page_title: Charles Dashwood (Royal Navy officer)
section_title: Napoleonic Wars
hierarchical_section_title: Charles Dashwood (Royal Navy officer) / Napoleonic Wars
context_page_description: Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Dashwood KCB was a distinguished British officer, who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. He had a long and prestigious naval career, gaining his own command by the last stages of the French Revolutionary Wars. He took part in a number of famous naval battles during his career, such as the Battle of the Saintes, the Glorious First of June and the Battle of Tory Island, where he received the sword of the French commodore, Jean Bompart. His record also includes extensive operations in the West Indies and the Baltic Sea, followed by the expedition to New Orleans in 1815.
context_section_description: On 5 April 1805, as Bacchante was cruising off Havana, Dashwood received information that there were three French privateers lying in the harbour of Mariel, located to the westward and defended by a tower nearly 40 feet high, on the top of which were placed three long 24-pounders, and round its oval numerous loop-holes for musketry. Dashwood endeavoured to cut them out. Accordingly, in the evening, he dispatched on that service two boats, containing about 35 seamen and marines, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Oliver, with directions to attack and carry the fort prior to entering the harbour. When the boats pushed off, the tower fired at them. Seeing that no time was to be lost, the British marines rushed to the foot of the tower and scaled it. It was defended by a Spanish captain and 30 soldiers, who were quickly over powered after suffering casualties of two killed and three wounded. The privateers had already left the harbour, but Oliver, determined not to quit the harbour empty-handed, captured two schooners laden with sugar, which were brought away.
  While commanding HMS Franchise, a frigate of 36 guns, Dashwood saw action in the West Indies, where he captured the Spanish schooner El Carmen and the Dutch armed vessel Brutus. In January 1806 Dashwood received information that several Spanish vessels had anchored in the Bay of Campeche and he determined to try to capture them. On the night of 6 January, having anchored about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the town of Campeche, Dashwood dispatched three of Franchise's boats, under the command of three lieutenants. Because of the distance they had to row, the British did not reach the Spanish vessels until 4:00 am on the 7th, by which time the moon had risen, their approach had been observed and the Spaniards alerted. As the boats pulled in, the British parties became exposed to the fire of two Spanish brigs of war, a schooner and seven gun-boats. After about 10 minutes of hand-to-hand fighting, Dashwood's boarding parties had captured the Spanish national brig Raposa, which mounted 12 guns. The prize was pursued by the other Spanish vessels, which continued to fire on them until they withdrew.
  On 1 August 1807, he parted in company with Commodore Richard Keats' squadron and sailed to the passage of the Great Belt, in order to intercept any ships carrying Danish troops crossing from Holstein to Zealand.
  Accompanied by HMS Magicienne, Dashwood also escorted a convoy of 109 ships from Jamaica, and accompanied James Gambier on his expedition against Copenhagen in August and September 1807. After this expedition, in 1808 he returned to the West Indies with a convoy, and served successively under the orders of John Duckworth and Vice-Admiral James Dacres.
  On 17 November 1808 Dashwood rendered an essential service to the Spanish patriots. A squadron under his orders, consisting of the former HM Ships Franchise, Daedalus, Aurora, Reindeer and Pert, blockaded the city of Santo Domingo by taking possession of the town of Samaná, where the French were erecting batteries for their permanent establishment. In the harbour he found two French schooner privateers, Échange and Guerrier, each of five guns and upwards of 100 men, and three trading vessels, all of which were taken. An English ship and a Spanish one were also recaptured while in the act of entering the port. After this brief action, he handed the port over a Spanish force under Don Diego de Lira, and a couple of weeks later he sailed to Port Royal, in Jamaica, with his captures.  Dashwood also captured Le Hazard, a French privateer of four guns and 40 men off Scilly. In January 1809, he captured L'Iphigénie, a French letter-of-marque pierced for 18 guns. On 22 September 1809 Captain Dashwood presided a court martial to try Joseph Fountain, Master of HMS Polyphemus. Dashwood's next command was the 36-gun frigate HMS Belvidera, which he obtained in January 1810, and held that command until March. He was then appointed to HMS Pyramus, a 36-gun frigate fitting for the Baltic station. Cruising on those latitudes,  Dashwood captured
caption: British warships fire upon Copenhagen.
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