George Montagu (Royal Navy officer)

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George Montagu
Captain Sir George Montagu, 1750–1829, by Thomas Beach.
Born12 December 1750
Died24 December 1829(1829-12-24) (aged 79)
Allegiance Kingdom of Great Britain
 Great Britain and Ireland
Service/branch Royal Navy
Years of service1763–1815
RankAdmiral of the Red
Commands heldPortsmouth Command
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War
French Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars
RelationsJohn Montagu
James Montagu
Edward Montagu

Edward Montagu
.

Early career

In 1763 Montagu entered the

Royal Academy at Portsmouth, and was then appointed to HMS Preston with Captain Alan Gardner (afterwards Admiral Lord Gardner), going out to the Jamaica station with the flag of Rear Admiral William Parry
. He served in Preston for three years, before following Captain Gardner to HMS Levant. He finally returned to England in 1770.

He passed his lieutenant's examination on 2 October 1770, and on 14 January 1771 was appointed lieutenant of HMS Marlborough. In February he was moved into HMS Captain, going out to North America as the flagship of his father. On 9 April 1773 he was appointed commander in the 18 gun sloop HMS Kingfisher, and on 15 April 1774 (Pay-book of the Fowey) he was posted to HMS Fowey. In her he continued on the North American station during the early years of the war of independence, actively co-operating with the army in the embarkation at Boston in March, and in the reduction of New York City in October 1776.

Shortly after he returned to England in bad health. From 1777 to 1779 he commanded

Bermudas, captured the Espérance, a frigate-built privateer of 32 guns. In the battle of Cape Henry, on 16 March 1781, she acted as repeating frigate. She was not with the fleet during the battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September, but joined it, still off Cape Henry
, on the 14th, and was left to keep watch on the movements of the French till the 25th, when she sailed for New York. On 19 October she sailed again with the fleet, and on the 23rd was stationed ahead as a look-out (Pearl's Log). She returned to England in 1782.

During the

Downs, under the orders of Rear Admiral MacBride, until 12 April 1794, when he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral, and, hoisting his flag in the Hector, joined the grand fleet under Lord Howe
.

The Glorious First of June

Main article: Glorious First of June

On 4 May he was detached, with a squadron of six

Villaret, however, was not inclined to run such a risk, and, after a slight demonstration of chasing him, resumed his course and steered for Brest, while Montagu, after looking for Howe to the north-west, and failing to find him, bore away for the Channel, and on the 12th anchored in Cawsand Bay
.

In 1823 Captain Brenton, in relating these events in the first volume of his Naval History, pp. 296–300, attacked Montagu's conduct in not bringing on a general action, and said that "Lord Chatham and the board of admiralty expressed some displeasure at the conduct of the rear-admiral, and he was ordered or permitted to strike his flag."[1] Montagu published A Refutation of the Incorrect Statements and Unjust Insinuations contained in Captain Brenton's "Naval History of Great Britain," as far as the same refers to the Conduct of Admiral Sir George Montagu; in a Letter addressed to the Author. Montagu was perhaps too old, too angry, and too little practised in literary fencing to punish Brenton as he deserved; but he had no difficulty in showing that Brenton's facts were untrue.[2]

Howe and the Admiralty fully approved of Montagu's conduct; and when, in bad health, rendered worse by the shock of his brother's death during the battle, he applied for permission to resign his command, they both expressed their regret and a hope that his absence might be short.[3]

On 1 June 1795 he was promoted to vice admiral, and in March 1799 he was offered the command at the Nore, which he declined, as beneath his rank. In April 1800 Lord St. Vincent offered him the post of second in command in the Channel; but other officers were appointed by the admiralty, and there was no vacancy (Addit. MS. 31158, ff. 113, 117). On 1 January 1801 he was made admiral; but when shortly afterwards he applied for a command, St. Vincent, who had become first lord of the admiralty, replied that he had learned there was "an insuperable bar" to his "being employed in any way". He refused to say what the bar was; but it would appear to have been some misunderstanding of his conduct in 1794, as it gave way on a perusal of the official letters which Montagu had received at the time, and in 1803 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.[4] He held this post for five and a half years, and in August 1810 was presented with "a superb piece of plate" as "a tribute of respect and esteem" by the captains who had fitted out at Portsmouth during his command. On 2 January 1815, he was nominated a G.C.B., but had no service after the peace. He died on 24 December 1829.

Family

In 1783 Montagu married his first cousin, Charlotte, the daughter and co-heiress of George Wroughton of Wilcot, Wiltshire, and had a daughter and four sons. The eldest son, George, adopted the name of Wroughton in 1826, and died a lieutenant-colonel in the army in 1871. The second, John William, died an admiral on the retired list in 1882; the third, James, was also a retired admiral at his death in 1868; the fourth, Edward (died 1820), was in holy orders.

His daughter, Georgiana (died 1854), married Admiral Sir John Gore.

References

  1. ^ Naval History, pp. 296–300.
  2. ^ Letter from Montagu to Brenton.
  3. ^ (MARSHALL, i. 41–2).
  4. ^ History in Portsmouth Archived 27 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
1803–1809 		Succeeded by
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