A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Bertram, Charles
BERTRAM. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 17; h-p., 36.)
Charles Bertram was born, 20 April, 1777, at Jersey.
This officer entered the Navy, 18 Aug. 1794, as A.B., on board the Nonsuch floating battery, Capt. Phil. D’Auvergne, Prince de Bouillon, but was soon draughted into the Anson 44, Capt. Phil. Chas. Durham. During a continuance in the latter ship of more than two years, part of which period he held the rating of Midshipman, Mr. Bertram assisted at the capture of a large number of heavy privateers and other armed vessels – was present in Lord, Bridport’s action with the French fleet off Ile de Groix, 23 June, 1795 – attended immediately afterwards the disastrous expedition sent to co-operate with the Royalists in Quiberon Bay, where, in ultimately bringing off in the boats of the squadron such as could be rescued from the fury of the republican troops, he received a slight bayonet wound in the calf of the right leg – and on 20 March, 1796, the Anson forming part of a squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren, aided in capturing L’Etoile of 30 guns, one of five French frigates in escort of a provision fleet of 70 sail. On 23 Nov. 1797, soon after his appointment to the Porcupine 28, Capts. Chas. Dudley Pater and And. Fitzherbert Evans, and when on his passage to Halifax in a captured brig, Mr. Bertram was taken by the French frigate Républicain, conveyed a prisoner to France, and there detained, subject to all the horrors of dungeon captivity, until exchanged, in March, 1799. He then rejoined Capt. Durham on hoard the Anson, and, after an attendance on the Royal Family at Weymouth, and some months of active employment in the Channel, accompanied the same officer into the Endymion 40, and continued to serve with him, affording protection in the interim to a valuable fleet of Indiamen from St. Helena to England, until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 29 April, 1802. He became attached shortly after that event to the Dryad 36, Captains Robt. Williams and Wm. Domett; was subsequently detached for several months in the Diligence revenue cutter, for the purpose of impressing seamen, many hundreds of whom he brought into the service; and, on 4 July, 1803, joined the Loire 46, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland. In that frigate Mr. Bertram assisted at the capture, in 1804-5, of the Braave French privateer, of 16 guns and 110 men, also of the Blonde privateer frigate, of 30 guns and 240 men, and of the Vaillant, of similar force. He appears to have been likewise under fire of the batteries in Muros Bay, when they were stormed and carried by the boats under the late Sir Jas. Lucas Yeo, 4 June, 1805;[1] and to have contributed, in company with L’Egyptienne frigate, to the capture, 24 Dec. 1805, after an obstinate combat, of La Libre, of 40 guns and 280 men. In the month of July, 1806, the Loire had the further good fortune of communicating to Sir Rich. Keats, off L’Orient, the intelligence which led to the capture of Le Rhin, of 44 guns and 318 men. In the following Sept., while preparing to be paid off at Deptford, Mr. Bertram was ordered to commission the Volontaire 38, for Capt. Maitland; but that frigate being found too defective for service, his instructions were in a few weeks countermanded, and he remained on half-pay until March, 1807, when, Capt. Maitland having been appointed to the Emerald 36, he joined him as his First-Lieutenant. In the ensuing April we find him assisting at the capture of another privateer, the Austerlitz, of 14 guns and 96 men; and, after an employment of several months, at the blockade of Rochefort, conducting, on 13 March, 1808, an enterprize of much gallantry. The Emerald, on the evening of that day, having entered Vivero harbour, for the purpose of bringing out or destroying L’Apropos, a large French schooner, of 8 guns and 70 men, was immediately attacked by a fort from either side, but, not being able simultaneously to oppose their united fire, a party of officers, seamen, and marines was detached, under the orders of the First-Lieutenant, to storm the larger, mounting eight 24-pouuders. Having speedily driven out the Spaniards and spiked the guns, Mr. Bertram proceeded overland to the spot where L’Apropos had been run on shore. Being joined on the road by Mr. Dan. Baird, a Midshipman, who had been sent to take possession of her, he shortly afterwards fell in with 60 of the schooner’s crew, whom, however, after an interchange of musketry, the pike and bayonet of the British quickly put to flight. On at length reaching the vessel, she was found to be so immoveably fixed on the rocks that, after several hours of fruitless exertion, under the annihilating fire of a body of troops not thirty yards distant, all hopes of getting her off were abandoned, and she was accordingly set on fire, and blown up. The loss in this spirited affair amounted to 9 killed and 16 wounded, including among the latter Mr. Bertram himself, who received a sabre-cut across the left knee, and a musket-ball in the thigh, in consequence of which he was presented with a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund.[2] On 24 of the same month his bravery and merit were rewarded with a Commander’s commission, hut he was suffered to remain on half-pay until 22 Oct. 1810, when he at length obtained an appointment to the Persian 18. In that sloop he cruized for some time in the Channel, where he captured, 6 April, 1811, and 27 March, 1812, the privateers Embuscade, of 14 guns and 63 men, and Petit Jean, of 16 guns, only 8 mounted, and 65 men. He was then successively employed in escorting the trade to the Baltic and West Indies; and while on the latter station, owing to some unaccountable current and deficiency in the charts, had the misfortune totally to lose his ship, 16 June, 1813. The crew were saved in the boats, and succeeded, alter a perilous passage of four days, in reaching St. Domingo, having been the whole time scarcely above the water’s edge, and even obliged to decrease their weight by throwing away part of the clothing they had on. After surmountmg many other hardships, Capt. Bertram, whose health had become much impaired, together with the whole of his officers and ship’s company, had the satisfaction of being acquitted by court-martial of all blame in the disaster, and the latter of being highly eulogized for their steady and orderly conduct under the trying circumstances in which they had been placed. Capt. Bertram was advanced to Post-rank, 7 June, 1814, but from that period remained unemployed. On 9 March, 1840, in consideration of his wounds, from which he still suffers much, and of the privations he endured when wrecked, he was admitted to the Out-pension of Greenwich Hospital. He was placed upon retired half-pay, Oct., 1846.
He married, 2 March, 1815, Susan, eldest daughter of James Remer, Esq., merchant, of St. Aubin’s, in the island of Jersey.