James Scott

Notes on Officer

James Scott was born, 18 June, 1790, in London. This officer entered the Navy, in Aug. 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Phaeton 38, Capt. Geo. Cockburn, in which frigate, after having conveyed Mr. Merry, the British Minister Plenipotentiary, to the United States, he proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, and came into frequent and warm collision with the batteries in the Isle of France, where he assisted at the destruction of Pointe Canonnière. On his return to England with Capt. Cockburn as Midshipman (a rating he had attained in Sept. 1804) in the Howe 38, bearer of the Marquess Wellesley, he was received, in Feb. 1806, on board the Blanche of 46 guns and 265 men, Capt. Thos. Lavie; under whom we find him present, 19 July in the same year, at the capture, off the Faroe Isles, of the Guerrière French frigate, of 50 guns and 317 men, after a severe action, in which the British had but 4 men wounded and the enemy 50 killed and wounded. For his gallantry in achieving this exploit Capt. Lavie received the honour of Knighthood. With the exception of a few months passed, between July, 1807, and April, 1808, in the Achille 74, commanded off Ferrol by Capt. Sir Rich. King, Mr. Scott again, from Sept. 1806 until Aug. 1809, served with Capt. Cockburn as Midshipman and Master’s Mate in the Captain, Pompée, and Belleisle 74’s. In the Captain and Pompée he cruized among the Western Islands and off Rochefort; and while in the latter ship he was employed on shore and was slightly wounded at the reduction of Martinique; whence in the Belleisle he returned home with the surrendered governor and garrison. After commanding a gun-boat in the attack upon Flushing (for his conduct during the operations connected with which he obtained a letter of thanks from Rear-Admiral Sir Rich. Goodwin Keats) he was made Lieutenant, 16 Nov. 1809, into La Flêche 14, Capt. Geo. Hewson, lying in the river Thames. His next appointments were – 13 July, 1810, to the Myrtle sloop, Capts. John Smith Cowan and Clement Sneyd, employed, for nearly two years, off Lisbon, at the defence of Cadiz, in the Mediterranean, and on the coast of Africa – and, in the course of 1812-13-14, to the Grampus 50 and Marlborough, Sceptre, and Albion 74’s, the first bearing the broad pendant, the three others the flag, of his former Captain, Cockburn, at Cadiz and on the North American station. On 3 April, 1813, being then in the Marlborough, he commanded one of the boats of a squadron containing 105 men, under the orders of Lieut. Jas. Polkinghorne, at the capture, 15 miles up the Rappahannock river, of four schooners, carrying in the whole 31 guns and 219 men – an exploit whose achievement inflicted on the British a loss of 2 men killed and 11 wounded, and on the enemy of 6 killed and 10 wounded. On 22 June, 1813, Mr. Scott had charge of the Marlborough’s launch, which was sunk in the attack upon Crany Island; four days afterwards he assisted at the capture of the town of Hampton; in the ensuing month he commanded the Sceptre’s launch at the capture of Ocrakoke Island on the coast of North Carolina, and at the taking of the Anaconda of 20 and Atlas of 12 guns; and, in 1814, during which year he was attached to the Albion, he stormed two forts on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake, contributed in the boats to the destruction, up the Patuxent, of a powerful flotilla under Commodore Barney, and served on shore as Aide-de-Camp to Rear-Admiral Cockburn, at the battle of Bladensburg, the occupation of Washington, and the attack upon Baltimore. His name in 10 instances obtained public mention. “Lieut. Jas. Scott,” says the distinguished officer just alluded to, in his public letter to the Commander-in-Chief relative to the Washington expedition, “now First of the Albion, has on this occasion rendered me essential services; and, as I have had reason so often to mention to you his gallant and meritorious conduct, I trust you will permit me to seize this opportunity of recommending him particularly to your favourable notice and consideration.” In his detail of the operations against Baltimore the Rear-Admiral thus again refers to him; “I have to express to you how particularly I consider myself indebted to Lieut. Jas. Scott, whom I have had such frequent cause to mention to you, and who, in the battle of the 12th (Sept.) commanded a division of seamen, and behaved most gallantly, occasionally also acting as Aide-de-Camp to myself.” Being advanced in consequence to the rank of Commander 19 Oct. 1814, Capt. Scott was in that capacity appointed, 4 May and 5 Nov. 1824, to the Meteor bomb and Harlequin 18. In the former vessel he took part in the demonstration made by Vice-Admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale before Algiers: in the Harlequin he served until 1827 on the Cork and Jamaica stations. He attained Post-rank 8 Jan. 1828; and was afterwards employed – from 26 June, 1834, until 1836, and from 30 Aug. 1837 until Oct. 1839, in the President 50, as Flag-Captain to Admirals Sir Geo. Cockburn and Chas. Bayne Hodgson Ross, on the North America and West India and Pacific stations – and, from 31 Oct. 1839 until the close of 1841, in the Samarang 26, in South America and the East Indies. Uniting, in the latter ship, in the operations connected with the war in China, he succeeded, 7 Jan. 1841, with his accustomed gallantry, in silencing in one hour, with the Druid, Modeste, and Columbine under his orders, the fire of the enemy at Tycocktow; and, on 26 of the ensuing month, he figured in the action with the Bogue forts. Prior to the first investment of Canton, he remored temporarily to the Nemesis steamer, commanded by the present Capt. Wm. Hutcheon Hall, for the purpose of forcing, agreeably to a plan he had previously formed, the inner passage from Macao to Whampoa. During the advance he made on the latter place he contrived, aided by the boats of his own ship, to destroy, between 3 a.m. on 13 and 4 P.M. on 15 March, as many as five forts, one battery, two military stations, and nine war-junks, in which collectively were 115 guns and 8 gingalls. For these services he was nominated a C.B. 29 June, 1841.

Capt. Scott is the author of a work entitled ‘Naval Recollections.’ He married, 3 May, 1819, Caroline Ann, only child of the late Rich. Donovan, Esq., of Tibberton Court, Gloucestershire, by Caroline Elizabeth Yate, of Bromesberrow Place in the same co., and the last descendant of the ancient families of Yate, De la Boxe , and Dobyns. By that lady he has issue.