http://wiki.hmssurprise.org/phase3/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&feed=atom&target=CvalinWikiPOBia - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T13:36:58ZFrom WikiPOBiaMediaWiki 1.15.1http://wiki.hmssurprise.org/phase3/index.php/Charles_DouglasCharles Douglas2009-07-15T01:00:22Z<p>Cvalin: </p>
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<div>[[Rear Admiral]] '''Sir Charles Douglas, 1st Baronet of Carr''' (b. 1727 &ndash; d. 17 March 1789) was a descendant of the Earls of Morton and a distinguished [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] naval officer. According to Richard O'Neill's ''Patrick O'Brian's Navy'', he is the "Captain Douglas" under whom [[Jack Aubrey]] served as a midshipman aboard ''HMS Resolution'', although there is no record of Douglas actually commanding that vessel.<br />
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== Early career ==<br />
Douglas was born in Carr, Perthshire, [[Scotland]] to Charles Ayton Douglas and Christian Hepburn of Kinglassie. Little is known of his early life, although it is established that he could speak six languages. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of twelve, and spent some time in the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] service before resuming his career with the British. He was a midshipman at the siege of Louisbourg in 1745. In 1753, he was promoted to lieutenant, became a commander in 1759, and by the end of the [[Seven Years War]] in 1763, was captain of ''HMS Syren''. While commanding the ''Syren'', Sir Charles reported the attack on St. John's, Newfoundland and took part in recapturing Newfoundland. <br />
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Following the war, Sir Charles went to St. Petersburg to help re-organize the Russian navy for Catherine the Great in 1764-1765.<br />
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== American Revolutionary War years ==<br />
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After the [[Revolutionary War]] broke out in [[United States|America]] in 1775, Douglas was given command of a squadron to relieve Quebec from the siege. When he arrived at the Gulf of St. Lawrence, he decided to ram the ice and successfully made his way up the river, surprising the Americans and putting them on the run. He was also in charge of creating a navy from scratch to fight on Lake Champlain, and that small fleet routed the Americans under Benedict Arnold. In 1777, he was made a baronet for his service in Quebec. As captain of ''HMS Stirling Castle'', he took part in the Battle of Ushant.<br />
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In 1781, Sir Charles became Captain-of-the-Fleet for [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney]], and was with Rodney on his flagship, ''Formidable'', at the [[Battle of the Saintes]] off Dominica, where on [[12 April]] [[1782]], they defeated the [[François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasetilly, comte de Grasse|Comte de Grasse]] by breaking the French line. Douglas is credited by many, including Sir Charles Dashwood (a midshipman present at the time who later became an admiral himself), for having the idea for the maneuver, but it is a subject of much debate. <br />
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Following the war, he was the Commander-in-Chief of [[North America]] at the [[Halifax]], Nova Scotia Station, but resigned due to a conflict. In 1787 he became a rear-admiral, and in 1789 was once again made commander of the Nova Scotia station, but died of apoplexy before taking his post.<br />
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== Naval career ==<br />
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*1740 Joined Royal Navy at age twelve<br />
*1745 Midshipman at Siege of Louisbourg<br />
*1747 Past-Midshipman on HMS ''Centurion''<br />
*1753 Lieutenant in the Royal Navy<br />
*1759 Promoted to Commander; Commander of HMS ''Boscawen''<br />
*1761 Made Post-Captain; Commander of HMS ''Unicorn'', 28 guns<br />
*1762 Commander of HMS ''Syren'', 20 guns, Newfoundland<br />
*1763 Commander of HMS ''Tweed'', 32 guns, Newfoundland<br />
*1767 Commander of HMS ''Emerald'', 32 guns<br />
*1770 Commander of HMS ''St. Albans'', 61 guns<br />
*1775 Commander of HMS ''Isis'', 50 guns, Quebec<br />
*1776 Commodore in charge of building Lake Champlain fleet<br />
*1777 Commander of HMS ''Stirling Castle'', 64 Guns<br />
*1778 Commander of HMS ''Duke'', 98 guns, Channel Fleet<br />
*1781 Captain-of-the-Fleet of [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Sir George Rodney]], flagship HMS ''Formidable'', West Indies<br />
