Richard Spry Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Spry (1715– 25 November 1775) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, North American Station. Naval career After an education at Truro Grammar School Spry joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer ...

"agreed to haul their ships under the Fort upon the arrival of the fleet and land their men and guns for the defence of it." In 1747, after the

Battle of Grand Pré The Battle of Grand Pré, also known as the Battle of Minas and the Grand Pré Massacre, was a battle in the mid-18th century King George's War that took place between New England forces and Canadian, Mi'kmaq, and Acadian forces at present-day G ...

, Rous sailed for the Minas Basin with a detachment under the command of Captain John Winslow, to re-establish British control over the area. The ''Shirley'' was paid off in June 1747, and on 7 May 1749 he took over the 14-gun HMS ''Albany''.

Father Le Loutre's War

Rous was also the senior naval officer on the Nova Scotia station during

(1749–1755). The main officer under his command was

Silvanus Cobb Silvanus Cobb (Sylvanus Cobb) (b. Plymouth, New England in 1709 – d. Havana, 1762) was a Massachusetts provincial army captain and later naval commander who fought for the British primarily in Nova Scotia in the 1740s and 1750s. King George ...

. He made a significant contribution to the preservation of Halifax and the defeat of the French, Acadian and Mi'kmaq resistance. He commanded the Albany. As the admiralty did not provide effective naval forces for the defence of Nova Scotia, Rous improvised to establish and protect the new British settlements at Halifax, Lunenburg, and Lawrencetown. He also worked to protect the long established British settlements at Canso and Annapolis Royal, as well as the new British forts in the Acadian communities of Grand Pre ( Fort Vieux Logis), Pisiquid ( Fort Edward) and Chignecto (see

Battle at Chignecto The Battle at Chignecto happened during Father Le Loutre's War when Charles Lawrence, in command of the 45th Regiment of Foot ( Hugh Warburton's regiment) and the 47th Regiment ( Peregrine Lascelles' regiment), John Gorham in command of the ...

). Under his command were three 14-gun sloops of the Royal Navy, the occasional man-of-war from England, and several New England coasting vessels. In 1753, Rous was a member of the

Nova Scotia Council Formally known as "His Majesty's Council of Nova Scotia", the Nova Scotia Council (1720–1838) was the original British administrative, legislative and judicial body in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Council was also known as the Annapolis Counci ...

. From 1754 to 1757 he had command of the 20-gun

HMS Success Sixteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Success'', whilst another was planned: * was a 34-gun ship, previously the French ship ''Jules''. She was captured in 1650, renamed HMS ''Old Success'' in 1660 and sold in 1662. * was a 24-g ...

, and in 1755 led the naval force at the

Battle of Fort Beauséjour The Battle of Fort Beauséjour was fought on the Isthmus of Chignecto and marked the end of Father Le Loutre's War and the opening of a British offensive in the Acadia/Nova Scotia theatre of the Seven Years' War, which would eventually lead to t ...

French and Indian War

He saw further service during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, joining the preparations for an attack on Louisbourg in 1757. The attempt was abandoned, but Rous became captain of the 50-gun and saw action at the successful siege in 1758. He went on to take part at the capture of Quebec in 1759, leading Admiral Sir Charles Saunders's fleet up the river, and landing troops for the attack under General

James Wolfe Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of ...

. He returned to England in late 1759 with a convoy, and died at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

on 3 April 1760. He was buried at St Thomas's Church on 6 April 1760.

Legacy

There are a number of landmarks in

Mahone Bay Mahone Bay is a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada along the eastern end of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Lunenburg County. The bay has many islands (potentially 365), and is a popular sailing area. Since 2003 the M ...

named after him: Rous Island, Rous Point and Rous Shoal.

References

Sources

Letter from John Rous. 31 October 1750
*
New England Historical Register, p. 322
*
A Sorrowful Picture of the Famous John Rous
* * *
Francis Asbury Roe. An American Sea Captain of Colonial Times: John Rous. Society of Colonial Wars in District of Columbia, No. 2, 1900.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rous, John 1702 births 1760 deaths Privateers from the Thirteen Colonies Royal Navy captains Pre-Confederation Nova Scotia people Members of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession Royal Navy personnel of the Seven Years' War British military personnel of the French and Indian War People of Massachusetts in the French and Indian War Military personnel from Boston People from colonial Massachusetts Burials in Hampshire People of Father Le Loutre's War