Sir Charles Douglas, 1st Baronet (1727 – 17 March 1789) was a British naval officer. He is particularly known for his part in the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

where he helped pioneer the tactic of "breaking the line".

Early career

Douglas was born in Carr,

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

to Charles Ayton Douglas and Christian Hepburn of Kinglassie. Little is known of his early life, although it is established that he could speak six languages. He joined the Royal Navy at the age of twelve, and spent some time in the

Dutch States Navy The Dutch States Navy (, ) was the navy of the Dutch Republic from 1588 to 1795. Coming into existence during the Eighty Years' War, the States Navy played a major role in expanding and protecting the Dutch colonial empire, in addition to partici ...

before resuming his career with the British navy.

French and Indian War

He was a midshipman at the

Siege of Louisbourg (1745) The siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island) during the War of the Austrian Succ ...

, promoted to lieutenant in 1753 and to commander in 1759. By the end of the war in 1763, he was captain of HMS ''Syren''. While commanding the ''Syren'', Sir Charles reported the attack on St. John's and took part in recapturing

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. Following the war, Sir Charles went to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

to help re-organize the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n navy for Catherine the Great in 1764–1765. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in May, 1770 for carrying out "a series of curious experiments to determine the different degrees of cold at different depths in the Sea".

American War of Independence

After the

broke out in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1775, Douglas was given command of a squadron to relieve

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

from

the siege ''The Siege'' is a 1998 American action thriller film directed by Edward Zwick. The film is about a situation in which terrorist cells have made several attacks in New York City. The film stars Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Tony Shalhoub ...

. When he arrived at the Gulf of St. Lawrence, he decided to ram the ice and successfully made his way up the river, surprising the Americans and putting them on the run. He was also in charge of creating a navy from scratch to fight on

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

, and that small fleet routed the Americans under

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

. In 1777, he was made a baronet for his service in Quebec. As captain of HMS ''Stirling Castle'', he took part in the first Battle of Ushant. The battle of the Saints 12 avril 1782

In 1781, Sir Charles became Captain-of-the-Fleet for

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularl ...

, and was with Rodney on his flagship, ''Formidable'', at the

off Dominica, where on 12 April 1782, they defeated the

Comte de Grasse ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word "count" (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word "county" (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * ''Comte'', French for a count (i.e. the nob ...

by breaking the French line. Douglas is credited by many, including Sir Charles Dashwood (a midshipman present at the time who later became an admiral himself), for having the idea for the manoeuvre, but it is a subject of much debate. In 1783, he was made the Commander-in-Chief of North America at the Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Station, but resigned due to a conflict. In 1787 he became a rear-admiral, and in 1789 was once again made commander of the

station, but died of apoplexy before taking his post.

Naval career

*1740 Joined Royal Navy at age twelve *1745 Midshipman at Siege of Louisbourg *1747 Past-Midshipman on HMS ''Centurion'' *1753 Lieutenant in the Royal Navy *1759 Promoted to Commander; Commander of HMS ''Boscawen'' *1761 Made Post-Captain; Commander of HMS ''Unicorn'', 28 guns *1762 Commander of HMS ''Syren'', 20 guns,

*1763 Commander of HMS ''Tweed'', 32 guns

*1767 Commander of HMS ''Emerald'', 32 guns *1770 Commander of HMS ''St. Albans'', 61 guns *1774 Commander of HMS ''Ardent'', 64 guns *1775 Commander of , 50 guns,

*1776 Commodore in charge of building

fleet *1777 Commander of HMS ''Stirling Castle'', 64 Guns *1778 Commander of HMS ''Duke'', 98 guns, Channel Fleet *1781 Captain-of-the-Fleet of Sir George Rodney, flagship HMS ''Formidable'',

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

*1783 Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of Halifax Station, HMS ''Assistance'', 50 guns, HMS ''Hermione'', 32 guns *1787 Promoted to Rear-Admiral *1789 Commander-in-Chief of

North American Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956, with main bases at the Imperial fortresses of Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ...

, HMS ''London Man'', 50 guns

Personal life

Douglas was married three times: first to a Dutch woman called Uranie Lidie Marteilhe, with whom he had a son and a daughter; second to Sarah Wood of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, the mother of

Sir Howard Douglas General Sir Howard Douglas, 3rd Baronet, (23 January 1776 – 9 November 1861) was a British Army officer born in Gosport, England, the younger son of Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, and a descendant of the Earls of Morton. He was an English ...

; and third to a woman named Jane, daughter of John Baillie. There is a great deal of confusion regarding the identity of Sir Charles' third wife, whose last name has been variously reported as Baillie, Grew, and Brisbane. It appears that some sources have mistaken his sister, Helena Baillie, for his third wife because she raised his younger children while he was at sea. The name Helen Brisbaine is also an error based on a mistake in ''The Scottish Nation'' (1862) where it says she was married to Admiral Sir Charles Douglas when, in fact, she was the wife of Admiral Sir James Dougla

When his eldest daughter, Lydia Mariana, married Rev. Richard Bingham against his wishes, he disinherited her. Following his death, Lydia and her husband sued for a share of his estate, and the case was appealed until finally being decided against them in the House of Lords in 1796. The case is made famous because of a letter Lydia had written to

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...

, a friend and distant relative of Sir Charles, requesting his assistance in reconciling the father and daughter. Douglas is buried in the ground south of the church in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 1 ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and a memorial lies on the outer south face of the church near the east gable.

Legacy

Sir Charles was known as a mechanical genius,A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen
/ref> and many of his suggestions for improvements on naval vessels, including the substitution of flintlocks for matches, were adopted by the Admiralty for the entire

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. He was succeeded as Baronet of Carr by his sons, Vice-Admiral Sir William Henry Douglas, 2nd Baronet, and General Sir Howard Douglas, 3rd Baronet, who became a General, lieutenant-governor of

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, MP for

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, and Lord High Chancellor of the

Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

. Both Douglastown and Douglas Township, (the village of

Kennetcook, Nova Scotia Kennetcook is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in East Hants Municipality in Hants County. History The community takes its name from the Kennetcook River, and the name is believed to come from a M ...

and surrounding area), are named after him. The song "Caillich Odhar" was composed by

Nathaniel Gow Nathaniel Gow (28 May 1763 – 19 January 1831 ) was a Scottish musician who was the fourth son of Niel Gow, and a celebrated performer, composer and arranger of tunes, songs and other pieces on his own right. He wrote about 200 compositions in ...

in his honor.

References

* * *Fullom, S.W. ''Life of General Sir Howard Douglas'' (1865) *Clark, William Bell. ''Naval Documents of the American Revolution'', vol. 3-6 (1968–1971) *Douglas, Percy. ''History of the Family Douglas'', vol. I. *Paton, Thomas S., ''Reports of Cases Decided in the House of Lords, Upon Appeal from Scotland, from 1753 to 1813,'' vol. III (1853) *''The Complete Baronetage'' *''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1938) * *

External links

''Douglastown Historical Review''''Quicksilver.net''''A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen (online at Google Books)''
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Charles, Sir, 1st Baronet 1727 births 1789 deaths Nobility from Perth and Kinross Royal Navy personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession British military personnel of the French and Indian War Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy rear admirals

301 __NOTOC__ Year 301 ( CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less frequently, year 1054 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...

Fellows of the Royal Society Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard Scottish naval personnel