Charles Brisbane - Command

Command

In the autumn of 1795 he was sent from Gibraltar to convoy two troopships to Barbados. On his way there he fell in with a Dutch squadron, which he kept company with, sending the transports on by themselves; finding that the Dutch were bound for the Cape of Good Hope, he carried the intelligence to Sir George Elphinstone, the commander-in-chief on that station, acting contrary to the orders under which he had sailed. After the capture of the Dutch ships in Saldanha Bay on 18 August 1796, he was promoted by Sir George to the command of one of them; he had previously, 22 July, been promoted by Sir John Jervis, the commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, under whose orders he had sailed, and he also received the thanks of the admiralty.

He continued on the Cape station in command of the frigate HMS Oiseau, and was in her at Saint Helena when a mutiny broke out on board. This he quelled decisively, and he was shortly afterwards recalled to the Cape to take command of HMS Tremendous, Rear-Admiral Thomas Pringle's flagship, on board which also there had been mutineers. In the course of 1798 he returned to England with Pringle in command of the frigate HMS Crescent, and in 1801 was appointed to the frigate HMS Doris, one of the squadron off Brest, under Admiral William Cornwallis.

Read more about this topic:  Charles Brisbane

Famous quotes containing the word command:

    We can’t command our love, but we can our actions.
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)

    ‘Tis not in mortals to command success,
    But we’ll do more, Sempronius, we’ll deserve it.
    Joseph Addison (1672–1719)

    Universal empire is the prerogative of a writer. His concerns are with all mankind, and though he cannot command their obedience, he can assign them their duty. The Republic of Letters is more ancient than monarchy, and of far higher character in the world than the vassal court of Britain.
    Thomas Paine (1737–1809)