George Collier
Encyclopedia
Sir George Collier was an officer of the Royal Navy
who saw service during the Seven Years War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars
. As commander of the frigate HMS Rainbow, he was one of the most successful British naval commanders during the opening stages of war with America. He achieved considerable success as one of the senior officers on the North American coast, conducting and organizing several highly effective raids and counter-strikes. He was superseded however, and returned to Britain to play a role in the closing events of the war in European waters, before moving ashore to start a political career. He enjoyed a brief return to service with the resumption of war with France, and achieved flag rank, but died shortly afterwards.
on 11 May 1738, the eldest son of George Collier. He was born into a middle class family and entered the Royal Navy in 1751. He served initially on the Home station, and in the East Indies
with Sir George Pocock
during the Seven Years War. He was promoted to commander on 6 August 1761, and then to post-captain
on 12 July 1762 with the frigate as his first command. With the conclusion of the Treaty of Paris
and the end of the Seven Years War, the Boulogne was paid off and Collier was given command of the Plymouth
guardship , where he would remain for the next three years. The command of a series of frigates followed in quick succession, , and .
hood in 1775. He was then appointed commander of the 44-gun frigate and sailed for North America in May 1776. Upon his return to the American colonies, Collier provided support for General William Howe
's landing at Long Island, New York on 22 August 1776. Sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia
as a senior officer by Admiral Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
, Collier captured the American frigate USS Hancock
on 8 July 1777 after a long chase. Collier followed up on his success the following month by destroying supplies
at Machias, Maine, thereby ruining American plans for an invasion of Nova Scotia. He had already received the thanks of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia on 17 June 1777 for his efforts in securing the safety of the province.
One anecdote of Rainbow during this period was written by Captain Alexander McDonald, paymaster of the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)
, on 20 December 1778
Collier remained at Halifax until called upon to succeed the departing Admiral James Gambier
as commodore and acting commander-in-chief of the North American Station on 4 April 1779. Collier duly moved to New York
and hoisted his flag aboard the 64-gun . The strength of his squadron had been drastically reduced by the departure of many of the ships to join the fleets of John Byron
and William Hotham
in the West Indies. Nevertheless Collier organised and carried out he highly successful Chesapeake raid
on the Virginia
coast with General Edward Mathew
commanding the army contingent. Anchoring his ships in Hampton Roads
on 9 May, he landed 2,000 British troops and spent the next fortnight destroying ships and supplies for the Colonial army. They encountered no serious opposition, and returned to New York having destroyed over $1 million worth of supplies.
On 30 May, Collier joined the British assault on Stony Point, New York
providing support for Sir Henry Clinton, sinking an American rebel ship carrying loot and supplies removed from the fort. One of the few naval commanders able to get along with Clinton, Collier also provided naval support for William Tryon
's raid of Connecticut ports
in June before returning to New York in late-August. During this time he learnt that the Americans had carried out a combined land and sea assault
on a recently-established British outpost on Penobscot Bay
. Collier gathered his forces and rushed to the scene in his flagship, supported by four frigates. He was unable to attack as soon as he arrived, being forced to wait for daylight to advance up the river. By the time he moved into the harbour, the Americans had re-embarked men and stores and withdrawn up the river. Collier gave chase, eventually forcing the Americans to burn their ships and flee into the woods. Four armed vessels nevertheless fell into Collier's hands, while the American fleet of 19 armed and 24 provision and transport vessels was destroyed. This decisively defeated the largest rebel naval force of the war, inflicting what was the United States' worst defeat at sea until the Attack on Pearl Harbor
. When King George III
was informed of Collier's exploits, he said
Replaced as commander-in-chief by Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot while at sea, Collier was recalled to Great Britain. He sailed home aboard , and arrived in Portsmouth
on 29 November 1779. He assumed command of the 74-gun HMS Canada
early in 1780. He commanded her in the English Channel
, and participated in the relief of Gibraltar on 12 April 1781 with Vice-Admiral George Darby
's force. While returning to England, Collier fell in with and after a short engagement captured the 44-gun Spanish frigate Leocadia. On his return he resigned his commission, having had some falling out or disagreement with the government, or the First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Sandwich
.
for Honiton
in 1784, but returned to sea in 1790 with the Spanish armament. He commanded the 98-gun until his promotion to rear-admiral in February 1793. He was further promoted to vice-admiral of the blue on 12 July 1794, and received an appointment as commander-in-chief at the Nore
in January 1795. He only held the post for a few weeks before being forced to resign it due to ill health. Vice-Admiral George Collier died in London on 6 April 1795.
