A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Anderson, James (b)
ANDERSON. (Commander, 1842. f-p., 30; h-p., 9.)
James Anderson (b) is brother, of Wm. Geo. Anderson, Esq., Assistant-Paymaster-General, and of Chas. Henry Anderson, Esq., Cashier in the General Register Office.
This officer entered the Navy, 17 Sept. 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Royal William, Capt. Hon. Courtenay Boyle, flag-ship at Spithead of Admiral Geo. Montagu; and while afterwards serving in the Myrtle 18, Capts. Thos. Innes and Clement Sneyd, contributed to the capture of two slave vessels on the coast of Africa. In May, 1812, he became Midshipman of the Barfleur 98, Capt. Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy, bearing the flag off Lisbon of Hon. Geo. Cranfield Berkeley, with the former of whom he removed, towards the close of the same year, to the Ramillies 74. In that ship Mr. Anderson took an active part in the chief operations of the American war, including the blockade of Commodore Decatur’s squadron in New London, the attacks upon Washington, Baltimore, and New Orleans, and the bombardment of Stonington. He also, among other detached services, assisted, in the boats of the Ramillies and of a squadron, at the capture, 14 Dec. 1814, on Lake Borgne, of five American gun-boats under Commodore Jones, which did not surrender until the British, after a fierce contest, had been occasioned a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. Between Nov. 1815, and 1817, in which year he passed his examination, Mr. Anderson was next employed in the Malta 80, and Rivoli 74, commanded at Plymouth and Portsmouth by Capts. Sir Chas. Ogle and Aiskew Paffard Hollis. Until March, 1822, he afterwards served as Admiralty Midshipman, chiefly on the South America station, in the Cherokee 10, Capt. Theobald Jones, Owen Glendower 42, Capt. Hon. Robt. Cavendish Spencer, and Superb 74, and Creole 42, bearing each the broad pendant of his old Commander, Sir T. M. Hardy. He then in succession joined, as Acting-Lieutenant, the Alacrity 10, Capt. Hon. Fred. Spencer, Doris 42, Capt. Fred. Edw. Venables Vernon, and Beaver 10, Capts. Thos. Bourchier and Wm. Townshend Dance. Quitting the latter vessel in Oct. 1823, Mr. Anderson (who had been officially promoted on 1 of the previous March) was subsequently appointed – 10 March, 1826, as First Lieutenant, to the Cadmus 10, Capts. Chas. Hallowell and Chas. Gordon – 23 June,1827, to the Ganges 84, flag-ship of Sir Robt. Waller Otway, on the Brazilian station – in 1830-1, as Senior, to the Britomart and Savage sloops, both commanded by Lord Edw. Russell, on the coast of Ireland – 18 July, 1833, to the Coast Guard – and, 3 Feb. 1837, to the Howe 120, in which ship, under the successive flags of Sir R. W. Otway and Sir Fras. Mason, he served for five years as First Lieutenant, at the Nore, and in the Mediterranean. He was at length advanced to his present rank 25 Feb. 1842; and, since 14 Dec. 1844, has been in command of the Ranger sloop, on the coast of Africa.