A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Gordon, James (a)
GORDON. (Commander, 1821. f-p., 14; h-p., 31.)
James Gordon (a) entered the Navy, 29 Sept. 1802, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Argo 44, Capt. Benj. Hallowell, one of the ships employed in the following year under Sir Sam. Hood at the reduction of the islands of Ste. Lucie and Tobago. Accompanying Capt. Hallowell, as Midshipman, in Aug. 1804, into the Tigre 80, he next, in the course of 1805, revisited the West Indies with Lord Nelson in pursuit of the combined squadrons of France and Spain, and in 1807 took part, we believe, in the expedition to Egypt. In July of the latter year he became Master’s Mate of the Moselle 18, Capt. Alex. Gordon, with whom he served on the Jamaica station until within a short period of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 12 Dec. 1808. Between that period and the conclusion of hostilities in 1815, Mr. Gordon appears to have been further employed, chiefly on the Home station, in the Osprey 18, Capt. Timothy Clinch, Ganymede 26, Capts. Alex. Robt. Kerr and Robt. Cathcart, Rattler sloop, Capt. Alex. Gordon, Eurydice 24, Capt. Jas. Bradshaw, Circe 28, Capt. Edw. Woollcombe, Nymphen 36, Capt. Matthew Smith, and Royal Sovereign and Tonnant, flag-ships of Sir Benj. Hallowell. His last appointment was, 28 July, 1819, to the Leander 60, flag-ship in the East Indies of Hon. Sir Hen. Blackwood, under whom he was serving as First Lieutenant at the time of his promotion to the rank of Commander, 29 Jan. 1821.