*1783 Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of Halifax Station, HMS ''Assistance'', 50 guns, HMS ''Hermione'', 32 guns<br />
*1787 Promoted to Rear-Admiral<br />
*1789 Commander-in-Chief of [[North America]]n Station, HMS ''London Man'', 50 guns<br />
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== Personal life ==<br />
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Douglas was married three times: first to a Dutch woman called Uranie Lidie Marteilhe, with whom he had a son and a daughter; second to Sarah Wood of [[Yorkshire]], the mother of Sir Howard Douglas; and third to a woman named Jane, daughter of John Baillie. There is a great deal of confusion regarding the identity of Sir Charles' third wife, whose last name has been variously reported as Baillie, Grew, and Brisbane. It appears that some sources have mistaken his sister, Helena Baillie, for his third wife because she raised his younger children while he was at sea. The name Helen Brisbaine is also an error based on a mistake in ''The Scottish Nation'' (1862) where it says she was married to Admiral Sir Charles Douglas when, in fact, she was the wife of Admiral Sir James Douglas.[http://books.google.com/books?id=bLQEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA380&lpg=PA380&dq=helen+%22james+brisbane%22+%22charles+douglas%22&source=web&ots=7m_e5kO_lt&sig=r3X2Cmehl6kPXwwsXcWqPFQT330] When his eldest daughter, Lydia Mariana, married Rev. Richard Bingham against his wishes, he disinherited her. Following his death, Lydia and her husband sued for a share of his estate, and the case was appealed until finally being decided against them in the House of Lords in 1796. The case is made famous because of a letter Lydia had written to [[Adam Smith]], a friend and distant relative of Sir Charles, requesting his assistance in reconciling the father and daughter.<br />
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== Legacy ==<br />
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Sir Charles was known as a mechanical genius [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC05900623&id=20YBAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA24-PA453&lpg=RA24-PA453&dq=%22sir+charles+douglas%22+mechanical+genius], and many of his suggestions for improvements on naval vessels, including the substitution of flintlocks for matches, were adopted by the Admiralty for the entire [[Royal Navy]].<br />
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He was succeeded as Baronet of Carr by his sons, Vice-Admiral Sir William Henry Douglas, 2nd Baronet, and General Sir Howard Douglas, 3rd Baronet, who became a General, lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, MP for Liverpool, and Lord High Chancellor of the Ionian Islands.<br />
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Both Douglastown and Douglas, Nova Scotia, are named after him. The song “Caillich Odhar” was composed by Nathaniel Gow in his honor.<br />
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==In the Canon==<br />
{{spoiler|''The Reverse of the Medal'' and ''The Nutmeg of Consolation''}}<br />
As a midshipman aboard ''HMS Resolution'', Aubrey was disrated by Captain Douglas and turned before the mast where he spent some months as a foremast-hand. He originally tells [[Stephen Maturin|Maturin]] that the cause of his disrating was that he kept a [[Sally M'puta|girl]]<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Reverse of the Medal''. (c)1986 First published as a Norton Paperback 1992. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 36</ref> in the [[cable tier]]. In [[The Reverse of the Medal]], however, Captain Goole, who was himself a midshipman on ''Resolution'' at the time, tells his wife that it was due to another liberty Aubrey took with the rule. "He stole most of the captain's dish of tripe by means of a system of hooks and tackles."<ref>''Ibid''.: p. 13, see also, O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Nutmeg of Consolation''. (c) 1991 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: pp. 97-98</ref> <br />
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[[Category:Royal Naval officer (non-fictional)|Douglas, Charles]]<br />
[[Category:Commissioned officers|Douglas, Charles]]<br />
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==References==<br />
*Encyclopedia Brittanica (1911)<br />
*Fullom, S.W. ''Life of General Sir Howard Douglas'' (1865)<br />
*Clark, William Bell. ''Naval Documents of the American Revolution'', vol. 3-6 (1968-1971)<br />
*Douglas, Percy. ''History of the Family Douglas'', vol. I.<br />
*Paton, Thomas S., ''Reports of Cases Decided in the House of Lords, Upon Appeal from Scotland, from 1753 to 1813,'' vol. III (1853)<br />
