Daniel Pring ( 1788 – 29 November 1846) was an officer in the British

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 ...

. He is best known for the part he played in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

between Britain and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He was born near

Honiton Honiton ( or ) is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 11,822 (based on mid-year estimates for the two Honiton Ward ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. He entered the Navy in 1800, and evidently took part in the abortive

British invasions of the Río de la Plata The British invasions of the River Plate were two unsuccessful British attempts to seize control of areas in the Spanish colony of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata that were located around the Río de la Plata in South America – in ...

, as in 1807 he was appointed Lieutenant and commander of the schooner , taken as a prize at Montevideo. His promotion to Lieutenant was confirmed in 1808. In 1810, he married Sarah Anne Wemyss from Dundee. In 1811, he was serving aboard HMS ''Africa'', the flagship of Vice Admiral Sir

Herbert Sawyer Admiral Sir Herbert Sawyer KCB ( fl. 1783–1833) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American Revolution, the French Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars. He eventually rose to the rank of Admir ...

, the commander in chief of the North American station based at

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. The following year, he transferred to , the flagship of Sawyer's successor, Vice Admiral Sir

John Borlase Warren Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (2 September 1753 – 27 February 1822) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. Naval career Born in Stapleford, Nottinghams ...

. He was one of three Lieutenants (the other two being Robert Finnis and

Robert Heriot Barclay Robert Heriot Barclay (18 September 1786 – 8 May 1837) was a British naval officer who was engaged in the Napoleonic Wars, and its North American counterpart, the War of 1812. Life He was born in Cupar, Fife, Scotland, the son of the Rev. P ...

) detached by Warren to the naval establishment on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

, with the acting rank of Commander. The

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

however had independently appointed Captain Sir

James Lucas Yeo Sir James Lucas Yeo, , (; 7 October 1782 – 21 August 1818) was a British naval commander who served in the War of 1812. Born in Southampton, he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 10 and saw his first action in the Adriatic Sea. He distingu ...

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

to command on the lakes. During the early part of 1813, Pring served as commander of HMS ''Wolfe'', which carried Yeo's broad pendant. Later in 1813, Pring was appointed to the naval establishment on

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...

, based at

Ile aux Noix Ile may refer to: * iLe, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino acid * Another ...

in the

Richelieu River The Richelieu River () is a river of Quebec, Canada, and a major right-bank tributary of the St. Lawrence River. It rises at Lake Champlain, from which it flows northward through Quebec and empties into the St. Lawrence. It was formerly kn ...

. He was temporarily superseded by Commander Thomas Everard (who was senior to Pring) during several destructive raids against American outposts and depots on Lake Champlain during the late summer of 1813. During the early months of 1814, Pring commanded gunboats which played a part in the Battle of Lacolle Mills. In the spring of 1814, the Americans constructed a substantial flotilla on Lake Champlain, which outmatched Pring's force. In response, the British laid down the

fifth rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal ...

frigate HMS ''Confiance''. This was a ship which required a Post Captain in command, so Pring was superseded by Captain

George Downie George Downie (19 January 1778 – 11 September 1814) was a Scottish officer of the British Royal Navy. During the War of 1812, he commanded a British squadron that fought an American squadron on Lake Champlain in the Battle of Plattsburgh, durin ...

. Pring took charge of the 16-gun brig ''Linnet''. During the Battle of Plattsburgh, Pring anchored the ''Linnet'' across the head of the American line of battle and did great damage, but Downie was killed and the ''Confiance'' and two other British armed vessels were forced to surrender. Left isolated and unable to escape, Pring fought on until the ''Linnet'' was battered almost to the point of sinking. In his report, Pring paid tribute to the gallantry of Downie, and also to the care paid to the prisoners and wounded by his opponent, Master Commandant

Thomas Macdonough Thomas Macdonough, Jr. (December 31, 1783 – November 10, 1825) was an early-19th-century Irish-American naval officer noted for his roles in the first Barbary War and the War of 1812. He was the son of a revolutionary officer, Thomas Macdonou ...

. As was customary after any defeat, Pring faced a

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

between 18 and 21 August 1815 aboard HMS ''Gladiator'', but was exonerated and honourably commended. The next year, he was promoted Post Captain. He briefly commanded the naval establishment on

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

, but this was soon closed down. Pring then went on

half pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the Eng ...

for 20 years, living at Ivedon Penn near Honiton. In 1836, he returned to active service, in command of the frigate HMS ''Inconstant''. From 1841 until 1843, he commanded the

second rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer guns ...

ship of the line HMS ''Thunderer''. In 1845, he commanded the 76-gun ship of the line, HMS ''Imaum'', and was appointed Commodore of the Jamaica Division as well as the shore establishment

Jamaica Dockyard Jamaica Dockyard also known as Port Royal Dockyard was a British Royal Navy Dockyard located at Port Royal, Jamaica. It was established 1675 and closed in 1905. The dockyard was initially administered by the Navy Board then later the Board of Adm ...

. He died late in 1846 at Port Royal, Jamaica, possibly of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

. He and his wife apparently left no children.

References

*Forester, C. S. ''The Age of Fighting Sail'', New English Library, . *Hitsman, J. Mackay, ''The Incredible War of 1812'', University of Toronto Press, .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pring, Daniel Royal Navy personnel of the War of 1812 1780 births 1847 deaths Royal Navy officers People from Honiton