Robert Winthrop (1764–1832)

Last updated
Robert Winthrop
Born 7 December 1764
New London, Connecticut
Died 10 May 1832
Dover
Allegiance Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Service/branch Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Royal Navy
Years of service 1778-1832
Rank Vice-Admiral
Battles/wars American Revolutionary War
French Revolutionary Wars
• Vlieter Incident
Napoleonic Wars

Robert Winthrop (7 December [Note 1] 1764, New London, Connecticut  – 10 May 1832, Dover) was a scion of the New England Winthrop family of high colonial civil servants, and a Vice-Admiral of the Blue in the Royal Navy. Among his many feats of arms was taking possession of admiral Samuel Story's squadron of the Batavian Navy after its surrender in the Vlieter Incident [Note 2] .

New London, Connecticut City in New London, Connecticut

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades beginning in the early 19th century, along with Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The wealth that whaling brought into the city furnished the capital to fund much of the city's present architecture. The city subsequently became home to other shipping and manufacturing industries, but it has gradually lost most of its industrial heart.

Dover town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England

Dover is a major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. The town is the administrative centre of the Dover District and home of the Dover Calais ferry through the Port of Dover. The surrounding chalk cliffs are known as the White Cliffs of Dover.

Royal Navy Maritime warfare branch of the United Kingdoms military

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years War against the Kingdom of France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is known as the Senior Service.

Contents

Personal life

Winthrop was the youngest son of John S. Winthrop of New London, Conn. and Elizabeth Sheriffe Hay. He was a lineal descendant of governors John Winthrop of Massachusetts and John Winthrop the Younger of Connecticut, Chief Justice Wait Winthrop of Massachusetts, and John Winthrop (1681-1747) FRS, his grandfather. [1]

John Winthrop Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, author of "City upon a Hill"

John Winthrop was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England, following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of immigrants from England in 1630 and served as governor for 12 of the colony's first 20 years. His writings and vision of the colony as a Puritan "city upon a hill" dominated New England colonial development, influencing the governments and religions of neighboring colonies.

John Winthrop the Younger Governor of the Saybrook and Connecticut Colonies

John Winthrop the Younger was an early governor of the Connecticut Colony, and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unified colony.

Waitstill Winthrop was a colonial magistrate, military officer, and politician of New England.

His family evidently had Loyalist sympathies as he was entrusted to the care of a maternal uncle, attached to the British forces in New York, after the death of his father in 1778 (he crossed the line under a flag of truce to join this relative). This relative secured a place as a Midshipman in the Royal Navy, where his education was completed. [2]

Loyalist (American Revolution) loyalist of the American Revolution

Loyalists were American colonists who stayed loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War, often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men at the time. They were opposed by the Patriots, who supported the revolution, and called them "persons inimical to the liberties of America". Prominent Loyalists repeatedly assured the British government that many thousands of them would spring to arms and fight for the crown. The British government acted in expectation of that, especially in the southern campaigns in 1780-81. In practice, the number of Loyalists in military service was far lower than expected since Britain could not effectively protect them except in those areas where Britain had military control. The British were often suspicious of them, not knowing whom they could fully trust in such a conflicted situation; they were often looked down upon. Patriots watched suspected Loyalists very closely and would not tolerate any organized Loyalist opposition. Many outspoken or militarily active Loyalists were forced to flee, especially to their stronghold of New York City. William Franklin, the royal governor of New Jersey and son of Patriot leader Benjamin Franklin, became the leader of the Loyalists after his release from a Patriot prison in 1778. He worked to build Loyalist military units to fight in the war, but the number of volunteers was much fewer than London expected.

A midshipman is an officer of the junior-most rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada, Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Kenya.

Winthrop married Sarah Farbrace on 23 December 1804 in Dover. He had two sons and four daughters with her. [3]

Career

The first recorded mention of Winthrop as a midshipman is aboard admiral Rodney's flagship HMS Formidable during the Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782 [4] .

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney Royal Navy admiral

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB, was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. It is often claimed that he was the commander to have pioneered the tactic of "breaking the line".

HMS <i>Formidable</i> (1777)

HMS Formidable was a 90-gun second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 20 August 1777 at Chatham. During her career, her armament was increased to 98-guns.