*''The Complete Baronetage''<br />
*''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1938)<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/DIO_DRO/DOUGLAS_SIR_CHARLES.html ''Online 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Article'']<br />
*[http://www.gogaspe.com/douglastown/history1.html ''Douglastown Historical Review'']<br />
*[http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/jcr/people ''Quicksilver.net'']<br />
*[http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC05900623&id=20YBAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA24-PA453&lpg=RA24-PA453&dq=%22sir+charles+douglas%22+mechanical+genius ''A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen (online at Google Books)'']<br />
*[http://www.biographi.ca/en/ShowBio.asp?BioId=35982&query= ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']</div>Cvalinhttp://wiki.hmssurprise.org/phase3/index.php/Edward_PellewEdward Pellew2009-07-14T14:42:18Z<p>Cvalin: /* Early career */</p>
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<div>[[Image:pellew.jpg|thumb|right|Sir Edward Pellew painted in 1804]][[Admiral]] '''Sir Edward Pellew''', later '''1st Viscount Exmouth''', <br />
(1757-1833) was a [[United Kingdom|British]] naval officer. He fought during the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]], the [[French Revolution|French Revolutionary]], and the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<br />
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Pellew is principally remembered as the mentor of the fictional [[Horatio Hornblower]] in [[C.S. Forester]]'s novels. In the [[Aubrey-Maturin series]], Pellew is briefly mentioned as Lord Exmouth in ''[[The Hundred Days]]'' and his ship makes an important appearance in ''[[Post Captain (novel)|Post Captain]]'' but Pellew himself is not mentioned.<br />
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==Early career==<br />
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Pellew was born at [[Dover]], son of Samuel Pellew, commander of a Dover packet. The family was Cornish. On the death of Edward's father in 1764 the family moved to [[Penzance]]. Pellew ran away to sea at the age of 14. He entered the [[Royal Navy]] on board the ''Juno'', and made a voyage to the [[Falkland Islands]]. In 1772 his ship was sent to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] for three years. After a quarrel with his captain, he was put on shore at [[Marseille]], where he was able to get a passage home. This does not seem to have harmed his career or else his influence assisted him in obtaining another post. He joined the ''Blonde'', under the command of Captain Philemon Pownoll who became an important influence on Pellew. The ''Blonde'' took General John Burgoyne to America in the spring of 1776 to fight in the American War of Independence. Pellew was detached for service in Burgoyne's campaign on Lake Champlain. In the Battle of Valcour Island, when Benedict Arnold's gunboats attempted to ambush the British ships on Lake Champlain on Lake Champlain, Pellew with his superior officers wounded managed to save his ship and was immediately promoted to command her. In the summer of 1777 Pellew, with a small party of seamen, was attached to the army under Burgoyne to build bridges and act as engineers. He was present at the Battle of Saratoga, where his youngest brother, John, was killed. He was taken prisoner. After the surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, he was repatriated carrying Burgoyne's despatches. This proved to be a lucky assignment as on his return, he was promoted to [[lieutenant]]. He was moved into the ''Apollo'', with his old captain, Pownoll. In 1780 the ''Apollo'' engaged a large French privateer, the ''Stanislaus'', off [[Ostend]]. Pownoll was killed by a musket-shot, but Pellew, continuing the action, [[dismasted]] the ''Stanislaus'' and drove her on shore. He was promoted to the command of a [[sloop]], which was employed for the next six months on the east coast of [[Scotland]]. In March 1782 Pellew was appointed to the ''Pelican'', in April off [[Brittany]], he engaged and drove on shore three [[privateer]]s. As a result he was promoted to [[Post Captain (rank)|post captain]]. He captained a series of ships until 1791 when he was placed on half-pay. He tried his hand at farming with indifferent success and was offered a command in the Russian navy but declined it.<br />
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==French Revolutionary Wars==<br />
