Hugh Downman Hugh Downman ( c . 1765 – 4 January 1858 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , eventually rising to the rank of Admiral . Downman spent most of the American War of Independence as a midshipman , with a spell in French captivity after his ship was wrecked off the coast of Ushant while chasing an enemy frigate . He was promoted to lieutenant shortly before the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars and served with distinction during operations in the Mediterranean . Downman served under several Admirals , and fought with Jervis at Battle of Cape St Vincent . Shortly after the battle he was rewarded with his own command , going on to capture several privateer s and fighting off an attack by a larger vessel . Promoted to post - captain and given a frigate to command , he operated in the Mediterranean and performed services for the nobles and monarchs of the Italian states . Downman went on to command several ships of the line , often as a flag - captain , and took part in the capture of the Cape Colony and operations on the Río de la Plata . Left without active employment after the end of the wars with France , he briefly returned to service in 1824 . before being promoted to flag rank the following year . Downman continued to rise through the ranks , reaching the rank of full admiral before his death in 1858 . Family and early life . Hugh Downman was born in Plympton , Devon around 1765 . His uncle was Dr Hugh Downman , a physician and poet , who obtained for his nephew an offer to serve aboard the 32 - gun as a midshipman . Downman took up the offer , joining the ship , which was then under the command of Captain Mitchell Graham , on 10 October 1776 . He served aboard " Thetis " for the next two years , leaving the ship in August 1778 and joining . The " Arethusa " was wrecked off Ushant on 19 March 1779 while chasing a French ship , and Downman and the rest of the crew were taken prisoner by the French . Exchanged in January 1780 Downman went on to serve aboard under Captain Samuel Marshall , before moving into the 74 - gun in May 1782 . " Edgar " at this time was flying the broad pennant of Commodore William Hotham , and in October that year was part of the fleet sent out under Lord Howe to relieve Gibraltar . In the brief encounter with the Spanish fleet that followed on 20 October " Edgar " had six men wounded . French Revolutionary Wars . Little is known of Downman ' s activities during the years of peace that followed , until his appearance in February 1789 with the fleet despatched to the East Indies under Commodore William Cornwallis . Cornwallis promoted him to lieutenant while serving in the East Indies on 5 March 1790 . He returned to England at the start of 1793 . With the commencement of the French Revolutionary Wars , Downman joined the 74 - gun and went out to the Mediterranean , where served with Commodore Robert Linzee ' s squadron . He was present at the occupation of Toulon and assisted in the attack on the tower and redoubt at Fornelli in September 1793 . While helping in the reduction of Corsica , Downman cut out a French gunboat from under the guns of a battery at St Fiorenzo , and later led a party of 100 seamen and marines in scaling a cliff to place a gun overlooking the enemy ' s defences . For these actions he received the thanks of Lieutenant - General David Dundas . Linzee was advanced to rear - admiral on 11 April 1794 and shifted his flag to the 98 - gun , bringing Downman with him as his second lieutenant . He was then moved into the 100 - gun , the flagship of Admiral Lord Hood , and returned with Hood to England . Hood was preparing to return to the Mediterranean aboard " Victory " , when on 2 May he was ordered to strike his flag . " Victory " then went out to the Mediterranean as a private ship , whereupon she became the flagship of Rear - Admiral Robert Mann , and then Sir John Jervis . Under Mann Downman saw action at the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands on 13 July 1795 , and under Jervis he was at the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February 1797 . Command . " Speedy " . Several months after Cape St Vincent , on 20 July , Downman was promoted to the rank of commander and appointed to command the 14 - gun brig . He made several cruises with " Speedy " , capturing a number of enemy vessels . On 3 February 1798 she encountered the large enemy privateer " Papillon " , mounting 18 guns and carrying 160 men , while sailing off Vigo . The " Papillon " attacked " Speedy " , which had a reduced crew owing to her master Mr Marshall , and 12 men , being absent in command of a prize " Speedy " had taken earlier . The two ships fought each other for two days , and by the second Downman had exhausted his supply of shot , and resorted to firing nails and pieces of iron hoop at his opponent . Having observed the difficulty his captain was in , Master Marshall secured the Spanish crew of his prize below deck , and then took the prize crew off in a small boat to come to Downman ' s assistance . After a fierce fight the " Papillon " was