Commodore Arthur Sinclair (28 February 1780 – 7 February 1831) was an early American naval hero, who served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

during the

Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congress ...

with France, the First Barbary War and in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. His three sons also served in the Navy; they resigned in 1861, however, to serve in the

Confederate Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American ...

Biography

Born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, the youngest son of Arthur Sinclair I who had served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

during the

War of Jenkin's Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear, or , was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and the Spanish Empire. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It is cons ...

and the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Ad ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, Sinclair entered the Navy as

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Af ...

in 1798. He served as Midshipman in ''Constellation'' during the capture of the French frigate ''L'Insurgente'' on 9 February 1799. He was attached to the Mediterranean Squadron from June 1804 to July 1806, participating in the attacks on Tripoli on board ''Essex''. He then sailed Gunboat No. 10 to the United States. On 10 June 1807 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. On 13 December 1811, he was ordered to the command of ''Argus''; and, between 12 October and 17 December 1812, cruised in ''Argus'' with the

North Atlantic Squadron The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...

and took a number of prizes. During the cruise, he became separated from the squadron and was chased for three days and nights by an enemy squadron before his superior ship handling enabled him to escape. For much of the War of 1812, Sinclair was assigned to the Great Lakes as part of Commodore Isaac Chauncey's squadron, where he commanded the warship General Pike in an engagement on Lake Ontario on 28 September 1813. For his valor during another engagement on Lake Erie in 1813, Sinclair received a presentation sword from the Commonwealth of Virginia (now in the Virginia Historical Society's collection). In 1814, he commanded Niagara on Lake Huron and Lake Superior and directed the naval squadron in the Battle of Mackinac Island and the Engagement on Lake Huron. Sinclair conducted a hit-and-run raid at St. Mary River, Upper Canada capturing a small merchantman, the ''Mink''. After capturing the merchantman in the raid, Arthur Sinclair withdrew back to American lines in Michilimackinac. In extension of his raid at St. Mary River. Sinclair sent

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turni ...

with a detachment of seamen alongside regulars under Andrew Holmes to penetrate deeper into enemy territory. Turner destroyed buildings, possessions, and burned a schooner.

withdrew back to American territory in Michilimackinac reuniting with Arthur Sinclair."The A to Z of the War of 1812" by Robert Malcomson page.498. Promoted to Captain in 1813, he commanded the frigate ''Congress'' in 1817; commanded the 74-gun ship of the line ''Washington'' in 1818. In 1819, he rose to the rank of Commodore and was placed in command of the

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility t ...

. It was while there, that he conceived the idea of a Nautical School and was allowed to set one up on board the frigate ''Guerriere'', for the education and development of young naval officers. It was from that small start that the current

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is ...

at Annapolis has grown. Commodore Sinclair died at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

on 7 February 1831.

Family

The family originated from the Shetland Islands off Scotland and were reputedly distant relations of Scottish royalty. The first Arthur Sinclair, of

Scalloway Scalloway ( non, Skálavágr, "bay with the large house(s)") is the largest settlement on the west coast of the Mainland, the largest island of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. The village had a population of roughly 900, at the 2011 census. ...

, in

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the n ...

, sailed with Commodore George Anson in 1740, on a mission to capture Spanish possessions in the Pacific, during Britain's war with Spain. The mission lasted for four years and resulted in the little fleet circumnavigating the world. Loss of life was horrendous, with only 188 of the original 1,854 men surviving to make it back to England. Arthur Sinclair I left the expedition when they reached America and eventually settled in

, where he made claim to a large tract of land, and became a sea captain sailing between Virginia and England. After the death of his first wife he married Susanna Phillips of Halifax County, in Middlesex County on 22 February 1766 at the age of 59. Their son, Arthur II, was born in 1780. During the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

(1775-1783) Sinclair served in the

, fighting against his old countrymen. He retired to Cobham in Surry County where he died in 1791 at age 84. Arthur Sinclair II married first, Elizabeth, daughter of General

John Hartwell Cocke John Hartwell Cocke II (or Jr.) (September 19, 1780 – June 24, 1866) was an American military officer, planter and businessman. During the War of 1812, Cocke was a brigadier general of the Virginia militia. After his military service, he inve ...

, of Mt Pleasant, in Surry County. They had two children, twins, Robert Carter Nicholas d 1806 and Augusta (died 3 weeks after birth) Mar 1802. These children died young and their mother died in 1803. Arthur Sinclair II married second on 20 Jan 1810 in Halifax County, Sarah (Sally) Short Skipwith Kennon (30 Oct 1790 - 21 August 1827), daughter of Colonel Richard Kennon of Conjurer's Neck, Chesterfield County. Arthur and Sally had seven children: 1. Arthur Sinclair (29 Nov 1810 - 14 Jan 1865), Commander USN, CSN, served on the

CSS Alabama CSS ''Alabama'' was a screw sloop-of-war built in 1862 for the Confederate States Navy at Birkenhead on the River Mersey opposite Liverpool, England by John Laird Sons and Company. ''Alabama'' served as a successful commerce raider, attackin ...

, married, 20 Apr 1835, Lelia Imogene Dawley of Norfolk. 2. Elizabeth Beverly Sinclair Whittle (26 Jul 1812 - 1855), married Captain William Conway Whittle, USN, CSN 3. Richard Kennon Sinclair (8 Nov 1814-7 Jul 1815) 4. George Tarry Sinclair (29 Sep 1816 - 25 Jul 1885) LT USN, CSN 2 May 1843, Mary Thompson (5 Jan 1825 - 6 Nov 1888) 5. Dr. William Beverly Sinclair (22 Jan 1818 - 27 Sep 1895), surgeon, USN, CSN, a prominent physician, married 11 Nov 1844, Lucy Franklin Read Jones 6. Sarah Sinclair (22 Jul 1820), died in infancy 7. Gilberta Fayette Sinclair (19 Oct 1824 - 27 Apr 1906), married Dr. Conway Davies Whittle, of Norfolk. Arthur Sinclair II was the great-grandfather of novelist

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in sever ...

, author of the novel ''

The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...

'' (1906). He was also the second great-grandfather of Vice Admiral Lloyd M. Mustin and third great-grandfather of Vice Admiral Henry C. "Hank" Mustin and the fourth great-grandfather of Vice Admiral John Mustin.

Namesake

The destroyer USS ''Sinclair'' (DD-275) was named for him.

References

* Sinclair, Upton. ''The Autobiography of Upton Sinclair''. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1962. : {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Arthur 1780 births 1831 deaths United States Navy officers American military personnel of the Quasi-War American military personnel of the First Barbary War United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 People from Virginia

Biography

Family

Namesake

See also

References