He was still struggling with his farm when revolutionary [[France]] declared war in 1793. He immediately applied for a ship and was appointed to the ''Nymphe'', a 36-gun frigate which he fitted out in a remarkably short time. Having difficulty in manning her, he enlisted eighty Cornish miners. With these and a few seamen he put to sea and [[The press|pressed]] seamen from merchant ships to make up his crew. On 18 June the ''Nymphe'' sailed from Falmouth, Cornwall. At daybreak on the 19th ''Nymphe'' fell in with the ''Cléopâtre'', also of 36 guns. After a short but very sharp action, the ''Cléopâtre'' was boarded and captured. The ''Cléopâtre'' was the first frigate taken in the war and Pellew was knighted as a reward.<br />
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By 1794 he was [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] of the Western Frigate Squadron. In 1795, he took command of ''[[HMS Indefatigable]]''. <br />
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In a striking parallel with [[Jack Aubrey]], he was also a good swimmer and noted for saving many lives. The most striking event was on January 26, 1796 when the [[Indiaman|East Indiaman]] ''Dutton'' ran aground under [[Plymouth Hoe]]. Due to the heavy seas, the crew and soldiers aboard were unable to get to shore. Pellew swam out to the wreck with a line and helped rig a lifeline which saved almost all aboard. For this feat he was created a [[baronet]].<br />
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His most famous action started on January 13, 1797 when cruising in company with ''HMS Amazon'', the French 74 gun [[ship of the line]] ''Droits de l'Homme'' was sighted. Normally a ship of the line would outmatch two [[frigate]]s, but by skillful sailing in the stormy conditions, the two frigates avoided much of French ship's superior fire power. Early the next morning, the three ships were embayed on a lee shore in Audierne Bay. Both the ''Droits de l'Homme'' and ''Amazon'' ran aground, but ''Indefatigable'' managed to claw her way off the [[lee shore]] to safety.<br />
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For the next few years, Pellew was active off the coast of western France and Spain, including trying to promote a rebellion of French Royalists in Brittany. <br />
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During the [[Peace of Amiens]], he was elected to be a [[Member of Parliament]] and when war recommenced he was appointed to the ''Tonnant'', a 80 gun ship of the line.<br />
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==Napoleonic Wars==<br />
Pellew was promoted to [[Rear Admiral]] in 1804. He was appointed [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[East Indies]]. It took six months to sail out to [[Penang]] so he took up the appointment in 1805. Here he increased his fortune with the admiral's share of the [[prize money]]. He also gained a reputation for nepotism when he promoted his son at a very young age. On his return from the east, he was appointed, in succession to the positions of Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet from 1811 to 1814, and later of the [[North Sea]] in 1820. <br />
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In 1814, he was made Baron Exmouth of Canonteign. He led an Anglo-Dutch fleet against the [[Barbary states]] and was victor of the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816. For this action he was created Viscount Exmouth.<br />
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==In the Canon==<br />
There are several references to characters named Pellew in the [[Aubrey-Maturin series]], for example ''[[Treason's Harbour]]'' and ''[[The Reverse of the Medal]]'', but these do not refer to Pellew himself. His ship makes an appearance in ''[[Post Captain (novel)|Post Captain]]'' when the British squadron appears to rescue Aubrey and Maturin from the ''Lord Nelson''.<br />
The action between the ''Indefatigable'' and the ''Droits de l'Homme'' is also described in chapter five of ''[[The Yellow Admiral (novel)|The Yellow Admiral]]''. Finally Lord Exmouth is reported to be the new admiral in the Mediterranean early in ''[[The Hundred Days]]'', but he becomes [[Lord Barmouth]] by the time he appears in the story.<br />
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==References==<br />
*''Edward Pellew, Viscount Exmouth'' by C. Northcote Parkinson, (1934)<br />
*''Life of Viscount Exmouth'' by Edward Osler<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17929/17929-h/17929-h.htm Project Gutenberg] copy of Edward Osler's biography of Pellew, 1854 edition.<br />
[[Category:Royal Naval officer (non-fictional)|Pellew, Sir Edward]]<br />
[[Category:Flag officers|Pellew, Sir Edward]]</div>Cvalinhttp://wiki.hmssurprise.org/phase3/index.php/Jack_AubreyJack Aubrey2009-07-14T03:54:32Z<p>Cvalin: created link to Charles Douglas</p>
