4
SUPERANNUATED REAR-ADMIRALS.
relative, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James R. Colleton, Bart. Mrs. Graves died, Dec. 25, 1822.
Residence.– Brussels.
WILLIAM CHAMBERS, Esq
[Superannuated Rear-Admiral.]
This officer is the fifth son of the late Thomas Chambers, Esq., of Studley, in Warwickshire; at which place, and at Tanworth, in the same county, his family have resided, on their own estates, ever since the reign of Edward III. He entered the naval service in 1758, as a Midshipman, on board the Shrewsbury of 74 guns, under the auspices of Captain, (afterwards Admiral) Sir Hugh Palliser, with whom he served at the reduction of Quebec in 1759, and until the conclusion of the war in 1763[1].
- ↑ The naval and military forces employed in the reduction of Quebec, under the orders of Vice-Admiral Saunders, and Major-General Wolfe, arrived off the island of Orleans, in the river St. Lawrence, June 26, 1759, and on the following day the troops were landed. On the 28th, an attempt was made by the enemy to destroy the fleet, by sending down the river seven fire-rafts of an uncommon description; but owing to the vigilance of the British commander, and the excellent disposition of his ships, the design proved abortive, although the channel was crowded with vessels, and the rapidity of the stream favored the attempt. On the 28th July, the French made a similar effort, but of a more formidable nature. Nearly one hundred rafts of timber, charged with combustibles of every kind, and driven by the course of the stream, seemed to threaten inevitable destruction to the British fleet; but the good fortune of Vice-Admiral Saunders again prevailed, and the alarming preparations of the enemy were frustrated. In all the subsequent events of the memorable siege of Quebec, Vice-Admiral Saunders, and those under his command, appear to have borne a distinguished share; but it would be difficult now, if not invidious, to decide how far they contributed to the general success of the enterprise. The blaze of glory which deservedly crowns the memory of Wolfe, obscures the fame of his brethren in arms. It cannot, however, he doubted, but Vice-Admiral Saunders, by his able disposition of the ships, his zeal for the service, and his perfect knowledge of the art of war, materially contributed to the reduction of the place. On the 18th September, he had the honor of signing, with Brigadier-General Townshend, who had succeeded to the command of the army, the articles of capitulation granted to the French garrison, by which this memorable expedition was terminated with complete success, though with the loss of the immortal Wolfe, and many of his gallant associates. The town was taken possession of by a naval detachment, under Captain Palliser.
