A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Atwater, James
ATWATER. (Retired Commander, 1834, f-p., 20; h-p., 34.)
James Atwater was born 7 Nov. 1774.
This officer entered the Navy, 29 Jan. 1793, as Ordinary, on board the Audacious 74, Capts. Wm. Parker, Alex. Hood, Wm. Shield, Augustus Montgomery, and Davidge Gould, part of the fleets employed under Lord Howe and Admiral Hotham in the actions of 28 May, 1794, and 13 July, 1795. In the course of 1797, having joined the Sylph 18, Capts. John Chambers White and Chas. Dashwood, he witnessed the destruction of La Calliope French frigate, joined in an attack made -upon an enemy’s convoy at the entrance of the Sable d’Olonne, on which occasion the Sylph had 2 men killed and 4 wounded; and, a few days afterwards, assisted at the capture of five coasting-vesseis, and destruction of Le Petit Diable, a French cutter, of 18 guns and 100 men. On 28 Nov. 1798, while conducting a prize to Plymouth, Mr. Atwater was unfortunately taken prisoner; but, being released at the end of eleven months, was enabled to rejoin the Sylph, in which he continued to serve until transferred, in July, 1801, to the Ville de Paris 110, flag-ship of Hon. Wm. Cornwallie. Attaining the rank of Lieutenant, 16 April, 1802, he afterwards joined, in that capacity – 27 Jan. 1804, the Meteor bomb, Capts. Jas. Master, Joseph James, and Jas. Collins, in which vessel he served at the bombardments of Havre de Grace and Boulogne, the passage of the Dardanells, also in an attack on some batteries and gun-boats in the Bay of Naples, and in a month’s cannonade of the French army at the siege of Rosas – 1 Nov. 1809, the Hound bomb, Capts. Nich. Lockyer and John Williams, lying in the river Thames – and, 20 Feb. 1810, the Namur 74, successive flag-ship at the Nore of Admirals Wells, Hon. Henry Edwin Stanhope, and Sir Thos. Williams. He was superseded from the Namur 29 Aug. 1814, and, not being afterwards employed, retired with his present rank, 25 Jan. 1834.
Commander Atwater married, 11 Sept. 1802, Miss Mary Anne Chick, and has issue a son and three daughters.