Senior Royal Navy commander (1758?1832)
Admiral
Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane
GCB
(born
Alexander Forrester Cochrane
; 23 April 1758 ? 26 January 1832) was a senior
Royal Navy
commander during the
Napoleonic Wars
and achieved the rank of
admiral of the blue
.
He had previously captained
HMS
Ajax
in
Alexandria, Egypt
, during the
Egyptian operation of 1801
. Cochrane was knighted into the
Order of the Bath
for his services in 1806. In 1814 he became vice admiral and commander-in-chief of the North American Station, led the naval forces during the attacks on Washington and New Orleans, and was promoted to admiral in 1819 and became commander-in-chief of the Plymouth naval base.
[1]
[2]
Naval career
[
edit
]
Alexander Inglis Cochrane was a younger son of the Scottish
peer
Thomas Cochrane, 8th Earl of Dundonald
, and his second wife, Jane Stuart.
[1]
He joined the
Royal Navy
as a boy and served with British naval forces in North America. He served during the
American War of Independence
.
[1]
Cochrane also participated in the Egyptian operations in 1801.
[1]
When
Alexandria
fell, Cochrane, in the 74-gun
third-rate
HMS
Ajax
, with the
sixth-rate
HMS
Bonne Citoyenne
,
HMS
Cynthia
, the
brig-sloops
HMS
Port Mahon
and
HMS
Victorieuse
, and three Turkish
corvettes
, were the first vessels to enter the harbour.
About 1802?1803, Cochrane alienated the Spanish governor of
Ferrol, Galicia
, when one of his commanders intercepted four ships of the
Spanish treasure fleet
returning from South America, before they reached Cadiz. The effect of Cochrane's actions was to bring Spain back into the war on France's side in 1804.
Cochrane also had been incensed that the brilliant
Sir Edward Pellew
, a "tarpaulin officer" (an officer who had worked up from being a seaman), had been preferred over himself, a well connected aristocrat, as
Admiral of the White
to become
Commander-in-Chief, East Indies
. Cochrane tried to implicate Sir Edward Pellew, who had good relations with the Governor of Ferrol, in fraud, then making seriously damaging and unfounded allegations against Sir Edward's secretary Fitzgerald. These were never substantiated and destroyed Fitzgerald's career but didn't accomplish the destruction of its target, who later became Viscount Exmouth.
In the Caribbean
[
edit
]
In 1805 Cochrane was made commander of the
Leeward Islands Station
.
[1]
He conducted operations against the French and Spanish on 6 February 1806 at the
Battle of San Domingo
during the
Napoleonic Wars
.
[1]
A
cannonball
blew his hat off his head while he was on the deck of his
flagship
,
HMS
Northumberland
. He was appointed
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
on 29 March 1806 in recognition of his service.
[1]
Other rewards included thanks from both Houses of Parliament,
freedom of the city
of
London
, and a sword valued at 100
guineas
.
[1]
In
Barbados
, Cochrane met with General
Francisco de Miranda
, who had been defeated by Spanish naval forces in an attempt to liberate
Venezuela
. As Spain was then at war with Britain, Cochrane and the governor of
Trinidad
agreed to provide some support for an unsuccessful second attempt to invade Venezuela.
[
citation needed
]
Following the concern in Britain that neutral
Denmark
was entering an alliance with
Napoleon
, Cochrane, now a
rear admiral
, in 1807 sailed in
HMS
Belleisle
(74 guns) as commander of the
squadron
of ships that were sent to occupy the
Danish West Indies
.
In 1809 he commanded naval forces in the
conquest of Martinique
.
[8]
On 25 October 1809 he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.
He held the position of Governor of Guadeloupe
from 6 February 1810 to 26 June 1813.
[
citation needed
]
"No individual had greater responsibility for the decision to recruit and arm American slaves than did Alexander Cochrane."
