A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Carter, Charles (a)
CARTER. (Vice-Admiral of the Blue, 1846. f-p., 22; h-p., 42.)
Charles Carter is son of the late Rev. H. Carter, Rector of Whittenham, Berks; brother of Capt. Benj. Carter, R.N. (1802), who died, 1 Nov. 1833, in his 61st year, and of the late Brevet-Major Carter, R.M.; and nephew of that celebrated authoress the late Mrs. Elizabeth Carter.
This officer entered the Navy, 10 April, 1783, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Hermione frigate, Capt. John Stone, with whom he continued, on the Halifax and West India stations, until removed, in Aug. 1786, as Midshipman, to the Crown 64, Capt. Chas. Morice Pole, lying at Plymouth. He afterwards served, for three years, again in the West Indies, on board the Scorpion sloop, Capts. Wm. Albany Otway and Sir Chas. Hamilton; was then transferred to the Leopard 50, Capt. John Blankett, in the Channel; and, on 22 Nov. 1790, was promoted, from the Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ship of Lord Howe, to the rank of Lieutenant. His subsequent appointments, in the latter capacity, appear to have been – 15 April, 1791, to the Barfleur 98, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Faulknor, in the Channel, where he served until the ensuing Oct. – 23 Jan. 1793, to the Trimmer 16, Capt. Fras. Fayerman, under whom he aided in capturing Le Courier French privateer – 4 Feb. 1794, to the Alexander 74, Capt. Rich. Rodney Bligh, which ship, after a glorious resistance of more than two hours, and a loss in killed and wounded of 40 men, was taken, 6 Nov. following, by a squadron of five line-of-battle ships and three frigates, under Rear-Admiral Nielly[1] – 22 June, 1795, on his release from a loathsome captivity, to the Magnificent 74, Capt. Squire, in the North Sea – and, 1 March, 1796, as First, to the Galatea 32, Capts. Rich. Goodwin Keats and Hon. Geo. Byng, to the former of whom we find him rendering himself conspicuously useful at the boarding and destruction, 23 Aug. 1796, near Arcasson, of L’Andromaque, of 44 guns and 300 men.[2] On 15 May, 1800, Mr. Carter was advanced to the command of the Adventure 44, armée en flûte, and, from that period until March, 1801, was actively employed in the conveyance of troops to Spain, Minorca, and Portugal. Having attained Post-rank 29 April, 1802, he afterwards commanded, in consequence of his inability to procure employment afloat, the Isle of Wight district of Sea Fencibles from 4 Aug. 1804, to March, 1810 – and the Impress service at Gravesend, from 13 Dec. 1813, to 18 June, 1814, and again from 1 May to 12 Aug. 1815. He became Rear-Admiral 10 Jan. 1837, and a Vice-Admiral 9 Nov. 1846.
He married Maria Holmes, youngest daughter of his old Captain, the late Admiral Sir R. R. Bligh, G.C.B., by whom he has, with other issue, two sons, the present Lieuts. Chas. Ricketts and A. R. B. Carter, R.N., and a daughter, married to Lieut. Joseph Bligh Duffield, R.N. Another daughter, now dead, was the wife of Lieut. Geo. Johnson, R.N.