Battle of the Saintes

The Battle of the Saintes, or Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American Revolutionary War. The British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney defeated a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse, forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned invasion of Jamaica.

He was commissioned as a lieutenant (RN) in 1790 and in 1794 during the conquest of Martinique commanded a battalion of seamen attached to Prince Edward's brigade [5]

In the Spring of 1796 he commanded the sloop HMS Albacore (1793) at the capture of St.Lucia. The same year he captured the French privateer Athenienne near Barbados [6] .

He then received command of HMS Undaunted, but was shipwrecked on the Morant Cays on 27 August 1796 [7] .

Winthrop received a commission as a Post-captain on 16 December 1796. He received command of the frigate HMS Circe in December 1797, and was stationed in the North Sea. On 14 May 1798 HMS Circe took part in the Expedition to Ostend. Winthrop superintended the landing of troops so successfully that he was rewarded with the honor of conveying Sir Home Popham's dispatch to London [8] [9] .

In the Summer of 1799 Winthrop (still commanding HMS Circe) was put in charge of a squadron of frigates, comprising Jalouse, Pylades , Espiegle, and Tisiphone . On 27 June 1799 boats from these ships raided the Dutch island of Ameland, hoping to capture a number of Batavian gunboats. When this proved impossible, they cut out 12 Dutch merchantmen, lying in the roadstead, despite heavy fire from shore batteries [10] .

In August 1799 HMS Circe was part of the fleet that supported the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. Together with col. Maitland and lieutenant (RN) Collier, Winthrop was sent by admiral Mitchell as a parlimentaire to admiral Story commanding the Batavian squadron lying in the Texel roadstead. Due to sloppiness of the officers conducting the pilot boat in which they approached the Dutch fleet, the British parlimentaires were able to collect important information about the state of readiness and the morale of the crews. They also appear to have conspired with several Dutch officers to influence admiral Story and to foment a mutiny among the crew of the flagship Washington, which later brought about the surrender of the squadron without firing a shot [11] . After the surrender Winthrop took possession of the Batavian ships on behalf of admiral Mitchell in what has become known as the Vlieter Incident [12]

In 1800 Winthrop received command of the frigate HMS Stag (1794) , which took part in the expedition against Ferrol, but was beached in Vigo Bay, after which she had to be destroyed by fire [13] .

On renewal of the war after the Treaty of Amiens captain Winthrop received command of the Ship of the line HMS Ardent (64). With this ship he drove the French corvette Bayonnaise on the beach in Finisterre Bay on 28 November 1803, after which the crew burned the ship [14] .

Around 1805 Winthrop was given command of the frigate HMS Sybille with which he captured the French privateer Oiseau in the English Channel on 3 May 1807. [15] .

In the Summer of 1807 Winthrop was put in charge of the Dover district of the Sea Fencibles [16] On 12 August 1819 he attained the rank of Rear-Admiral of the White [17] . In 1830 he was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the Blue [18] .

Winthrop died "of paralysis" on 10 May 1832 in Dover. [19]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ This date is from Winthrop, p. 13; Ward gives 7 September as birth date.
  2. ↑ Even in reputable contemporary and historical sources his name is often misspelled Winthorp, but after cross-checking with his postings there should be no doubt

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References

  1. ↑ Ward, p. 673, note 1
  2. ↑ Ward, p. 673
  3. ↑ Ward, p. 675
  4. ↑ Ward, p. 673
  5. ↑ Ward, p. 673
  6. ↑ Ward, p. 673
  7. ↑ Ward, p. 674
  8. ↑ "No. 15017". The London Gazette . 19 May 1798. pp. 421–425.
  9. ↑ Ward, p. 674
  10. ↑ Ward, p. 674
  11. ↑ Colenbrander, H.T.,Gedenkstukken der algemeene geschiedenis van Nederland van 1795 tot 1840, vol. 3 (Nijhoff, 1907), pp. 393-394
  12. ↑ Ward, p. 674.
  13. ↑ Ward, p. 674
  14. ↑ Ward, p. 674
  15. ↑ Ward, p. 674
  16. ↑ Ward, p. 675
  17. ↑ Marshall, p. 761
  18. ↑ Ward, p. 675
  19. ↑ Ward, p. 673

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