William Augustus Montagu
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Sir William Augustus Montagu, KCH
, CB
(c. 1785 – 6 March 1852) was a senior and successful officer of the British Royal Navy
during the French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars
who served in a number of sea battles and was also in command of the naval brigade in the brief land campaign to capture Île de France
in 1810. During his service he was present at the capture of numerous French frigates and later served in the War of 1812
. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars he remained in service and commanded several ships in the Mediterranean before he retired from active service in 1837. He remained a commissioned officer and later rose through the ranks to become a vice-admiral. For his services he was knighted in the Royal Guelphic Order
and made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.
. William is thought to be named after his uncle, William Augustus, who died at Lisbon in 1776. His grandfather was John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
, who served three terms as the First Lord of the Admiralty, to 1783.
commanded by Captain Henry Trollope
. Montagu remained with Trollope when he moved, first to HMS Russell
in which Montagu saw action at the Battle of Camperdown
and subsequently HMS Juste. In late 1800, Montagu was commissioned as a midshipman
and joined the frigate HMS Sirius
. In Sirius he was present at the capture of Dédaigneuse and then moved into the brig
HMS Dasher for four years, spent in the West Indies. In 1804 Montagu returned to Europe as a lieutenant and the following year was promoted to commander.
In 1807, Montagu became a post captain and took command of the small frigate HMS Terpsichore
in the Indian Ocean
. In March 1808, Terpsichore was attacked by the larger French vessel Sémillante
and despite heavy losses, Montagu was able to outfight his opponent although he could not capture her. Soon afterward Montagu moved to HMS Cornwallis
and served in the East Indies, forming part of the squadron that captured Amboyna
from the Dutch and seized two Dutch frigates in the harbour. By 1810, Montagu was established in the Indian Ocean and was selected from the captains assembled for the Invasion of Île de France
to lead the naval brigade, a force of sailors and Royal Marines
deployed on shore to support the British Army
forces leading the attack. During the assault Montagu fought well and was commended after his brigade assisted in breaking the French resistance around the capital Port Napoleon.
In September 1812, Montagu returned to Europe to command HMS Niobe in the Channel Fleet
, later serving off the United States
during the War of 1812
and in Portuguese waters. In June 1814, with the war coming to an end, Niobe was paid off and Montagu was in reserve until 1819, when he took command of HMS Phaeton in Halifax, Nova Scotia
. Between 1818 and 1820 he sat in Parliament for Huntingdon
. In 1822, Phaeton was paid off and Montagu was in reserve until 1834, marrying Anne Leeds, daughter of Sir George William Leeds in 1823. Montagu took command of HMS Malabar
in 1834 and remained in her until 1837 in the Mediterranean. This was his final commission and when he was placed in reserve again in 1837 he did not return to the sea. He remained in the Navy however and slowly rose through the ranks, becoming a rear-admiral in 1841 and a vice admiral in 1851.
Montagu was knighted in 1830 in the Royal Guelphic Order
and in 1832 became a Knight Commander, accompanied by a Knight Bachelor
award for use in Britain. He had previously been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1815 at the end of the war. He died at Ryde
, on the Isle of Wight
in March 1852.
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, CB
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...
(c. 1785 – 6 March 1852) was a senior and successful officer of the British 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...
during the French Revolutionary
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
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...
who served in a number of sea battles and was also in command of the naval brigade in the brief land campaign to capture Île de France
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
in 1810. During his service he was present at the capture of numerous French frigates and later served in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars he remained in service and commanded several ships in the Mediterranean before he retired from active service in 1837. He remained a commissioned officer and later rose through the ranks to become a vice-admiral. For his services he was knighted in the Royal Guelphic Order
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
and made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Family background
Born in approximately 1785, William Augustus Montagu was an illegitimate son of John Montagu, 5th Earl of SandwichJohn Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich PC , styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke until in 1792, was a British peer and Tory politician.-Background and education:...
. William is thought to be named after his uncle, William Augustus, who died at Lisbon in 1776. His grandfather was John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather, Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich, as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten...
, who served three terms as the First Lord of the Admiralty, to 1783.