[10]
: 16
Cochrane formed two
Corps of Colonial Marines
, made up primarily of escaped slaves. The first corps was based on the island of
Marie-Galante
and operated from 1808 to 1810. The larger second corps (the first had been disbanded), formed in 1814, was disbanded in 1815, at the conclusion of the War of 1812.
[
citation needed
]
War of 1812
[
edit
]
From April 1814, during the
War of 1812
against the United States, Cochrane, then a
vice admiral
, served as
commander-in-chief
of both the
North American Station
, based at the new
dockyard
in
Bermuda
,
[1]
and the
Jamaica Station
, based at
Port Royal
.
He landed the force under Major-General
Robert Ross
that
burned Washington
and pushed successful naval forays at the same time. Initially he wanted to attack
Rhode Island
in New England after the success at Washington, but he was dissuaded by Ross and Rear Admiral
George Cockburn
, who wanted to go after the bigger prize of
Baltimore
, Maryland.
Cochrane was appointed the
Commander-in-Chief, North American Station
(1814?1815).
[2]
His correspondence log commences with mention of the correspondence dated 27 December 1813 from the
Admiralty
which formally appointed him as successor to Sir John Warren.
Cochrane approved the plan proposed by Rear Admiral
Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet
to attack Washington, after the latter predicted that "within a short period of time, with enough force, we could easily have at our mercy the capital".
[14]
The 4,500 troops, commanded by Major General
Robert Ross
, successfully captured the capital city on 24 August 1814; Ross then directed the
Burning of Washington
[15]
but refused suggestions by both Cochrane and Cockburn to raze the city. Ross ordered his troops to cause no damage to private property.
[16]
It was aboard Cochrane's flagship,
HMS
Tonnant
, near the mouth of the Potomac on 7 September 1814 that
Francis Scott Key
and Colonel
John Skinner
pleaded for and got the release of Doctor
William Beanes
, a civilian who had been taken prisoner in
Upper Marlboro
after withdrawing from the assault on Washington.
The next day Key, Skinner and Beanes were transferred to the frigate HMS
Surprise
, with their truce vessel in tow, as the fleet slowly moved up the Chesapeake toward Baltimore. They would not be released until the assault on Baltimore was completed. On 11 September, Skinner insisted they be put back on their own truce vessel which they were allowed to do, under guard.
[17]
The morning of the 12th, 4500 British troops landed on the North Point peninsula and started marching toward Baltimore. Major General Robert Ross was killed by sniper fire in a skirmish that afternoon before the
Battle of North Point
.
Cochrane transferred his flag to HMS
Surprise
to facilitate moving up the Patapsco River to direct the 25-hour bombardment of
Fort McHenry
outside Baltimore (13 and 14 September), which proved ineffectual. He resisted calls by his junior officers to attack the fort more aggressively with frigates at close range. He ordered a diversionary raid by boats, around 1am on the 14th, to assist the army encamped near Baltimore in their proposed attack on Hampstead Hill (which they cancelled and withdrew), but this diversion had no success. In the bombardment of Fort McHenry, Cochrane's fleet used bomb vessels and a rocket ship for a long-range bombardment to minimize casualties and damage to the fleet from the fort's return fire, which inspired
Francis Scott Key
's poem that became "
The Star-Spangled Banner
", the US national anthem.
[18]
[19]
Cochrane led the British force that won the
Battle of Lake Borgne
,
[
according to whom?
]
in
Louisiana
, in December 1814 and also controlled the soldiers and marines on ships during the
Battle of New Orleans
.
[
dubious
–
discuss
]
His forces built a hard short road to
New Orleans
for use by British armed forces. The British army was defeated at the
Battle of New Orleans
on 8 January 1815 and Cochrane received some criticism for his role in that loss, which prevented the British from gaining a foothold in the US.
[20]
The
Duke of Wellington
was particularly vociferous in his criticism. He claimed that the failure of the New Orleans campaign was
largely the fault of Cochrane.
