# Royal Naval Biography/Henderson, George

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GEORGE HENDERSON, Esq. [Post-Captain of 1811.]
Son of John Henderson, Esq. many years secretary to Admiral Lord Bridport.
This officer entered the navy, about 1797, as a midshipman on board the Royal George, of 100 guns, bearing the flag of that highly distinguished veteran, whose steady friendship he ​ever after was honored with. From Nov. 1800, until the peace of Amiens, we find him serving in the Belleisle 74, commanded, except for two short periods, by Captain William Domett. He subsequently proceeded to the Leeward Islands, as master’s-mate, in the Ulysses 44, fitted for the broad pendant of Commodore Samuel Hood, in which ship he was present at the capture of Tobago, July 1, 1803.
After that event Mr. Henderson returned home, for the purpose of passing his examination at the Navy Office; and he had no sooner done so, than he proceeded to rejoin Commodore Hood, by whom he was made Lieutenant into the Alligator 28, armed en flute, by commission dated Jan. 28, 1804. In that ship, commanded by Captain Charles Richardson, he assisted at the reduction of Surinam, May 5, 1804.
Lieutenant Henderson was next appointed to the Centaur 74, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Samuel Hood, who had just before been created a K.B. for his numerous gallant and valuable services, but whose naval rank did not admit of his being much longer continued as commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands.
After Sir Samuel’s departure for England, the Centaur accompanied Rear-Admiral Cochrane to Jamaica, in pursuit of the celebrated Rochefort squadron; a circumstance not noticed in our memoir of her captain, the present Sir Murray Maxwell.
Early in 1806, Lieutenant Henderson had the happiness to find himself again under the command of Sir Samuel Hood, who was at that period appointed captain of the Centaur, then at Plymouth, and placed under the orders of Earl St. Vincent, who sent him with a squadron of seven sail of the line, and some small vessels, to watch the motions of the enemy at Rochefort. The capture of four heavy French frigates (full of troops, stores, arms, ammunition, and provisions) by the Centaur, Monarch, and Mars, Sept. 25, in the same year, have been described at p. 570 et seq. of Vol. I. Part II. On ​that occasion, Sir Samuel Hood received a severe wound in his right arm, which was afterwards taken out of the socket by his able surgeon, Mr. Richard Daly, to whom he presented a valuable pocket chronometer as a token of the high sense he entertained of his very great skill and attention.
Sir Samuel Hood’s despatches respecting this important capture were conveyed to the fleet off Brest by the subject of this memoir, who although only fifth Lieutenant of the Centaur, was shortly afterwards directed to perform the duty of first.
In the early part of 1807, Sir Samuel Hood again commanded a squadron employed in cruising between Madeira and the Canary islands. We next find his broad pendant flying in the armament sent against Copenhagen; and on his return from the Baltic, after the surrender of the Danish navy, and his promotion to a flag, he was sent to take possession of Madeira, in conjunction with Major-General (now Lord) Beresford, a measure rendered necessary in consequence of the occupation of Portugal by the French: – this latter service was performed, without opposition, Dec. 26, 1807. The following is an extract of Sir Samuel’s official letter to the Admiralty, dated on the 29th of that month:–
“I have to express my entire satisfaction of the captains, officers, and men of his Majesty’s ships on this service; and I send my first Lieutenant, George Henderson, with this despatch. He is a very excellent officer, and I must refer their Lordships to him for any further information; I beg leave to recommend him to their Lordships’ notice.”
Lieutenant Henderson arrived at the Admiralty Jan. 22, 1808; on which day a commission was signed promoting him to the rank of Commander.
From this period we lose sight of Captain Henderson till the summer of 1809, when he was placed under the orders of Captain Nicholas Tomlinson, who had been selected to command the fire-vessels attached to the Walcheren expedition. The wind-up of his services in the Scheldt is thus officially described by the late Vice-Admiral Otway:–
“The transports necessary for the embarkation of the army having arrived the 25th Nov. on the following day the measures that I had previously concerted with Lieutenant-General Don, for the destruction of the basin, arsenal, and sea defences of Flushing, agreeably to instructions from the Earl of Liverpool, dated the 13th, and received on the 17th, were begun.
“On this service, 600 seamen and artificers from the fleet were employed, under the orders of Captain Moore of H.M.S. Marlborough, assisted by Captains Tomlinson and Henderson, of the fire-ship service. The navy having completed the portion of work allotted to them, and Lieutenant-Colonel Pilkington, commanding the royal engineers, having reported to Lieutenant-General Don, that his mines for the destruction of the gates and piers at the entrance of the basin were ready, the whole of the army, with the exception of the rear-guards, was embarked on the afternoon of the 9th instant.
“The mines were exploded yesterday, and appear to have fully answered their object: the whole of the east side of the basin had been previously completely destroyed; but as the port of Flushing, west of the basin, lies considerably below the high water mark, any material injury of the west bank would have caused the immediate inundation of the whole town; therefore our work on that side has been confined to the demolition of the careening wharf and pits.
“It was at first intended to defer the burning of the store-house and other buildings in the arsenal until our final departure; but, from the probability that with a strong east wind the flames might communicate to the town, the whole was set firu to yesterday, and is totally destroyed.
“Thus Flushing is rendered useless to the enemy as a naval arsenal; and the basin which afforded a very secure retreat for several ships of the line during the winter, is for the present effectually destroyed, and can only be restored by great labour, and at an immense expense.
“I cannot conclude without expressing my great obligations to Captain Moore, for the able assistance he has rendered me in the performance of a very complicated service; and he speaks in terms highly satisfactory of the conduct of Captains Tomlinson and Henderson, and the other officers who served under his orders on shore.
(Signed)“W. A. Otway.”
Captain Henderson’s next appointment was, in 1810, to the Eclipse brig, of 18 guns. After assisting at the capture of the Isle of France, he returned home acting in the Nereide ​frigate, formerly la Venus, which ship he put out of commission in May, 1811. His promotion to post-rank took place Aug. 1st following.
On the 23d June, 1813, Captain Henderson was appointed to the Acorn of 20 guns; from which ship he removed, April 20, 1814, to the Minden 74, bearing the flag of his valuable friend Sir Samuel Hood, then commander-in-chief on the East India station. Shortly after the demise of that great officer and most excellent man, he exchanged with Captain Donald Hugh Mackay, into the Malacca 42, which frigate he paid off in June, 1815.
Captain Henderson married, Nov. 26, 1817, Frances, eldest daughter of Edmund Walcott, of Winkton, near Christchurch, Hants, Esq. and sister to Captain John Edward Walcott, R.N. by whom he has three sons and one daughter. One of his sisters is married to Captain William Henderson, R.N.
* ↑ See Vol. I. p. 247, et seq.
* ↑ See Id. p. 481.
* ↑ See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 797–891.
* ↑ See Vol I. p. 261.
* ↑ Richard Daly, M.D. is now a practitioner in the Old Kent Road, and the author takes this opportunity of publicly acknowledging how much he likewise is indebted to his abilities and care, particularly during a long and serious illness with which he was afflicted in the year 1826.
* ↑ Dec. 10, 1809.
* ↑ Vice-Admiral William Albany Otway died at Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, July 30, 1815. He had suffered several attacks of the Walcheren fever since he returned from that expedition; indeed it is believed by his friends, that he never perfectly recovered from it.
* ↑ See Vol. I. Part II. p. 630.
* ↑ Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood died at Madras, Dec. 24, 1814. In him it may truly be said, that the British nation lost one of its most experienced and gallant defenders, a long-tried friend and companion of the immortal Nelson.