James Hillyar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir James Hillyar
Born	29 October 1769 Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire
Died	10 July 1843 Torpoint, Cornwall
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1780 to 1843
Rank	Royal Navy Admiral
Battles/wars	American War of Independence • Capture of Magicienne French Revolutionary Wars • Glorious First of June • Invasion of Egypt Napoleonic Wars • Invasion of Ile de France • Battle of Tamatave • Invasion of Java War of 1812 • Capture of USS Essex
Awards	Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir James Hillyar (born October 29, 1769 – died July 10, 1843) was a very important British Royal Navy officer. He is most famous for his time serving on the frigate HMS Phoebe. He commanded Phoebe during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

While leading Phoebe, Hillyar took part in the Invasion of Ile de France in 1810. He also fought bravely at the Battle of Tamatave in 1811. One of his biggest achievements was capturing the American ship USS Essex off Valparaíso, Chile, in 1814.

Hillyar was involved in many other naval operations. His first battle was in 1781 near Boston. He stayed in the Navy until he passed away in 1843. Even in the 1830s, he was active at sea, leading fleets in the North Sea and near Portugal. He was honored with knighthood twice. Two of his sons, Charles Farrell Hillyar and Henry Shank Hillyar, later became admirals too.

His oldest daughter, Mary Ann, married Sir Cecil Bisshopp in Malta in January 1843.

Life of Sir James Hillyar

Early Years and First Battles

James Hillyar was born in 1769 in Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire. His father, also named James Hillyar, was a naval surgeon. James joined the Navy when he was only ten years old. He served on the frigate HMS Chatham during the American War of Independence.

Chatham was part of a blockade around Boston during the war. In 1781, Chatham had a fierce fight with the French frigate Magicienne. They captured the French ship, which then joined the Royal Navy. Chatham was taken out of service in 1783 when the war ended. However, Hillyar continued to serve, mostly in North America, for the next ten years.

French Revolutionary Wars Service

In 1793, when the French Revolutionary Wars began, Hillyar joined HMS Britannia. This was the main ship for Lord Hotham in the Mediterranean Sea. The next year, he moved to Lord Hood's main ship, HMS Victory.

He helped in the Siege of Toulon and the capture of Corsica. Because of his good service, he was promoted to lieutenant. He then served on HMS Aquilon with Captain Robert Stopford. On Aquilon, he was at the Glorious First of June battle.

Later, he moved with Stopford to the frigate HMS Phaeton. He stayed on Phaeton until 1799. In 1800, Stopford moved to the large warship HMS Excellent, and Hillyar went with him again. He later took command of the armed supply ship HMS Niger. On Niger, he attacked Spanish ships near Barcelona. He also helped a boat team in Egypt during the British invasion of 1801. This led to the siege of Cairo and the siege of Alexandria.

Napoleonic Wars and HMS Phoebe

After a peace treaty in 1803, Hillyar served in the Mediterranean on Niger. He actually turned down a promotion because it would have meant less pay. This would have made it hard for his family. Horatio Nelson heard about this and personally told Lord St Vincent at the Admiralty about Hillyar.

As a result, Hillyar was promoted but was allowed to keep Niger, which was given more weapons. In 1805, he married Mary Taylor, whose father worked for the navy in Malta. In 1807, he joined the fleet getting ready for operations in the Baltic Sea. In 1809, he commanded the large 98-gun ship HMS St George.

The same year, he was given another frigate for independent missions: HMS Phoebe. Hillyar commanded Phoebe in the Indian Ocean and East Indies in 1810 and 1811. He was present at the Invasion of Ile de France and the later invasion of Java. On May 20, 1811, he was one of the captains who fought at the Battle of Tamatave. In this battle, a French frigate group was defeated, and two of their ships were captured.

Capturing the USS Essex

In 1813, Hillyar was made Commodore of the British Pacific Squadron. He was ordered to operate in the Pacific Ocean against American whaling ships and fur trading posts. Near Chile, he found the American frigate USS Essex. Essex was attacking British merchant ships. Hillyar tracked her to the harbor of Valparaíso.

Hillyar trapped Essex in the harbor and waited six weeks for her to come out. He stopped all attempts by the American captain, David Porter, to escape. Finally, on March 28, 1814, Porter tried to break out of the harbor. But he was forced into a nearby bay and defeated in a short battle. Hillyar brought Essex and the ships she had captured back to Britain.

Later Career and Honors

After the Napoleonic Wars ended, Hillyar stayed in the navy. In 1830, he was part of Edward Codrington's squadron on HMS Revenge. In 1832, he commanded the British squadron watching the French Siege of Antwerp. He later moved to the large ship HMS Caledonia and served near Portugal.

In 1837, he was promoted to rear-admiral. Hillyar had been knighted in 1834, becoming a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order. In 1840, he was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. He had received a lower honor from this order in 1815.

Sir James Hillyar passed away in 1843 at his home in Tor House, Torpoint, Cornwall. He was buried in Anthony churchyard. He had three sons. Two of them, Charles Farrell Hillyar and Henry Shank Hillyar, later became admirals in the Royal Navy, just like their father.

See also

In Spanish: James Hillyar para niños