[
clarification needed
]
In a eulogy to General
Edward Pakenham
(Wellington's brother-in-law, killed at New Orleans), he said:
I cannot but regret that he was ever employed on such a service or with such a colleague. The expedition to New Orleans originated with that colleague ... The Americans were prepared with an army in a fortified position which still would have been carried, if the duties of others, that is of the Admiral (Sir Alexander Cochrane), had been as well performed as that of he whom we now lament.
[21]
In spite of bearing some responsibility for the loss at New Orleans,
[
according to whom?
]
Cochrane was later promoted to
Admiral of the Blue
in 1819.
[
failed verification
]
From 1821 to 1824, he was
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
.
[1]
He died in Paris on 26 January 1832.
Political career
[
edit
]
Cochrane was a Member of Parliament (MP) for
Stirling Burghs
from 1800 to 1802, and from 1803 to 1806.
[23]
[24]
Family
[
edit
]
In 1788, he married Maria Shaw; they had three sons and two daughters.
[1]
His son
Thomas John Cochrane
was entered in the Royal Navy at the age of seven; he rose to become governor of the
colony of Newfoundland
, and
Admiral of the Fleet
; he was appointed
Knight of the Order of the Bath
.
Alexander Cochrane was the sixth of the surviving sons of
Thomas Cochrane, 8th Earl of Dundonald
. The eldest son
Archibald Cochrane
became the earl and lost the family lands on a series of inventions and investments. Many of the younger sons served in the military or had careers supplying it. The next brother, Charles, served in the army and was killed at the
Siege of Yorktown
; he had married to Catherine, the daughter of Major
John Pitcairn
. The third surviving son, John Cochrane, was a paymaster and provisioner to the army and navy. His children included
Nathaniel Day Cochrane
, who became a rear admiral, and probably the chess player
John Cochrane
. The next son,
Basil Cochrane
, made a fortune supplying the Royal Navy in India. Alexander was the sixth son. The seventh, George Augustus Frederick Cochrane, had an army career and served in Parliament. The youngest son,
Andrew Cochrane-Johnstone
, was an army officer, colonial governor, politician, and fraudster.
The
Earl of St. Vincent
wrote of the Cochrane brothers in 1806, "The Cochranes are not to be trusted out of sight, they are all mad, romantic, money-getting and not truth-telling?and there is not a single exception in any part of the family."
[25]
Legacy
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
"Alexander Cochrane"
.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
doi
:
10.1093/ref:odnb/5749
. Retrieved
11 October
2015
.
(Subscription or
UK public library membership
required.)
- ^
a
b
"Alexander Cochrane"
.
Battlefields Trust
. Retrieved
17 January
2021
.
- ^
Anderson, p. 102.
- ^
Millett, Nathaniel (2013).
The Maroons of Prospect Bluff and Their Quest for Freedom in the Atlantic World
. University Press of Florida.
ISBN
9780813044545
.
- ^
"Interview With War of 1812 Author Steve Vogel"
.
History Net
. 13 June 2013
. Retrieved
17 January
2021
.
- ^
"In 1814, British forces burned the U.S. Capitol"
.
Washington Post
. Retrieved
16 January
2021
.
- ^
"Why Americans Celebrate the Burning of Washington"
.
Time
. Retrieved
16 January
2021
.
Cockburn, who accompanied Ross into the capital, reportedly wanted to burn the entire city in retaliation for American depredations in Canada. But it was an army operation and Ross' call, and he would have none of it.
- ^
Skinner, John Stuart. "Incidents of the War of 1812" From The Baltimore Patriot, 23 May 1849. Reprinted: Maryland Historical Magazine, Baltimore. Volume 32, 1937 (pp. 340?347)
https://archive.org/details/marylandhistoric3219mary/page/340/mode/2up
- ^
Vaise, Vince (Chief Park Ranger, Fort McHenry). "Birth of the Star Spangled Banner" Video tour from Fort McHenry. American History TV: American Artifacts, C-Span ? August 2014
https://www.c-span.org/video/?321206-1/discussion-fort-mchenry-birth-star-spangled-banner
- ^
Vogel, Steve. "Through the Perilous Fight: Six Weeks That Saved the Nation" ? Random House, New York. 2013 (pp. 271?274, 311?341).
