A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Bulford, John
BULFORD. (Lieut., 1809. f-p., 18; h-p., 33.)
John Bulford entered the Navy, 1 Nov. 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Royal George 100, Capt. Wm. Domett, flag-ship in the Channel of Lord Bridport and Sir Chas. Morice Pole. From Nov. 1800, until March, 1804, he next served, under Earl St. Vincent and Hon. Wm. Cornwallis, in the Belleisle 74, on the same and Mediterranean sta^ tions, latterly as Second Master. He was then transferred to the Niger 32, Capt. Jas. Hillyar, in which ship he assisted, 2 May, 1806, at the capture of a Spanish schooner, El Virgin del Carmen, bound to La Guira with despatches. In Jan. 1807, he rejoined the Royal George, then flag-ship of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, under whom he was present at the ensuing passage of the Dardanells and destruction of the Turkish shipping; and, after a re-attachment to the Belleisle, bearing the flag in the West Indies of Sir Alex. Cochrane, he was appointed, 22 Oct. 1808, Acting-Lieutenant of the Intrepid 64, Capt. Christ. John Williams Nesham. In Feb. 1809, Mr. Bulford, who had been officially promoted on 27 of the previous month, took part in the reduction of Martinique. He was subsequently appointed – 15 Dec. 1809, to the Formidable 98, Capt. Fras. Fayerman, lying at Plymouth – 17 March, 1810, to the Orestes 16, Capt. John Richards Larpenotiere, part of the force in the Channel, whence he invalided 19 Aug. 1811 – 3 Feb. and 5 Aug. 1812, to the Royal Sovereign 100, Capt. Wm. Bedford, and Macedonian, of 48 guns and 254 men, Capt. John Surman Garden, both on the Home station – and, 8 Sept. 1813, to the Astrea 36, Capts. John Eveleigh and Edw. Kittoe,in which ship we find him at first employed off the coast of Africa, and afterwards again in the Channel. While in the Orestes Lieut. Bulford aided at the capture, 27 Oct. 1810, of the Loup Garou French privateer, of 16 guns and 100 men, after a close and gallant action of 30 minutes. He was slightly wounded in the Macedonian when taken, after an heroic resistance of two hours and ten minutes, and a loss of 36 killed and 68 wounded, by the United States, of 56 guns and 474 men, 12 of whom were killed and 70 wounded, 25 Oct. 1812;[1] and on 23 Jan. 1814, Capt. Eveleigh having fallen in an early part of the engagement, he commanded the Asteea during the greater part of a yard-arm-and-yard-arm conflict she sustained, for upwards of an hour, with the French 40-gun frigate Etoile, and which ultimately terminated in a drawn battle, wherein the British lost 9 killed and 37 wounded, and the enemy 20 killed and 30 wounded. He was paid off 28 Aug. 1815, and has since been unemployed.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1812, p. 2595.