Edward Stirling Dickson

Edward Stirling Dickson
Born	1765
Died	28 January 1844
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1772-1830
Rank	Vice-Admiral
Commands held	HMS Frederick HMS Victorieuse HMS Inconstant HMS Stately HMS Rivoli HMS Ganges

Vice-Admiral Edward Stirling Dickson (1765 – 28 January 1844) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars.

He joined the Royal Navy in 1772, at the age of seven, and first saw service at the Battle of Sullivan's Island in 1776 aboard HMS Actaeon, which ran ashore and was destroyed to keep her from being captured. He was transferred to HMS Bristol and was present at the capture of New York City, and then transferred into the HMS Aeolus where he assisted in the capture of the French frigate Prudente. In 1780, at the age of 15, he was appointed Lieutenant, and appointed to the captured frigate HMS Artois. He later served aboard HMS Sampson at the relief of Gibraltar.

He was wounded at the Glorious First of June in 1794, where he was the second lieutenant of the third-rate HMS Caesar. He was then assigned to the West Indies, commanding the cutter HMS Frederick; he led the ship against a much more powerful French privateer, and was promoted to take command of the brig HMS Victorieuse as reward. He advised the local commander, Admiral Henry Harvey, that Trinidad was ripe for capture, and helped lead the fleet which captured the island in 1797.

During his service in the Caribbean he captured a privateer whilst protecting a convoy to St. Kitts, and led a force which captured the fortifications on Margarita Island in December 1798. He then led a boarding attack on a privateer in the harbour, and whilst his force captured the ship, he himself was severely wounded in the head. He was promoted to post-captain, and rewarded with a sword from Thomas Picton, the Governor of Trinidad.

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