in 1776, and received favourable reviews. He had also written an account of his visits to Paris
and Brussels
in the summer of 1773, which were published by his granddaughter in 1885 under the title France on the Eve of the Great Revolution.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
who saw service during the Seven Years War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. As commander of the frigate HMS Rainbow, he was one of the most successful British naval commanders during the opening stages of war with America. He achieved considerable success as one of the senior officers on the North American coast, conducting and organizing several highly effective raids and counter-strikes. He was superseded however, and returned to Britain to play a role in the closing events of the war in European waters, before moving ashore to start a political career. He enjoyed a brief return to service with the resumption of war with France, and achieved flag rank, but died shortly afterwards.
Early life
Collier was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 11 May 1738, the eldest son of George Collier. He was born into a middle class family and entered the Royal Navy in 1751. He served initially on the Home station, and in the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
with Sir George Pocock
George Pocock
Sir George Pocock, KB was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He rose to the rank of admiral.Pocock was from Chieveley in Berkshire, the son of Thomas Pocock, a chaplain in the navy. George Pocock entered the navy in 1718, serving aboard under the patronage of his maternal uncle, Captain...
during the Seven Years War. He was promoted to commander on 6 August 1761, and then to post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
on 12 July 1762 with the frigate as his first command. With the conclusion of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
and the end of the Seven Years War, the Boulogne was paid off and Collier was given command of the Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
guardship , where he would remain for the next three years. The command of a series of frigates followed in quick succession, , and .
American War of Independence
With the outbreak of the American War of Independence Collier was despatched to the North American station, where he performed a number of successful services that led to the conferring of a knightKnight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
hood in 1775. He was then appointed commander of the 44-gun frigate and sailed for North America in May 1776. Upon his return to the American colonies, Collier provided support for General William Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...
's landing at Long Island, New York on 22 August 1776. Sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
as a senior officer by Admiral Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
, Collier captured the American frigate USS Hancock
USS Hancock (1776)
The second Hancock was one of the first 13 frigates of the Continental Navy. A resolution of the Continental Congress of British North America 13 December 1775 authorized her construction; she was named for John Hancock...
on 8 July 1777 after a long chase. Collier followed up on his success the following month by destroying supplies
Battle of Machias (1777)
The Battle of Machias was an amphibious assault on the Massachusetts town of Machias by British forces during the American Revolutionary War. Local militia aided by Indian allies successfully prevented British troops from landing...
at Machias, Maine, thereby ruining American plans for an invasion of Nova Scotia. He had already received the thanks of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia on 17 June 1777 for his efforts in securing the safety of the province.
One anecdote of Rainbow during this period was written by Captain Alexander McDonald, paymaster of the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)
84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)
The 84th Regiment of Foot was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present day Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutionaries...
, on 20 December 1778
...Flanking Companies. I am told they are a terror to All the Soldiers & Sailors about Halifax a few nights ago a boats Crew from the Rainbow was ashore & Committing some disorders & Riots in One of the Houses w'ch the Grenadiers frequent a party of them came in immediately beat the Sailors damnably and each of them took one upon his back threw them into their boat like so many bags of wool lanched the boat & set them adrift.
Collier remained at Halifax until called upon to succeed the departing Admiral James Gambier
James Gambier (Royal Navy officer)
Vice-Admiral James Gambier was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, North American Station. The historian David Syrett presented a study of Gambier, which presented him as corrupt and largely disliked by his fellow officers....
as commodore and acting commander-in-chief of the North American Station on 4 April 1779. Collier duly moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and hoisted his flag aboard the 64-gun . The strength of his squadron had been drastically reduced by the departure of many of the ships to join the fleets of John Byron
John Byron
Vice Admiral The Hon. John Byron, RN was a Royal Navy officer. He was known as Foul-weather Jack because of his frequent bad luck with weather.-Early career:...
and William Hotham
William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham
Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Sir Beaumont Hotham , a lineal descendant of Sir John Hotham....
in the West Indies. Nevertheless Collier organised and carried out he highly successful Chesapeake raid
Chesapeake raid
The Chesapeake raid was an American Revolutionary War campaign by British naval forces under the command of Commodore Sir George Collier and land forces led by Major General Edward Mathew. Between May 10 and May 24, 1779, these forces raided economic and military targets up and down the...
on the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
coast with General Edward Mathew
Edward Mathew (British general)
Edward Mathew began his military career in the British army as a commissioned officer. By the time of the American Revolutionary War he had risen to the rank of colonel. Promoted to brigadier general, he was assigned to command the elite Brigade of Guards in the American campaign...
commanding the army contingent. Anchoring his ships in Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 9 May, he landed 2,000 British troops and spent the next fortnight destroying ships and supplies for the Colonial army. They encountered no serious opposition, and returned to New York having destroyed over $1 million worth of supplies.
