Sir Charles Douglas , 1st Baronet Rear Admiral Sir Charles Douglas , 1st Baronet of Carr ( 1727 – 17 March 1789 ) was a descendant of the Earls of Morton and a distinguished British naval officer . He is particularly known for his part in the Battle of the Saintes during the American War of Independence where he helped pioneer the tactic of " breaking the line " . Early career . Douglas was born in Carr , Perthshire , Scotland to Charles Ayton Douglas and Christian Hepburn of Kinglassie . Little is known of his early life , although it is established that he could speak six languages . He joined the Royal Navy at the age of twelve , and spent some time in the Dutch service before resuming his career with the British . French and Indian War . He was a midshipman at the Siege of Louisbourg ( 1745 ) , promoted to Lieutenant in 1753 and to Commander in 1759 . By the end of the war in 1763 , he was captain of HMS " Syren " . While commanding the " Syren " , Sir Charles reported the attack on St . John ' s and took part in recapturing Newfoundland . Following the war , Sir Charles went to St . Petersburg to help re - organize the Russia n navy for Catherine the Great in 1764 - 1765 . He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May , 1770 for carrying out " a series of curious experiments to determine the different degrees of cold at different depths in the Sea " . American War of Independence . After the American War of Independence broke out in America in 1775 , Douglas was given command of a squadron to relieve Quebec from the siege . When he arrived at the Gulf of St . Lawrence , he decided to ram the ice and successfully made his way up the river , surprising the Americans and putting them on the run . He was also in charge of creating a navy from scratch to fight on Lake Champlain , and that small fleet routed the Americans under Benedict Arnold . In 1777 , he was made a baronet for his service in Quebec . As captain of " HMS Stirling Castle " , he took part in the Battle of Ushant . In 1781 , Sir Charles became Captain - of - the - Fleet for George Brydges Rodney , 1st Baron Rodney , and was with Rodney on his flagship , " Formidable " , at the Battle of the Saintes off Dominica , where on 12 April 1782 , they defeated the Comte de Grasse by breaking the French line . Douglas is credited by many , including Sir Charles Dashwood ( a midshipman present at the time who later became an admiral himself ) , for having the idea for the manouvre , but it is a subject of much debate . In 1783 , he was made the Commander - in - Chief of North America at the Halifax , Nova Scotia Station , but resigned due to a conflict . In 1787 he became a rear - admiral , and in 1789 was once again made commander of the Nova Scotia station , but died of apoplexy before taking his post . Personal life . Douglas was married three times : first to a Dutch woman called Uranie Lidie Marteilhe , with whom he had a son and a daughter ; second to Sarah Wood of Yorkshire , the mother of Sir Howard Douglas ; and third to a woman named Jane , daughter of John Baillie . There is a great deal of confusion regarding the identity of Sir Charles ' third wife , whose last name has been variously reported as Baillie , Grew , and Brisbane . It appears that some sources have mistaken his sister , Helena Baillie , for his third wife because she raised his younger children while he was at sea . The name Helen Brisbaine is also an error based on a mistake in " The Scottish Nation " ( 1862 ) where it says she was married to Admiral Sir Charles Douglas when , in fact , she was the wife of Admiral Sir James Douglas . When his eldest daughter , Lydia Mariana , married Rev . Richard Bingham against his wishes , he disinherited her . Following his death , Lydia and her husband sued for a share of his estate , and the case was appealed until finally being decided against them in the House of Lords in 1796 . The case is made famous because of a letter Lydia had written to Adam Smith , a friend and distant relative of Sir Charles , requesting his assistance in reconciling the father and daughter . Legacy . Sir Charles was known as a mechanical genius , and many of his suggestions for improvements on naval vessels , including the substitution of flintlocks for matches , were adopted by the Admiralty for the entire Royal Navy . He was succeeded as Baronet of Carr by his sons , Vice - Admiral Sir William Henry Douglas , 2nd Baronet , and General Sir Howard Douglas , 3rd Baronet , who became a General , lieutenant - governor of New Brunswick , MP for Liverpool , and Lord High Chancellor of the Ionian Islands . Both Douglastown and Douglas Township , ( the village of Kennetcook , Nova Scotia and surrounding area ) , are named after him . The song “ Caillich Odhar ” was composed by Nathaniel Gow in his honor .