A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Branch, Alexander Barclay
BRANCH, K.H. (Captain, 1822. f-p., 21; h-p., 30.)
Alexander Barclay Branch, born, towards the close of 1784, in the island of Barbadoes, is descended of an ancient Scottish family.
This officer entered the Navy, in March, 1796, as Midshipman, on board La Pique 36, Capt. David Milne, in which ship, after assisting at the reduction of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice, he was severely wounded by a splinter in the head, and wrecked on the coast of France at the capture, by that frigate and the Jason 38, of La Seine, of 42 guns and 610 men, of whom 170 were killed and 100 wounded, with the comparatively trivial loss to the British of 9 killed and 18 wounded in the two ships, 29 June, 1798. Mr. Branch, who on that occasion lost everything he possessed, was next attached for four years to the Diamond 38, Capts. Sir Rich. John Strachan and Edw. Griffith, under whom he saw a vast deal of active service. At the attack and capture, particularly, of some Spanish vessels in the port of Corunna by the boats of a squadron under Capt. Thos. Byam Martin, 20 Aug. 1801, he had charge of the Diamond’s barge, and, although knocked overboard by a desperate pike-wound in the groin while in the act of boarding a fully-manned ship of 16 guns, secured by several cables to the shore, continued, on being rescued from the perilous position in which he had thus been placed, in effective command of his boat until the prize was eventually towed out after an exposure of some hours to a very heavy fire from the batteries. Having passed his examination a short time previously, Mr. Branch removed, as Master’s Mate, in June, 1802, to the Resistance 36, Capt. Hon. Philip Wodehouse, and, on 31 May, 1803, had the misfortune to be again wrecked near Cape St. Vincent. For his uncommon exertions on the occurrence of that disaster he was received by Lord Nelson on board his flag-ship the Victory 100, and within three months was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Weasel 14, Capt. Wm. Layman, under whom we find him continually in collision with the enemy for the protection of trade in the Gut of Gibraltar, until a third time wrecked on the coast of Andalusia, 1 March, 1804. Being confirmed on his return home by commission dated 8 Nov. 1804, he served, from July following until Nov. 1806, with Capt. Benj. Hallowell, in the Tigre 80, during which period he accompanied Lord Nelson to the West Indies in pursuit of the Franco-Spanish fleet, and, although only Fifth, discharged for a considerable time the duties of First-Lieutenant. From the Tigre Mr. Branch removed, in the latter capacity, to the Pylades sloop, Capts. Geo. Miller Bligh, Wm. Hen. Whorwood, and Geo. Ferguson, with whom, successively, he continued to serve for five years on the Mediterranean station. In the boats of that ship he gallantly attacked, boarded, carried, and brought off four strongly-armed French settees, ashore on the island of Sardinia, in face of a very severe fire from the respective crews; and not long afterwards, while conducting another similarly successful expedition, he had his right hand so dreadfully shattered as barely to escape amputation. Early in 1811, in consequence of the French having almost wholly monopolized the Levant trade in neutral bottoms under the Greek flag, Lieut. Branch was detached by Capt. Ferguson in temporary command of the Gleaner ketch, of 10 12-pounder carronades and 30 men, with orders to impose a searching examination on all Greek vessels he might come across. Cruizing off the island of Samos, in pursuance of his instructions, he soon fell in with and ultimately captured, after a close and furious action of more than two hours, a large polacre-ship of 12 long guns and 70 men. Towards the close of the engagement, however, he had the misfortune to be struck by a cannon-ball, which, besides slightly wounding the left, in a most shocking manner mutilated his right leg; and in that deplorable condition he lay for five days, without any surgical assistance, and literally incrusted in his own blood, until at length he reached Smyrna, where the tardy amputation of the entire limb was followed by three months of indescribable suffering. Yet, notwithstanding his past services, his meritorious gallantry in the present instance in capturing an enemy so far his superior in force, and the heavy affliction entailed on him in his devotion to his country, Lieut. Branch was not promoted, nor did he, until nearly two years afterwards, even receive a pension. On 2 Dec. 1813, having been on half-pay since Nov. 1811, he re-obtained command of the Gleaner on the north coast of Spain, and during the ensuing advance on Bayonne of the Marquis of Wellington, whose expressed approbation he had the good fortune to elicit, was employed in blockading the Adour, and at the fearful passage of the flotilla across the bar of that river, preparatory to the formation of the floating bridge, he had the honour of receiving the flag of Rear-Admiral Penrose. Lieut. Branch was shortly afterwards selected by the last-named officer, as a reward for his praiseworthy conduct on that occasion, to carry home the despatches. While, however, awaiting, in the Bay of St. Jean de Luz, the arrival of the officer charged with those of Lord Wellington, the Gleaner unfortunately went down in a terrific hurricane, and the next day a large transport, on board which Lieut. Branch and his crew had escaped, cutting her only remaining cable, to avoid the fate of every other vessel in the anchorage, drove for the beach, and was happily stranded in safety. His full acquittal at the consequent court-martial was followed by his immediate and long-due promotion, 6 June, 1814, to the command of the Swinger brig, of 12 18-pounder carronades and 65 men, rated as a sloop-of-war, in which he was for some time employed in protecting the commerce of Surinam, where his bravery in effecting the annihilation, after a destructive running-fight, of a large American privateer, of twice his own force, and the terror of the coast, procured him the thanks of the merchants, and the public acknowledgments, through the Commander-in-Chief, of the Board of Admiralty. During the occupation of Martinique in 1815, he brought home the three despatches of Sir Philip Chas. Durham, Lieut.-General Sir Jas. Leith, and the French Governor of Martinique, the Count de Vaugiraud, but was nevertheless denied both his Post-commission and the pecuniary grant customary on similar occasions. Capt. Branch, having paid the Swinger off in Aug. of the latter year, subsequently commanded, from 4 Oct. 1816, until 17 July, 1819, the Helicon and Harlequin sloops, to the full suppression of smuggling on his allotted portion of the coast of Ireland. He ultimately obtained his present rank 26 Dec. 1822; and, on 26 Dec. 1827, was appointed, by the Lord High Admiral, to the Mersey 26, on the West India station, whence repeated attacks of fever and the opening of his wound obliged him prematurely to return at the expiration of a year. He was installed a Captain of Greenwich Hospital 17 Aug. 1846.
Capt. Branch was nominated a K.H. 25 Jan. 1836. He married in 1812, and was left a widower with three sons and four daughter 23 Nov. 1842. His eldest and third sons, Geo. Ferguson (1832), and Wm. Hen. Whorwood (1843), are Second-Lieutenants, R.M. The latter officer is now serving, on the North America and West India station, in the Endymion 44, Capt. Geo. Robt. Lambert. Capt. Branch’s second son, John Powell, is a Lieutenant R.N. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.