Military and Parliamentary Service, and Awards
Montagu joined the army young, going to sea aged 11 in 1796 as a volunteer on HMS GlattonHMS Glatton (1795)
HMS Glatton was a 56-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She was launched as the Glatton, an East Indiaman, on 29 November 1792 by Wells & Co. of Blackwell. The Royal Navy bought her in 1795 and converted her into a warship. Glatton was unusual in that for a time she was the only ship-of-the-line...
commanded by Captain Henry Trollope
Henry Trollope
Admiral Sir Henry Trollope, GCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy.-Early career:He entered the navy at the age of 14. In the American Revolutionary War he served aboard HMS Captain and HMS Asia. He fought at the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston...
. Montagu remained with Trollope when he moved, first to HMS Russell
HMS Russell (1764)
HMS Russell was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 10 November 1764 at Deptford.In 1782, she was commanded by Captain James Saumarez at the Battle of the Saintes. In 1794 she was part of Admiral Howe's fleet at the Glorious First of June, and in the following year...
in which Montagu saw action at the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
and subsequently HMS Juste. In late 1800, Montagu was commissioned as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
and joined the frigate HMS Sirius
HMS Sirius (1797)
HMS Sirius was a 36-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. Between 1797 and 1805, the Sirius was engaged in maintaining the blockade of Napoleonic Europe...
. In Sirius he was present at the capture of Dédaigneuse and then moved into the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
HMS Dasher for four years, spent in the West Indies. In 1804 Montagu returned to Europe as a lieutenant and the following year was promoted to commander.
In 1807, Montagu became a post captain and took command of the small frigate HMS Terpsichore
HMS Terpsichore (1785)
HMS Terpsichore was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built during the last years of the American War of Independence, but did not see action until the French Revolutionary Wars...
in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. In March 1808, Terpsichore was attacked by the larger French vessel Sémillante
French frigate Sémillante (1792)
The Sémillante was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was involved in a number of multi-vessel actions against the Royal Navy, particularly in the Indian Ocean. She captured a number of East Indiamen before the she became so damaged that the French disarmed her and...
and despite heavy losses, Montagu was able to outfight his opponent although he could not capture her. Soon afterward Montagu moved to HMS Cornwallis
HMS Cornwallis (1801)
HMS Cornwallis was a Royal Navy 54-gun fourth rate. Jemsatjee Bomanjee built the Marquis Cornwallis of teak for the East India Company. The Company sold her to the Royal Navy in 1801 shortly after she returned from an expedition against the Mahe Islands...
and served in the East Indies, forming part of the squadron that captured Amboyna
Amboyna
Amboyna can refer to:* Ambon, Maluku, a city in Indonesia* Ambon Island, sometimes named Amboyna, part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia* Amboyna burl of Pterocarpus trees* Amboyna , a moth genus* Amboyna , a play by John Dryden...
from the Dutch and seized two Dutch frigates in the harbour. By 1810, Montagu was established in the Indian Ocean and was selected from the captains assembled for the Invasion of Île de France
Invasion of Île de France
The Invasion of Île de France was a complicated but successful amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial British military force was landed by the Royal Navy at Grand Baie on Île de France...
to lead the naval brigade, a force of sailors and Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
deployed on shore to support the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
forces leading the attack. During the assault Montagu fought well and was commended after his brigade assisted in breaking the French resistance around the capital Port Napoleon.
In September 1812, Montagu returned to Europe to command HMS Niobe in the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
, later serving off the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and in Portuguese waters. In June 1814, with the war coming to an end, Niobe was paid off and Montagu was in reserve until 1819, when he took command of HMS Phaeton in Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. Between 1818 and 1820 he sat in Parliament for Huntingdon
Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)
Huntingdon is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. In 1822, Phaeton was paid off and Montagu was in reserve until 1834, marrying Anne Leeds, daughter of Sir George William Leeds in 1823. Montagu took command of HMS Malabar
HMS Malabar (1818)
HMS Malabar was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 28 December 1818 at Bombay Dockyard. She was hulked in October 1848, eventually becoming a coal hulk, and renamed Myrtle in October 1883. The hulk was sold out of the navy in July 1905....
in 1834 and remained in her until 1837 in the Mediterranean. This was his final commission and when he was placed in reserve again in 1837 he did not return to the sea. He remained in the Navy however and slowly rose through the ranks, becoming a rear-admiral in 1841 and a vice admiral in 1851.
Montagu was knighted in 1830 in the Royal Guelphic Order
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
and in 1832 became a Knight Commander, accompanied by a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
award for use in Britain. He had previously been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1815 at the end of the war. He died at Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...
, on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in March 1852.