George Downie
| George Downie | |
|---|---|
| Born |
19 January 1778 Tong, Lewis, Scotland |
| Died | 11 September 1814 (aged 36) near Plattsburgh, New York |
| Buried at | Riverside Cemetery, Plattsburgh (44°41′35.58″N 73°27′33.78″W / 44.6932167°N 73.4593833°WCoordinates: 44°41′35.58″N 73°27′33.78″W / 44.6932167°N 73.4593833°W) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | c.1790–1814 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | |
George Downie (19 January 1778 – 11 September 1814) was a Scottish officer of the British Royal Navy who, during the War of 1812, commanded a British squadron which fought an American squadron on Lake Champlain in the Battle of Plattsburgh, during which he was killed.
Downie was born in the village of Tong near Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, the son of The Reverend John Downie, minister of Stornoway, and Charlotte Mackenzie. He joined the Royal Navy in around 1790 as a midshipman, serving aboard the frigate Circe, and seeing action during the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October 1797. He then served aboard the frigates Melampus, and then Apollo in the West Indies for several years. He was promoted to acting-lieutenant, and having returned to England on sick leave, his promotion was subsequently confirmed on 23 March 1802.
In 1804 he was appointed to the 38-gun frigate Seahorse, and in May 1805 was serving as first lieutenant under the command of Captain the Honourable Courtenay Boyle, in the Mediterranean. On the 4 May 1805, Boyle sighted a convoy of Spanish ships loaded with gunpowder at San Pedro, an anchorage east of Cape de Gata. Though under the protection of a fort, two armed schooners, and three gun and mortar launches, Downie was sent in a cutter to board the vessels while covered by the guns of Seahorse. Downie boarded and brought out a Spanish brig, laden with 1,170 quintals of powder while the Spanish gun-boats continued to fire on the Seahorse, damaging the main topgallant mast, shooting away several braces and bowlines, and killing a crewman. Seahorse then discontinued the engagement, wishing to leave the coast while the breeze and daylight lasted.
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