A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Smith, William Henry
SMITH. (Retired Commander, 1847. f-p., 13; h-p., 35.)
William Henry Smith is son of the late Mr. Smith, Master R.N., who lost the two first fingers of his right hand in Rodney’s action, 12 April, 1782, and died, while serving in the West Indies in the Europa 50, of yellow fever, brought on by over-exertion in saving portions of a wreck.
This officer entered the Navy, 9 March, 1799, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Romney 50, Capt. John Lawford, in which ship he accompanied the ensuing expedition to Holland and witnessed the surrender of the Dutch squadron under Rear-Admiral Storey. Being discharged from the Romney in Nov. of the same year, he next, for a few months in 1800, served at Plymouth in the Raven sloop, Capt. Ferris; and from April, 1801, until Jan. 1805, in the Vanguard 74, Capts. Sir Thos. Williams, Chas. Inglis, Jas. Walker, Lord Wm. FitzRoy, and Andrew Fitzherbert Evans. In 1803 he assisted at the capture, among other vessels, of Le Duquesne 74 and La Créole of 44 guns, with the French General Morgan and 530 troops on board. He was also present at the surrender of the town of St. Marc, St. Domingo; the garrison of which place, amounting to 1100 men, were brought off by the Vanguard and her prizes to rescue them from the vengeance of the black General Dessalines. In the course of 1805-6 Mr. Smith joined in succession, on the Jamaica, Home, and Mediterranean stations, the Fairy sloop, Capt. Geo. Adey Creyke, Triumph 74, Capt. Henry Inman, Sampson 64, Capt. Wm. Cuming, and Repulse 74, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge. In the latter ship he passed the Dardanells with Sir John Duckworth in Feb. 1807, and assisted at the destruction of the Turkish squadron off Point Posquies. Being made Lieutenant, 8 Feb. 1809, into the Snap 16, Capts. Jas. Pattison Stewart and Thos. Barclay, he co-operated in that vessel in the reduction of the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and St. Martin’s. He invalided home from the West Indies in April, 1810, and was subsequently appointed – 30 Oct. 1810, to the Standard 64, Capts. Aiskew Paffard Hollis, Joshua Sydney Horton, and Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming – 28 Sept. 1812, after three months of half-pay, to the Lavinia 40, Capt. Geo. Digby, stationed at Gibraltar – and, 31 March, 1813, to the Warspite 74, Capts. Hon. Henry Blackwood and Lord Jas. O’Bryen. In the Standard, prior to making a voyage to the port of Lima, in South America, he served at the defence of Cadiz, and aided in destroying the fort at St. Mary’s. While attached to the Warspite he assisted in capturing a variety of vessels protected by the enemy’s batteries in Basque Roads; where, on 29 May, 1813, he was the first person, out of six boats, that boarded the American letter-of-marque Flash, of 2 long 9-pounders, 14 swivels, and 20 men. He left the Warspite in April, 1814, and accepted his present rank 9 April, 1847.
Although wounded in the Snap by a stiletto while engaged on Impress service, Lieut. Smith never received the least compensation.