Edward Codrington (1770–1851) joined the navy at the age of thirteen. Having narrowly avoided freezing to death in Nova Scotia three years later, he went on to serve during some of the most important naval conflicts of his time. This two-volume biography was first published in 1873, and combines his own accounts with the research of his daughter Lady Bourchier. Volume 1 introduces his friend Bowen, noted for his pink umbrella, the shy and awkward commander of the fleet, Lord Howe, and the sheer terror of the 1793 third battle of Ushant, the British fleet's first major encounter with that of the new French Republic. Included are Codrington's private and public letters, which give anecdotes of his own adventures and hint at the uneasy inner politics of the Admiralty, making this both an entertaining read and a useful resource for students of naval history.
Contents
Preface; 1. 1770–1802. Introduction; 2. 1805–8. Private letters to Mrs. C.; 3. 1809–10. Captain of Blake; 4. 1810. Blake sent to coast of Spain; 5. 1811. Siege of Barcelona; 6. 1812–1813. Rens; 7. 1814–27. American war; 8. February to September 1827. Mediterranean command; 9. September 1827. Ottoman fleet from Alexandria; Appendix.
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