James Nicoll Morris
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Sir James Nicoll Morris KCB
(1763 – 15 April 1830) was a Royal Navy
officer with a history of distinguished service during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars
, especially at the battle of Trafalgar
in 1805, where the majority of his ship's crew were killed or injured, including Morris himself who was wounded in the knee. Throughout all his service, Morris was respected for his "strict sense of honour" and "simplicity and singleness of heart for which he was remarkable".
Born into a seafaring family in 1763, Morris joined the navy in 1775 and served aboard several ships, including HMS Prince of Wales
in numerous actions off the United States
seaboard and in the West Indies. In 1776 his father, Captain James Morris RN, was killed whilst attacking Fort Moultrie off Sullivan's Island near Charleston, South Carolina
, under the command of Lord Cornwallis
, but Morris was not present being stationed off the Leeward Islands
. In 1779 he fought at the battle of St. Lucia
and at the battle of Grenada
, making lieutenant the following year as a reward for his good service.
At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Morris was in command of the sloop
HMS Plato and succeeded in capturing his French counterpart Lutine off Newfoundland, for which he was promoted Post captain in 1793. Taking over the frigate
HMS Lively
, he commanded her until she was wrecked on Rota Point off Cadiz
, and then commanded the frigate HMS Phaeton in the Mediterranean, co-operating with Austrian movements in the Aegean Sea
and delivering Lord Elgin
to Constantinople
as ambassador. Following the Peace of Amiens, Morris was given command of the ship of the line
HMS Colossus
, a new, fast and powerful ship, which unfortunately had had a poor previous captain who left behind a backlog of unfinished maintenance work and a surly and unpaid crew.
Morris's highly professional attitude and his strict disciplinary record soon straightened out the situation, and when the Colossus arrived off Cadiz
in the summer of 1805, his ship was considered by Admiral Nelson to be amongst the crack ships of the squadron. Morris's ship was placed in the middle of Collingwood's division, and reached battle rapidly thanks to her good seamanship and recent repair. Once engaged, Colossus became embroiled in a gun duel with the Swiftsure, and was just gaining the upper hand when the Argonaute appeared from the smoke on her other side, rammed her and crushed her into the Swiftsure. Now with boarders crowding from both sides and unable to escape, Morris ordered his carronades to sweep the French decks clear whilst his main deck guns below fired into the hulls of the enemy. Such was the destruction that both ships drifted off on the swell with enormous losses, and the Swiftsure was captured soon afterwards by newly arrived ships. Colossus moved on and engaged the Bahama, dismasting her before HMS Orion
arrived to administer the final blows.
Morris's successes had come at a terrible price. His ship had suffered appalling damage as she was shot through by the two French ships and had lost 206 men killed or wounded, at least 50 casualties higher than any other ship in the fleet. Morris himself had been shot in the knee, and collapsed from loss of blood afterwards, having refused to leave the deck for treatment. His junior officers managed to get the badly damaged ship into Gibraltar
, and Morris was lauded as a hero following his recovery.
Following the battle, Morris's injury prevented any vigorous postings, and he fulfilled a number of shore and Home Fleet assignments until 1812, when he was promoted to rear-admiral and given a minor command during operations in the Baltic Sea
. In 1815 he was initiated into the Order of the Bath
, becoming a knight commander and he later made vice-admiral through seniority. Retiring after the war, he lived a peaceful life at Marlow
on the Thames with his devoted wife Margaretta Sarah, and died at home in 1830 and was buried locally where a marble monument raised by his wife can still be seen.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1763 – 15 April 1830) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer with a history of distinguished service during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, especially at the battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in 1805, where the majority of his ship's crew were killed or injured, including Morris himself who was wounded in the knee. Throughout all his service, Morris was respected for his "strict sense of honour" and "simplicity and singleness of heart for which he was remarkable".
