A fascinating account of varied careers, providing a rich snapshot
of the later eighteenth-century sailing navy in microcosm. This
book sets out the lives of seventeen 'young gentlemen' who were
midshipmen under the famous Captain Sir Edward Pellew. Together,
aboard the frigate HMS Indefatigable, they fought a celebrated
action in 1797 against theFrench ship of the line Les Droits de
l'Homme. C. S. Forester, the historical novelist, placed his famous
hero, Horatio Hornblower, aboard Pellew's ship as a midshipman, so
this book tells, as it were, the actual stories of Hornblower's
real-life shipmates. And what stories they were! From diverse
backgrounds, aristocratic and humble, they bonded closely with
Pellew, learned their naval leadership skills from him, and
benefited from his patronage and his friendship in their
subsequent, very varied careers. The group provides a fascinating
snapshot of the later eighteenth-century sailing navy in microcosm.
Besides tracing the men's naval lives, the book shows how they
adapted to peace after 1815, presenting details of their civilian
careers. The colourful lives recounted include those of the
Honourable George Cadogan, son of an earl, who survived three
courts martial and a duel to retire with honouras an admiral in
1813; Thomas Groube, of a Falmouth merchant family, who commanded a
fleet of boats which destroyed the Dutch shipping at Batavia,
capital of the Dutch East Indies, in 1806; and James Bray, of Irish
Catholic descent, who was killed commanding a sloop during the
American war of 1812. Heather Noel-Smith is a genealogist and a
retired Methodist minister. Lorna Campbell is a digital education
manager at the University of Edinburgh and an education technology
consultant. They are both independent researchers.
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