# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Thompson, Josiah

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​THOMPSON. (Commander, 1838. f-p., 23; h-p., 26.)
Josiah Thompson entered the Navy, 2 July, 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Tigre 74, Capt. Sir Wm. Sidney Smith. In that ship he co-operated in 1799 in the defence of St. Jean d’Acre, and took part in 1801 in the operations connected with the expedition to Egypt, when he served on shore with the army in the battles of 8, 12, and 21 March. He continued employed in the Tigre, part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman, until Oct. 1802; and in March, 1803, he again joined Sir W. S. Smith, whose broad pendant was flying on board the Antelope 50. On 16 May, 1804, he was present in a gallant attack made by a squadron under the orders of the Commodore on a division of the enemy’s flotilla passing alongshore from Flushing to Ostend. After serving for about four months in the Channel and at Plymouth in the Powerful 74, Capt. Robt. Plampin, and Pompée 74, fitting for the flag of Sir W. S. Smith, he was made Lieutenant, 31 Jan. 1806, into the Belleisle 74, Capt. Wm. Hargood; whom he followed next into the Northumberland 74. When in company, in the Belleisle, with the Bellona 74 and Melampus 36, he contributed, 14 Sept. 1806, to the destruction, off Cape Henry, of the French 74 L’Impétueux. In the Northumberland, of which ship he was for several months First-Lieutenant, he was stationed, until Nov. 1809, in the Mediterranean. Joining, in May, 1810, the Medusa 32, Capts. Wm. Bowles and Hon. Duncombe Pleydell Bouverie, he landed in the following July on the north coast of Spain, with a party of seamen and marines under the immediate command of the former officer, and shared in a successful engagement with a strong detachment of the enemy’s troops, consisting of between 700 and 800 men, near Santona. On the night of 5 June, 1812, Mr. Thompson, who was then Senior of the Medusa, and had volunteered his services, ascended, with four boats under his orders, the harbour of Arcasson, the entrance of which was protected by a 4-gun battery on each side, for the purpose (although there was but little hope of her being brought out clear of the shoals that beset the navigation) of attacking the French 400-ton store-ship La Dorade, laden with ship timber, and mounting 14 guns, with a complement of 86 men. Although the enemy was in every way prepared, and hailed the boats in their approach, the latter dashed alongside under a heavy fire of great guns and musketry, boarded, and, after a desperate struggle, carried La Dorade, 63 of whose crew were either killed or compelled to jump overboard. The loss on the part of the British amounted to only 5 wounded, one of whom, a brother of Mr. Thompson, had his left arm shot through in two places. At daylight the prize was got under weigh, but after proceeding about a league down the harbour she grounded, as had been anticipated, near the two batteries, and, it being found impossible to get her off, she was set on fire and blown up. For the manner in which he had conducted this very brilliant enterprise Mr. Thompson was strongly recommended by Capt. Bouverie to the notice of the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Keith, as “a most active, zealous, brave, and good officer;” and his Lordship in return expressed his high approval of the “gallantry, zeal, and judgment” he had evinced. This, however, was all he got – the rank of Commander, which his valour so richly deserved, being deferred, incredible as it may seem, for 26 years. He left the Medusa in Aug. 1813; and was subsequently placed in command – 16 Oct. in the same year and 27 Aug. 1814, of the Mullet schooner and Nimble cutter, employed until Nov. 1815 in conveying despatches to the coast of Spain, the West Indies, the west coast of France, and Newfoundland – 7 Sept. 1817, of the Castle Coote Revenue cruizer, stationed on the ​coast of Ireland, where he remained, we believe, until March, 1818 – and 13 March, 1832, of the Brisk brig, of 3 guns, on the west coast of Africa. In May, 1833, owing to the illness of Commander Jas. Rich. Booth of the Trinculo 18, Mr. Thompson was appointed to the acting-command of that vessel. Being, however, superseded in the following Sept., he went back to the Brisk; and he was shortly afterwards afforded an opportunity of rendering assistance (much approved of by Rear-Admiral Fred. Warren, the Commander-in-Chief) to the settlements in the river Gambia; where, in June, 1835, a season of great mortality, he united in other operations conducted under the immediate direction of the Lieutenant-Governor, George Randall, whose thanks he elicited by his gallant and zealous conduct. During his sojourn on the coast of Africa, whence he returned to England and was paid off about Nov. 1835, he succeeded in capturing as many as 673 slaves. His last appointments were, 13 Oct. 1836 and 25 Feb. 1837, to the Téméraire 104, Capt. Thos. Fortescue Kennedy, and Brune 22, Capts. Robt. Scallon and John Clavell, guard-ships at Sheerness and Chatham, where he served (in the latter ship as First-Lieutenant) until at length advanced to his present rank 28 June, 1838.