James Wallace (Royal Navy officer)
| Sir James Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1731 Loddon, Norfolk |
| Died | 6 March 1803 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1746–1797 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Rose HMS Experiment |
Sir James Wallace (1731 – 6 March 1803) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served for a time as a colonial governor.
Wallace was born in Loddon, Norfolk in 1731 and was the son of Thomas and Mary (née Beamish) Wallace (married 1725) of Loddon. He had a brother William Wallace (b.1730) and a sister Mary Wallace (b.1727). His grandfather William Wallace was a son of William Wallace (b.1632) a younger brother of Thomas Wallace the 2nd Baronet of Craige. His uncle James Wallace (b.1691 d.1778) reared his illegitimate daughter Frances (b.1751). He entered the Royal Navy in 1746. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1755, and having served in the West Indies and Mediterranean in 1760, he was promoted to commander in 1762. He joined the North American Station in 1763.
Promoted to post captain, Wallace was given command of the sixth-rate HMS Rose in November 1771. In 1774 Wallace set sail in the "Rose" for North America where he was to be based. He married Anne (or Ann) Wright in 1775 in Georgia. In July 1776 Wallace became the Captain of the HMS Experiment (a 50-gun ship). Wallace was sent to England with the military dispatches in 1777 and was knighted on 13 February 1777.
In 1778 the American rebels seized the British ship "Alert" and quickly outfitting it the American Rebels used it to set fire to two other vessels carrying hay. Wallace came to the rescued with his ship "Experiment" and recaptured the "Alert" and by quick action Wallace saved the ship from being burnt by the rebels. On 24 September 1779 Wallace and his ship "Experiment" along with 20 British officers and 30,000 pounds worth of silver were captured by the French off Hilton Head.
The Royal Navy Man of War HMS Experiment had lost her masts and bowsprit in a gale while she was on her way from New York to Savannah...Also on board was Major General Garth, who was supposed to replace Maj. Gen. Augustine Prevost as commander in Savannah...At 3:45 pm, the Experiment spotted three large sails in the distance. Sir James Wallace, the captain of the Experiment, tried to put as much distance between him and the unknown ships as he could. 45 minutes later, two more ships appeared to the west also bearing down on him. At 8 pm that night, the unknown ships hoisted the French colors and closed with the Experiment. The French ship of the line Sagittair gave the Experiment two broadsides. Due to the range, only a few shots reached the Experiment. Capt. Wallace hoisted more sail and put some distance from the Sagittair. At 8:30 pm, Capt. Wallace decided to fight, hoisted his colors, and came to action. In a very short time every single one of the French ships, three ships of the line and two frigates, were within range of the Experiment. After having his masts shot away, Capt. Wallace finally surrendered.
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