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<div>'''John Aubrey'''<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''Treason's Harbor''.(c)1983. W.W. Norton and Company, New York, NY; p. 173: Aubrey signs his letter home "your most affectionate husband, Jno Aubrey." Jno was the common abbreviation for John at the time. See also, O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Thirteen-Gun Salute''. (c)1989 William Collins Sons & Co., Ltd., Glasgow: p. 88</ref> is usually known as '''Jack Aubrey''' in the Aubrey-Maturin series. One of two primary protagonists of the series, Aubrey begins the series as a [[Royal Navy]] [[lieutenant]] in [[Port Mahon]], [[Minorca]], in [[Master and Commander (novel)|Master and Commander]]. <br />
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In the opening scene, Aubrey is at a concert at Governor's House in Port Mahon. He is described as "Between twenty and thirty whose big form overflowed his seat...with the silver medal of the Nile in his buttonhole...while his bright blue eyes, staring from what would have been a pink-a-white face if it had not been so deeply tanned gazed fixedly at the bow of the first violin." (Norton pg 7) Early in his career, "he was familiarly known as Goldilocks" because of the brightness of his long yellow hair.<ref> O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Nutmeg of Consolation''. (c) 1991 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 133</ref> <br />
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== Family background and childhood ==<br />
Jack Aubrey is the oldest son of [[General Aubrey]] of [[Woolcombe]] in the County of Dorset. His family has been lords of the manor for generations. In ''[[The Surgeon's Mate (novel)|The Surgeon's Mate]]'' he is said to have been 'a seventeen-year-old [[master's mate]]' on board ''HMS Resolution'' at the time of an action near [[Brest]], and this would imply that he was born in 1774 or 1775, since such an action could only have taken place after the declaration of war against [[France]] in 1793; however, elsewhere he is said to have already gained his commission as lieutenant in 1792, and this suggests that he was born soon after 1770. His mother died when he was a small child and he was cared for by his cousin [[Queenie, Lady Keith|Queenie Keith]]. His education was intermittent, although a few Latin tags remained with him into maturity. [[Philip Broke]], afterwards captain of ''[[HMS Shannon]]'', was a childhood friend.<br />
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== Early career ==<br />
Aubrey entered the navy serving "under a nephew of the amiable Admiral Boscawen".<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Truelove''. (c)1992 by Patrick O'Brian. First American Edition, 1992. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 191</ref> This may have been aboard HMS ''Sylph'', on which he served as a boy.<ref> O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Nutmeg of Consolation''. (c) 1991 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 221</ref><br />
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He was a midshipman aboard HMS ''Bellerophon'', serving with [[Heneage Dundas]] in the West Indies, where they engaged in a sword duel over a disputed game of backgammon, a duel in which Aubrey received a scar but which ended with the two friends reunited for life.<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Commodore''. (c)1994 by Patrick O'Brian. First American Edition, 1995. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: pp. 117, 4-5</ref> He almost drowned in the Bay of Biscay off Cape Ortegal while a midshipman in the 38-gun frigate ''Latona''.<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''Blue at the Mizzen''. (c) 1999 W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY 10110. p. 88</ref> Still a midshipman but now aboard ''HMS Resolution'', Aubrey was disrated by [[Charles Douglas|Captain Douglas]] and turned before the mast where he spent some months as a foremast-hand. He originally tells [[Stephen Maturin|Maturin]] that the cause of his disrating was that he kept a [[Sally M'puta|girl]]<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Reverse of the Medal''. (c)1986 First published as a Norton Paperback 1992. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 36</ref> in the [[cable tier]]. In [[The Reverse of the Medal]], however, Captain Goole, who was himself a midshipman on ''Resolution'' at the time, tells his wife that it was due to another liberty Aubrey took with the rule. "He stole most of the captain's dish of tripe by means of a system of hooks and tackles."<ref>''Ibid''.: p. 13, see also, O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Nutmeg of Consolation''. (c) 1991 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: pp. 97-98</ref> Aubrey would later serve under Captain Richardson as [[master's mate]] in the ''Sybille''. <ref> O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Hundred Days''. (c) 1998 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 238</ref><br />