driven off , with " Speedy " suffering losses of five killed and four wounded . Downman then recaptured his prize that the master had been compelled to abandon , and returned to Lisbon to carry out repairs . During his time in command of " Speedy " Downman captured five privateers , altogether mounting 17 guns and 28 swivels , and carrying 162 men . For his efforts protecting British trade out of Oporto , the merchants presented him with a letter of thanks , and a piece of plate valued at £50 . " Santa Dorothea " . As a reward for his good service Downman was advanced to post - captain on 26 December 1798 and was appointed to command the 32 - gun , a frigate that had recently been captured from the Spanish . On 28 November that year " Santa Dorothea " , operating in company with , and captured the 16 - gun " San Leon " on the Lisbon station . Captain William Brown was to have succeeded Downman in 1799 , but he was given another ship instead , and Downman retained " Santa Dorothea " . He cut out vessels from Bordiguera on 11 January 1800 and Hospitallier on 11 February 1800 , before taking command of a small squadron blockading Savona . The town surrendered after 41 days , on 15 May . Downman then destroyed all the fortifications on the Gulf of Spezia . He went on to land the Duke of Savoy at Naples and evacuated the gallery of Florence to Sicily , ahead of the invading French . For his services to the monarchies of Italy he received several presents of money and rings . In July 1801 he conveyed troops to Egypt and received the Order of the Crescent . Also during this time Downman captured three vessels sailing from Egypt carrying General Dessaix and some of Napoleon ' s staff . " Caesar " , " Diomede " and " Diadem " . Downman then took command of the 80 - gun , which was then the flagship of Sir James Saumarez on the Lisbon station . Downman was flag - captain to Saumarez until " Caesar " was paid off at Portsmouth on 23 July 1802 . Saumarez then requested Downman to serve as his flag - captain aboard the 50 - gun on the Guernsey station , where he spent the next 14 months . In November 1805 he took command of the 64 - gun , flying the broad pennant of Commodore Sir Home Popham . He was supported the operations under Lieutenant - General Sir David Baird to capture the Cape Colony , and landed in Table Bay at the head of a party of marines and two howitzer s . He was sent home with the despatches announcing the capture of the colony , after which he was sent out to the Rio de la Plata , where he resumed command of his old ship , " Diomede " . Downman supported the British assaults , and was present at the capture of Montevideo . After this he returned home , carrying General William Beresford . " Diomede " was paid off in September 1807 , and Downman went ashore . Prison ships and " Princess Charlotte " . Downman ' s next appointment was to superintend the prison ships moored at Portsmouth , a task he carried out until January 1811 , when he was given another seagoing command , the 74 - gun and attached to the fleet in the North Sea . He took part in the destruction of the 40 - gun French frigate " Amazone " off Cape Barfleur , conveyed a fleet of East Indiamen to Madeira and carried out cruises in the North Sea . In November 1813 he landed marines at Scheveningen in support of the Prince of Orange , and went on to visit Spitsbergen . " Princess Carolina " was paid off in 1814 and Downman spent the next ten years with no active service . Later years , family and legacy . Downman briefly returned to active service in 1824 , taking command of the 74 - gun . He commanded her until being promoted to flag rank in May 1825 . He was advanced to vice - admiral in 1837 and a full admiral in 1847 . From 1851 he received a service pension of £150 a year . On 4 January 1858 , he died at his seat in Hambledon , Hampshire . Downman married Dorothea Palmer , the youngest daughter of Peter Palmer of Portsmouth on 23 June 1803 . The couple had a son , the Reverend Hugh Downman , and two daughters , Dorothea Frances and Caroline . Caroline married Edward Hale and had two sons , Henry George Hale who joined the navy , and William Godfrey Hale , who joined the army . Henry Hale distinguished himself in the Baltic campaign during the Crimean War and was twice mentioned in despatches by Vice - Admiral Richard Saunders Dundas . Lieutenant - General T . Downman , superintendent at Woolwich , was a first - cousin of Admiral Hugh Downman . Politically Downman was an ardent supporter of Whig Charles James Fox and opposed the Melvilles , Henry and his son Robert , who were for a number of years powerful at the Admiralty . Downman attributed this political interest as being the cause of his period of unemployment after having reached flag - rank . He was described as a " strict disciplinarian , but an accomplished gentleman ; well - read . . . [ and ] temperate . . . " Whilst serving in the Mediterranean he was apparently especially disliked by Emma Hamilton , with Downman ' s obituary noting that " from this fact some slight judgement of his character may be formed . "