George Elphinstone, I visconte Keith: differenze tra le versioni
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===Post capitano=== |
===Post capitano=== |
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Durante la [[guerra di indipendenza americana]] fu impiegato contro i corsari, e con una brigata navale partecipò all'occupazione di [[Charleston (Carolina del Sud)]]. Nel gennaio 1781, quando era al comando della {{nave|HMS|Warwick|1767|6}} con 50 cannoni, catturò una nave olandese da 50 cannoni che pochi giorni prima aveva sconfitto una nave britannica di uguale potenza. Dopo la firma della pace rimase lungo le coste statunitensi per dieci anni, diventando deputato del [[Parlamento della Gran Bretagna|parlamento]] prima per il [[Dunbartonshire]] e poi per lo [[Stirlingshire]].<ref name=odnb/> Fu nominato membro della [[Royal Society]] nel 1790.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www2.royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=1&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27elphinstone%27%29| title = Library and Archive Catalogue|publisher= Royal Society|accessdate =12 marzo 2012}}</ref> |
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===Admiral=== |
===Admiral=== |
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Versione delle 11:38, 20 gen 2014
George Keith Elphinstone, I visconte Keith (Stirling, 7 gennaio 1746 – Kincardine, 10 marzo 1823) è stato un ammiraglio britannico attivo durante le guerre napoleoniche.
Carriera
Quinto figlio del 10° Lord Elphinstone, nacque nella torre Elphinstone nei pressi di Stirling, in Scozia. Due dei suoi fratelli si arruolarono in marina, e lui ne seguì l'esempio arruolandosi nella Royal Navy nel 1761, imbarcandosi sulla HMS Royal Sovereign prima di trasferirsi sulla HMS Gosport allora comandata dal capitano John Jervis (futuro conte Saint Vincent).[1] Nel 1767 intraprese un viaggio verso le Indie Orientali al servizio della Compagnia britannica delle Indie orientali, impegnando le 2000 sterline prestategli da uno zio in un commercio che gli valse una discreta fortuna. Divenne tenente nel 1770, comandante nel 1772 e post capitano nel 1775.[1]
Post capitano
Durante la guerra di indipendenza americana fu impiegato contro i corsari, e con una brigata navale partecipò all'occupazione di Charleston (Carolina del Sud). Nel gennaio 1781, quando era al comando della HMS Warwick con 50 cannoni, catturò una nave olandese da 50 cannoni che pochi giorni prima aveva sconfitto una nave britannica di uguale potenza. Dopo la firma della pace rimase lungo le coste statunitensi per dieci anni, diventando deputato del parlamento prima per il Dunbartonshire e poi per lo Stirlingshire.[1] Fu nominato membro della Royal Society nel 1790.[2]
Admiral
When war broke out again in 1793, he was appointed to the 74-gun Template:HMS, in which he took part in the occupation of Toulon by Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood. He particularly distinguished himself by beating a body of the French ashore at the head of a naval brigade of British and Spaniards. He was entrusted with the duty of embarking the fugitives when the town was evacuated. In 1794 he was promoted rear-admiral, and in 1795 he was sent to occupy the Dutch colonies at the Cape of Good Hope and in India. He had a large share in the capture of the Cape in 1795, and in August 1796 captured a whole Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay. In the interval he had gone on to India, where his health suffered, and the capture at Saldanha was effected on his way home. When the Nore Mutiny broke out in 1797 he was appointed to the command, and was soon able to restore order. He was equally successful at Plymouth, where the squadron was also in a state of effervescence.[1]
At the close of 1798, he was sent as second in command to St Vincent.[1] It was for a long time a thankless post, for St Vincent was at once half incapacitated by ill-health and very arbitrary, while Horatio Nelson, who considered that Keith's appointment was a personal slight to himself, was peevish and insubordinate. In May 1799, he was unable to counter Bruix' expedition, mainly due to sparring among the British naval commanders. Keith followed the enemy to Brest on their retreat, but was unable to bring them to action.
He returned to the Mediterranean in November as commander-in-chief.[1] He co-operated with the Austrians in the siege of Genoa, which surrendered on 4 June 1800. It was however immediately afterwards lost in consequence of the Battle of Marengo, and the French made their re-entry so rapidly that the admiral had considerable difficulty in getting his ships out of the harbour. The close of 1801 and the beginning of the following year were spent in transporting the army sent to recover Egypt from the French. As the naval force of the enemy was completely driven into port, the British admiral had no opportunity of an action at sea, but his management of the convoy carrying the troops, and of the landing at Aboukir, was greatly admired.
He was made Baron Keith of the United Kingdom, an Irish barony having been conferred on him in 1797. On the renewal of the war in 1803 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the North Sea,[3] which post he held till 1807. In February 1812 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the English Channel, and in 1814 he was raised to a viscounty. During his last two commands he was engaged first in overlooking the measures taken to meet a threatened invasion, and then in directing the movements of the numerous small squadrons and private ships employed on the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and in protecting trade.
He was at Plymouth when Napoleon surrendered and was brought to England in Template:HMS by Captain Maitland (1777–1839). The decisions of the British government were expressed through him to the fallen Emperor. Lord Keith refused to be led into disputes, and confined himself to declaring steadily that he had his orders to obey. He was not much impressed by the appearance of his illustrious charge and thought that the airs of Napoleon and his suite were ridiculous. Lord Keith died in 1823 at Tulliallan Castle, near Kincardine-on-Forth, Fife, his property in Scotland, and was buried in the parish church.
Family life
He was twice married: in 1787 to Jane Mercer, daughter of Colonel William Mercer of Aldie; and in 1808 to Hester Thrale, daughter of Henry Thrale and Hester Thrale, who is spoken of as 'Queeney' in Boswell's Life of Johnson and Mme d'Arblay's Diary. He had a daughter by each marriage, the second being Georgina Augusta Henrietta Keith, but no son. Thus the viscounty became extinct on his death, but the British and Irish baronies descended to his elder daughter Margaret (1788–1867), who married the Comte de Flahault de la Billarderie, only to become extinct on her death.
A portrait of him by Owen is in the Painted Hall in Greenwich and another by George Sanders in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
In fiction
In Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series Lord Keith and his wife 'Queeney' appear in several of the best-selling novels.
Bibliography
There is a panegyrical Life of Lord Keith by Alex. Allardyce (Edinburgh, 1882); and biographical notices will be found in John Marshall's Royal Naval Biography, i. 43 (1823–1835), and the Naval Chronicle, x. I. (D. H.).
References
- (EN) Hugh Chisholm (a cura di), Enciclopedia Britannica, XI, Cambridge University Press, 1911.
- ^ a b c d e f Viscount Keith at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Library and Archive Catalogue, su www2.royalsociety.org, Royal Society. URL consultato il 12 marzo 2012.
- ^ (SV) Lord Keith (en af Englands yppersta Amiraler), in Åbo Tidning, n. 17, 28 February 1807, pp. 1–2. URL consultato il 27 January 2009.
External links
Wikimedia Commons contiene immagini o altri file su George Elphinstone- Template:NRA
- Keith's Papers slowly being put online here.
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