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Besides ''Resolution'', Jack served on HMS ''Colossus''<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Thirteen-Gun Salute''.(c) 1989 William Collins Sons & Co., Ltd., Glasgow: p. 88</ref> and as [[midshipman]] on HMS ''Namur''.<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Far Side of the World''. (c)1984 by William Collins Sons & Co., Ltd. Published as a Norton Paperback 1992: p. 373</ref> At a unknown time he served on board ''[[HMS Surprise (ship)|HMS Surprise]]'' as a midshipmen. He spent some time in HMS ''Minerva'', sailing to England from the Cape of Good Hope under Captain Soules.<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Wine-Dark Sea''. (c) 1993 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110: p. 17</ref> As [[lieutenant]], he took part in the [[Battle of Cape St. Vincent]] (1797) on board the ''Orion'' and in the [[Battle of the Nile]] (1798) on the ''[[HMS Leander|Leander]]''; it was this occasion which brought him into contact with [[Horatio Nelson|Nelson]]. He also served as a lieutenant aboard HMS ''Arethusa''.<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Commodore''. (c)1994 by Patrick O'Brian. First American Edition, 1995. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY.</ref><br />
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==In the Canon==<br />
{{spoiler|the whole series}}<br />
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Highlights of his life and career as presented in the Canon: <br />
*Promoted to [[Master and Commander (rank)|Master and Commander]] in [[Master and Commander (novel)|Master and Commander]]. <br />
*Promoted to [[Post Captain (rank)|Post Captain]] in [[Post Captain (novel)|Post Captain]]. <br />
*Marries [[Sophia Aubrey|Sophia Williams]] after the end of [[HMS Surprise (novel)|HMS Surprise]].<br />
*Posted as [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] to command a squadron tasked to pry the French out of the Mauritius island group in [[The Mauritius Command]].<br />
*Cashiered from the navy after conviction for stock exchange fraud in [[The Reverse of the Medal]] and earns a fortune commanding [[Surprise|HMS ''Surprise'']] as a [[Letter of marque (document)|letter of marque]].<br />
*Becomes a [[Member of Parliament|MP]] on the death of his father and is reinstated in the navy in [[The Thirteen-Gun Salute]].<br />
*Posted as Commodore tasked to interdict the slave trade off the coast of western [[Africa]] in [[The Commodore (novel)|The Commodore]]. <br />
*Promoted to [[Rear Admiral]] at the end of [[Blue at the Mizzen]].<br />
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==References==<br />
<references/><br />
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[[Category:Aubrey-Maturin series characters|Aubrey, Jack]]<br />
[[Category:Commissioned officers|Aubrey, Jack]]<br />
[[Category:Flag officers|Aubrey, Jack]]</div>Cvalinhttp://wiki.hmssurprise.org/phase3/index.php/Charles_DouglasCharles Douglas2009-07-14T03:51:51Z<p>Cvalin: created article</p>
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<div>[[Rear Admiral]] '''Sir Charles Douglas, 1st Baronet of Carr''' (b. 1727 &ndash; d. 17 March 1789) was a descendant of the Earls of Morton and a distinguished [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] naval officer. According to Richard O'Neill's ''Patrick O'Brian's Navy'', he is the "Captain Douglas" under whom [[Jack Aubrey]] served as a midshipman aboard ''HMS Resolution'', although there is no record of Douglas actually commanding that vessel.<br />
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== Early career ==<br />
Douglas was born in Carr, Perthshire, [[Scotland]] to Charles Ayton Douglas and Christian Hepburn of Kinglassie. Little is known of his early life, although it is established that he could speak six languages. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of twelve, and spent some time in the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] service before resuming his career with the British. He was a midshipman at the siege of Louisbourg in 1745. In 1753, he was promoted to lieutenant, became a commander in 1759, and by the end of the [[Seven Years War]] in 1763, was captain of ''HMS Syren''. While commanding the ''Syren'', Sir Charles reported the attack on St. John's, Newfoundland and took part in recapturing Newfoundland. <br />