On 30 May, Collier joined the British assault on Stony Point, New York
Stony Point, New York
Stony Point is a triangle-shaped town in Rockland County, United States. Rockland County is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The town is located north of the town of Haverstraw, east and south of Orange County, New York, and west of the Hudson River and Westchester County. The population...
providing support for Sir Henry Clinton, sinking an American rebel ship carrying loot and supplies removed from the fort. One of the few naval commanders able to get along with Clinton, Collier also provided naval support for William Tryon
William Tryon
William Tryon was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York .-Early life and career:...
's raid of Connecticut ports
Tryon's raid
In July 1779, British Major General William Tryon and 2,600 men embarked onto a Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral George Collier, and raided the Connecticut ports of New Haven, Fairfield, and Norwalk. Military and public stores, supply houses, and ships were destroyed, as were private homes,...
in June before returning to New York in late-August. During this time he learnt that the Americans had carried out a combined land and sea assault
Penobscot Expedition
The Penobscot Expedition was the largest American naval expedition of the American Revolutionary War and the United States' worst naval defeat until Pearl Harbor...
on a recently-established British outpost on Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
. Collier gathered his forces and rushed to the scene in his flagship, supported by four frigates. He was unable to attack as soon as he arrived, being forced to wait for daylight to advance up the river. By the time he moved into the harbour, the Americans had re-embarked men and stores and withdrawn up the river. Collier gave chase, eventually forcing the Americans to burn their ships and flee into the woods. Four armed vessels nevertheless fell into Collier's hands, while the American fleet of 19 armed and 24 provision and transport vessels was destroyed. This decisively defeated the largest rebel naval force of the war, inflicting what was the United States' worst defeat at sea until the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. When King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
was informed of Collier's exploits, he said
It is remarkable that Sir G. Collier, with so scanty a force, should have been during the five months able to effect more objects against the rebels than the admirals that commanded such large fleets.
Replaced as commander-in-chief by Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot while at sea, Collier was recalled to Great Britain. He sailed home aboard , and arrived in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 29 November 1779. He assumed command of the 74-gun HMS Canada
HMS Canada (1765)
HMS Canada was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 17 September 1765 at Woolwich Dockyard.On 2 May 1781, Canada engaged and captured the Spanish ship Santa Leocadia, of 34 guns....
early in 1780. He commanded her in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, and participated in the relief of Gibraltar on 12 April 1781 with Vice-Admiral George Darby
George Darby
Vice Admiral George Darby was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the second son of Jonathan Darby III Esq. , of Leap Castle, in King's County, Ireland.-Early career:Darby joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer...
's force. While returning to England, Collier fell in with and after a short engagement captured the 44-gun Spanish frigate Leocadia. On his return he resigned his commission, having had some falling out or disagreement with the government, or the First Lord of the Admiralty Lord Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather, Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich, as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten...
.
Later years
Collier took the opportunity of his time ashore to embark on a career in politics. He was elected as Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Honiton
Honiton (UK Parliament constituency)
Honiton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Honiton in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sent members intermittently from 1300, consistently from 1640. It elected two Members of Parliament until it was...
in 1784, but returned to sea in 1790 with the Spanish armament. He commanded the 98-gun until his promotion to rear-admiral in February 1793. He was further promoted to vice-admiral of the blue on 12 July 1794, and received an appointment as commander-in-chief at the Nore
Nore
The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, England. It marks the point where the River Thames meets the North Sea, roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point in Kent....
in January 1795. He only held the post for a few weeks before being forced to resign it due to ill health. Vice-Admiral George Collier died in London on 6 April 1795.
Family and other achievements
Collier had married twice during his lifetime, once in 1773 to Christina Gwyn, with whom he had a son; and again in 1781 to Elizabeth Fryer, with whom he had two daughters and four sons. Two of these sons went into the army, the other two followed their father into the Navy. One son was Francis Augustus Collier, who like his father achieved flag rank. Sir George had written a stage version of Beauty and the Beast prior to the American War of Independence, entitled Selima and Asor. It was performed at Drury LaneDrury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
in 1776, and received favourable reviews. He had also written an account of his visits to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in the summer of 1773, which were published by his granddaughter in 1885 under the title France on the Eve of the Great Revolution.