Sir Edward Hamilton, 1st Baronet
| Sir Edward Joseph Hamilton, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 22 March 1772 |
| Died | 21 March 1851 17 Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park, London |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1777 – 1851 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Comet HMS Surprise |
| Battles/wars |
Naval Battle of Hyères Islands Cutting-out of HMS Hermione |
| Awards | KCB |
| Relations |
John Hamilton (father) Charles Hamilton (brother) |
Sir Edward Joseph Hamilton, 1st Baronet KCB (22 March 1772 – 21 March 1851) 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.
Hamilton was born on 22 March 1772, the second and youngest son of Captain Sir John Hamilton who had been made a baronet in 1776. Edward Hamilton's mother was Cassandra Agnes, sister of Admiral Charles Chamberlayne. Edward first appeared on the muster books of his father's ship, the 74-gun HMS Hector, in 1777 when he was five years old. He did not actually join the ship until the age of seven, when he came aboard on 21 May 1779 at the rank of midshipman. He sailed with the Hector to the Jamaica station, where he was subsequently lent to HMS Ramillies. He returned to England after the end of the war and attended the Royal Grammar School, Guildford. He subsequently returned to active service in 1787, spending the next three years aboard the 74-gun HMS Standard. He took and passed his lieutenant's examination in 1790, after which he moved aboard the 36-gun frigate HMS Melampus, under Captain Charles Pole.
Hamilton then joined the 100-gun HMS Victory, which at that time was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood. He then entered another period of retirement from active service, during which time he studied at the University of Caen, and travelled through both France and Portugal. With the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France in February 1793 Hamilton again returned to active service, being assigned to Lord Howe's flagship, the 100-gun first rate HMS Queen Charlotte. By July he had moved to his brother, Sir Charles Hamilton's ship, the 28-gun HMS Dido, and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 29 October 1793. While serving on the Dido he helped in the capture of a privateer and her crew. He took a boat, crewed by only eight sailors, and captured the grounded privateer, put out the fire that had been set by her crew to destroy her, and then went ashore to capture her escaped crew. He was later present at the siege of Bastia, and was given command of 100 British and 300 Corsican soldiers at Girolate. Here he constructed a number of batteries within pistol shot of the enemy, from which he was able to subject them to continuous bombardment. The enemy surrendered after 13 days under fire.
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