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Following the war, Sir Charles went to St. Petersburg to help re-organize the Russian navy for Catherine the Great in 1764-1765.<br />
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== American Revolutionary War years ==<br />
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After the [[Revolutionary War]] broke out in [[United States|America]] in 1775, Douglas was given command of a squadron to relieve Quebec from the siege. When he arrived at the Gulf of St. Lawrence, he decided to ram the ice and successfully made his way up the river, surprising the Americans and putting them on the run. He was also in charge of creating a navy from scratch to fight on Lake Champlain, and that small fleet routed the Americans under Benedict Arnold. In 1777, he was made a baronet for his service in Quebec. As captain of ''HMS Stirling Castle'', he took part in the Battle of Ushant.<br />
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In 1781, Sir Charles became Captain-of-the-Fleet for [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney]], and was with Rodney on his flagship, ''Formidable'', at the [[Battle of the Saintes]] off Dominica, where on [[12 April]] [[1782]], they defeated the [[François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasetilly, comte de Grasse|Comte de Grasse]] by breaking the French line. Douglas is credited by many, including Sir Charles Dashwood (a midshipman present at the time who later became an admiral himself), for having the idea for the maneuver, but it is a subject of much debate. <br />
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Following the war, he was the Commander-in-Chief of [[North America]] at the [[Halifax]], Nova Scotia Station, but resigned due to a conflict. In 1787 he became a rear-admiral, and in 1789 was once again made commander of the Nova Scotia station, but died of apoplexy before taking his post.<br />
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== Naval career ==<br />
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*1740 Joined Royal Navy at age twelve<br />
*1745 Midshipman at Siege of Louisbourg<br />
*1747 Past-Midshipman on HMS ''Centurion''<br />
*1753 Lieutenant in the Royal Navy<br />
*1759 Promoted to Commander; Commander of HMS ''Boscawen''<br />
*1761 Made Post-Captain; Commander of HMS ''Unicorn'', 28 guns<br />
*1762 Commander of HMS ''Syren'', 20 guns, Newfoundland<br />
*1763 Commander of HMS ''Tweed'', 32 guns, Newfoundland<br />
*1767 Commander of HMS ''Emerald'', 32 guns<br />
*1770 Commander of HMS ''St. Albans'', 61 guns<br />
*1775 Commander of HMS ''Isis'', 50 guns, Quebec<br />
*1776 Commodore in charge of building Lake Champlain fleet<br />
*1777 Commander of HMS ''Stirling Castle'', 64 Guns<br />
*1778 Commander of HMS ''Duke'', 98 guns, Channel Fleet<br />
*1781 Captain-of-the-Fleet of [[George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney|Sir George Rodney]], flagship HMS ''Formidable'', West Indies<br />
*1783 Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of Halifax Station, HMS ''Assistance'', 50 guns, HMS ''Hermione'', 32 guns<br />
*1787 Promoted to Rear-Admiral<br />
*1789 Commander-in-Chief of [[North America]]n Station, HMS ''London Man'', 50 guns<br />
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== Personal life ==<br />
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Douglas was married three times: first to a Dutch woman called Uranie Lidie Marteilhe, with whom he had a son and a daughter; second to Sarah Wood of [[Yorkshire]], the mother of Sir Howard Douglas; and third to a woman named Jane, daughter of John Baillie. There is a great deal of confusion regarding the identity of Sir Charles' third wife, whose last name has been variously reported as Baillie, Grew, and Brisbane. It appears that some sources have mistaken his sister, Helena Baillie, for his third wife because she raised his younger children while he was at sea. The name Helen Brisbaine is also an error based on a mistake in ''The Scottish Nation'' (1862) where it says she was married to Admiral Sir Charles Douglas when, in fact, she was the wife of Admiral Sir James Douglas.[http://books.google.com/books?id=bLQEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA380&lpg=PA380&dq=helen+%22james+brisbane%22+%22charles+douglas%22&source=web&ots=7m_e5kO_lt&sig=r3X2Cmehl6kPXwwsXcWqPFQT330] When his eldest daughter, Lydia Mariana, married Rev. Richard Bingham against his wishes, he disinherited her. Following his death, Lydia and her husband sued for a share of his estate, and the case was appealed until finally being decided against them in the House of Lords in 1796. The case is made famous because of a letter Lydia had written to [[Adam Smith]], a friend and distant relative of Sir Charles, requesting his assistance in reconciling the father and daughter.<br />