Born into a seafaring family in 1763, Morris joined the navy in 1775 and served aboard several ships, including HMS Prince of Wales
HMS Prince of Wales (1765)
HMS Prince of Wales was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 4 June 1765 at Milford Haven. She was part of the Ramillies class of ships of the line designed by Sir Thomas Slade.She was broken up in 1783....
in numerous actions off the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
seaboard and in the West Indies. In 1776 his father, Captain James Morris RN, was killed whilst attacking Fort Moultrie off Sullivan's Island near Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, under the command of Lord Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
, but Morris was not present being stationed off the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
. In 1779 he fought at the battle of St. Lucia
Battle of St. Lucia
The Battle of St. Lucia or the Battle of the Cul de Sac was a naval battle fought off the island of St. Lucia in the West Indies during the American War of Independence on 15 December 1778, between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy.-Background:...
and at the battle of Grenada
Battle of Grenada
The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American War of Independence in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy.-Origins:...
, making lieutenant the following year as a reward for his good service.
At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, Morris was in command of the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
HMS Plato and succeeded in capturing his French counterpart Lutine off Newfoundland, for which he was promoted Post captain in 1793. Taking over the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Lively
HMS Lively (1793)
HMS Lively was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the British Royal Navy launched on 23 October 1794 at Northam, Devon. She was wrecked in 1798.-Service:...
, he commanded her until she was wrecked on Rota Point off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, and then commanded the frigate HMS Phaeton in the Mediterranean, co-operating with Austrian movements in the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
and delivering Lord Elgin
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine was a Scottish nobleman and diplomat, known for the removal of marble sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens. Elgin was the second son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and his wife Martha Whyte...
to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
as ambassador. Following the Peace of Amiens, Morris was given command of the ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
HMS Colossus
HMS Colossus (1803)
HMS Colossus was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched from Deptford Dockyard on 23 April 1803. She was designed by Sir John Henslow as one of the large class 74s, and was the name ship of her class, the other being . As a large 74, she carried 24 pdrs on her upper gun...
, a new, fast and powerful ship, which unfortunately had had a poor previous captain who left behind a backlog of unfinished maintenance work and a surly and unpaid crew.
Morris's highly professional attitude and his strict disciplinary record soon straightened out the situation, and when the Colossus arrived off Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in the summer of 1805, his ship was considered by Admiral Nelson to be amongst the crack ships of the squadron. Morris's ship was placed in the middle of Collingwood's division, and reached battle rapidly thanks to her good seamanship and recent repair. Once engaged, Colossus became embroiled in a gun duel with the Swiftsure, and was just gaining the upper hand when the Argonaute appeared from the smoke on her other side, rammed her and crushed her into the Swiftsure. Now with boarders crowding from both sides and unable to escape, Morris ordered his carronades to sweep the French decks clear whilst his main deck guns below fired into the hulls of the enemy. Such was the destruction that both ships drifted off on the swell with enormous losses, and the Swiftsure was captured soon afterwards by newly arrived ships. Colossus moved on and engaged the Bahama, dismasting her before HMS Orion
HMS Orion (1787)
HMS Orion was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Deptford on 1 June 1787 to the design of the , by William Bately...
arrived to administer the final blows.
Morris's successes had come at a terrible price. His ship had suffered appalling damage as she was shot through by the two French ships and had lost 206 men killed or wounded, at least 50 casualties higher than any other ship in the fleet. Morris himself had been shot in the knee, and collapsed from loss of blood afterwards, having refused to leave the deck for treatment. His junior officers managed to get the badly damaged ship into Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, and Morris was lauded as a hero following his recovery.
Following the battle, Morris's injury prevented any vigorous postings, and he fulfilled a number of shore and Home Fleet assignments until 1812, when he was promoted to rear-admiral and given a minor command during operations in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. In 1815 he was initiated into the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, becoming a knight commander and he later made vice-admiral through seniority. Retiring after the war, he lived a peaceful life at Marlow
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
on the Thames with his devoted wife Margaretta Sarah, and died at home in 1830 and was buried locally where a marble monument raised by his wife can still be seen.
Further reading
- The Trafalgar Captains, Colin White and the 1805 Club, Chatham Publishing, London, 2005, ISBN 1-86176-247-X