- ^
"Alexander Cochrane"
.
NPS
. Retrieved
17 January
2021
.
- ^
Holmes, Richard (2003).
Wellington: The Iron Duke
, Harper and Collins, p. 206.
- ^
"COCHRANE, Hon. Alexander Forrester Inglis (1758?1832), of Lamancha, Peebles"
.
historyofparliamentonline.org
. Retrieved
11 October
2015
.
- ^
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs ? Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 5)
- ^
"
"Andrew Cochrane-Johnstone" (1767?1833)], The History of Parliament online"
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- "Film reel 7, Admiralty Records, North America, 1813?1815"
,
Admirals' Journals Reel contains two volumes: Pulteney Malcolm, 1813 Oct. 1 ? 1815 Sept. 10; and Sir A. F. I. Cochrane, 1813 Dec. 27 ? 1815 May 11.
, War of 1812 Documents from the British National Archives microfilm, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2006, ADM 50/87, ADM 50/122 – via film viewed at research center 5 January 2022
- Anderson, William. (1862).
The Scottish Nation: Or The Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours, and Biographical History of the People of Scotland
. Fullarton.
- Clowes, Sir William
(1901).
The Royal Navy: Vol. 6: A History ? From the Earliest Times to 1900
. S. Low, Marston and Co.
ISBN
1-86176-013-2
.
- Hall, Christopher David (1992).
British Strategy in the Napoleonic War, 1803-15
. Manchester University Press.
ISBN
978-0-7190-3606-4
.
- Haydn, Joseph (2008) [1851].
The Book of Dignities: Containing Lists of the Official Personages of the British Empire ... from the Earliest Periods to the Present Time ... Together with the Sovereigns and Rulers of Europe, from the Foundation of Their Respective States; the Peerage of England and Great Britain
. Longmans, Brown, Green, and Longmans – via Google Books.
- Lee, Christopher (20 November 2014).
Nelson and Napoleon: The Long Haul to Trafalgar
. Faber & Faber.
ISBN
978-0-571-32168-1
.
- The first edition of this text is available at Wikisource:
Stephen, Leslie
, ed. (1887).
"Cochrane, Alexander Forrester Inglis"
.
Dictionary of National Biography
. Vol. 11. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 159?160.
- Marshall, John
(1823).
"Cochrane, Alexander Inglis"
.
Royal Naval Biography
. Vol. 1, part 1. London: Longman and company. pp. 257?266.
- Cundall, Frank (1915).
Historic Jamaica
. West India Committee.
External links
[
edit
]
- Significant Scots: Sir Alexander Cochrane
? Biography from ElectricScotland.com
- "Film reel 2, Admiralty Records, North America, 1814"
,
Letters from Commanders-in-Chief, North America: 1814, nos. 141?268.
, War of 1812 Documents from the British National Archives microfilm, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2006, ADM 1/506
- "Film reel 3, Admiralty Records, North America, 1814"
,
Letters from Commanders-in-Chief, North America: 1814, nos. 269?348.
, War of 1812 Documents from the British National Archives microfilm, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2006, ADM 1/507
- "Film reel 4, Admiralty Records, North America, 1815"
,
Letters from Commanders-in-Chief, North America: 1815, nos. 1?126.
, War of 1812 Documents from the British National Archives microfilm, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2006, ADM 1/508
- "Film reel 5, Admiralty Records, North America, 1815"
,
Letters from Commanders-in-Chief, North America: 1815, nos. 127?316.
, War of 1812 Documents from the British National Archives microfilm, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2006, ADM 1/509
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