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== Legacy ==<br />
<br />
Sir Charles was known as a mechanical genius [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC05900623&id=20YBAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA24-PA453&lpg=RA24-PA453&dq=%22sir+charles+douglas%22+mechanical+genius], and many of his suggestions for improvements on naval vessels, including the substitution of flintlocks for matches, were adopted by the Admiralty for the entire [[Royal Navy]].<br />
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He was succeeded as Baronet of Carr by his sons, Vice-Admiral Sir William Henry Douglas, 2nd Baronet, and General Sir Howard Douglas, 3rd Baronet, who became a General, lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, MP for Liverpool, and Lord High Chancellor of the Ionian Islands.<br />
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Both Douglastown and Douglas, Nova Scotia, are named after him. The song “Caillich Odhar” was composed by Nathaniel Gow in his honor.<br />
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==In the Canon==<br />
{{spoiler|''The Reverse of the Medal'' and ''The Nutmeg of Consolation''}}<br />
As a midshipman aboard ''HMS Resolution'', Aubrey was disrated by Captain Douglas and turned before the mast where he spent some months as a foremast-hand. He originally tells [[Stephen Maturin|Maturin]] that the cause of his disrating was that he kept a [[Sally M'puta|girl]]<ref>O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Reverse of the Medal''. (c)1986 First published as a Norton Paperback 1992. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 36</ref> in the [[cable tier]]. In [[The Reverse of the Medal]], however, Captain Goole, who was himself a midshipman on ''Resolution'' at the time, tells his wife that it was due to another liberty Aubrey took with the rule. "He stole most of the captain's dish of tripe by means of a system of hooks and tackles."<ref>''Ibid''.: p. 13, see also, O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Nutmeg of Consolation''. (c) 1991 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: pp. 97-98</ref> Aubrey would later serve under Captain Richardson as [[master's mate]] in the ''Sybille''. <ref> O'Brian, Patrick. ''The Hundred Days''. (c) 1998 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, NY: p. 238</ref><br />
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[[Category:Royal Naval officer (non-fictional)|Douglas, Charles]]<br />
[[Category:Commissioned officers|Douglas, Charles]]<br />
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==References==<br />
*Encyclopedia Brittanica (1911)<br />
*Fullom, S.W. ''Life of General Sir Howard Douglas'' (1865)<br />
*Clark, William Bell. ''Naval Documents of the American Revolution'', vol. 3-6 (1968-1971)<br />
*Douglas, Percy. ''History of the Family Douglas'', vol. I.<br />
*Paton, Thomas S., ''Reports of Cases Decided in the House of Lords, Upon Appeal from Scotland, from 1753 to 1813,'' vol. III (1853)<br />
*''The Complete Baronetage''<br />
*''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1938)<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/DIO_DRO/DOUGLAS_SIR_CHARLES.html ''Online 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Article'']<br />
*[http://www.gogaspe.com/douglastown/history1.html ''Douglastown Historical Review'']<br />
*[http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/jcr/people ''Quicksilver.net'']<br />
*[http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC05900623&id=20YBAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA24-PA453&lpg=RA24-PA453&dq=%22sir+charles+douglas%22+mechanical+genius ''A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen (online at Google Books)'']<br />
*[http://www.biographi.ca/en/ShowBio.asp?BioId=35982&query= ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']</div>Cvalinhttp://wiki.hmssurprise.org/phase3/index.php/User:CvalinUser:Cvalin2009-07-14T02:58:00Z<p>Cvalin: created user page</p>
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<div>Christopher J. Valin is a history teacher, writer, and artist living in the Los Angeles area. He has a master's degree in military history with a concentration in American Revolution studies, and is currently expanding his thesis on Rear Admiral Sir Charles Douglas into a book.</div>Cvalin