A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Gage, William Hall
GAGE, Kt., G.C.H. (Admiral of the Blue, 1846. f-p., 26; h-p., 32.)
Sir William Hall Gage, born 2 Oct. 1777, is youngest son of General the late celebrated Hon. Thos. Gage, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in North America, by Margaret, daughter of Peter Kemble, Esq., President of the Council of New Jersey; brother-in-law of Admiral Sir Chas. Ogle, Bart, and of the Earl of Abingdon; and uncle of the present Viscount Gage.
This officer entered the Navy, 21 Nov. 1789, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Bellona 74, guard-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Fras. John Hartwell; and, on 1 Sept. 1790, became Midshipman of the Captain 74, Capt. Arch. Dickson. Until 19 Jan. 1796, he next served, on the Home, West India, and Mediterranean stations, in the Colossus 74, Capt. Henry Harvey, Proserpine frigate, Capt. Jas. Alms, America, Capt. Hon. John Rodney, Egmont 74, Capt. A. Dickson, Princess Royal 98, flag-ship (in the actions of 14 March and 13 July, 1795) of Vice-Admiral Sam. Cranston Goodall, Bedford 74,[1] Capt. Augustus Montgomery, and Victory 100, flag-ship of Sir John Jervis. On leaving the Victory, Mr. Gage (whose confirmation took place 11 March, 1796) was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Minerve, of 42 guns and 286 men, Capts. Geo. Henry Towry, Chas. Ogle, and Geo. Cockburn, bearing the broad pendant latterly of Commodore Nelson, by whom he was awarded every praise that gallantry and zeal could entitle him to for his conduct, on 20 Dec. 1796, at the capture, in face of the Spanish fleet, of the Sabina of 40, and defeat of the Matilda of 34 guns – the former of which did not surrender to the Minerve (whose loss altogether amounted to 7 men killed and.44 wounded) until after a combat of three hours and an individual loss of 14 killed and 44 wounded,[2] Mr. Gage, who had previously assisted at the capture of L’Etonnant national corvette, of 18 guns, next witnessed the evacuation of Porto Ferrajo, and, on 14 Feb. 1797, was present in the action off Cape St. Vincent. He also, on 28 May, 1797, served with the boats of the Minerve and Lively, and particularly distinguished himself at the capture, close to the town of Santa Cruz, after a loss to the British of 15 men wounded, of La Mutine French national corvette of 14 guns, which was brought out notwithstanding a smart fire of musketry from the crew, 113 in number, and a heavy discharge of artillery and small arms from the shore, as also the fire of a large ship at anchor in the road.[3] Attaining the rank of Commander 13 June following, Capt. Gage, on 26 July in the same year, was made Post into the Terpsichore 32. While in that frigate he assisted in seizing several French vessels lying at Tunis, served at the blockade of Malta until Feb. 1799, then escorted the King of Sardinia from Leghorn to Sardinia, captured on 23 of the ensuing June the San Antonio a Spanish brig-of-war, of 14 guns and 70 men,[4] and in July, 1800, contributed to the detention of the Freija Danish frigate, in consequence of a refusal on the part of her Commander to allow the British to search a convoy under his orders. Capt. Gage’s subsequent appointments were – 5 March, 1801, to the Uranie 38, on the Channel station, where he elicited the warmest thanks of his senior officer, Capt. Chas. Brisbane, for his judicious arrangement of his boats previously to the cutting out, by them and those of the Doris and Beaulieu, of the French national ship La Chevrette, of 20 guns and 350 men, one of the most brilliant exploits of the kind ever performed[5] – 20 July, 1805, after an interval of three years, to the Thetis 38, employed in the North Sea and also in the Mediterranean, which ship, on his return home with Sir Arthur Paget, who had been on an embassy to the Ottoman Porte, he left, in 1808 – and, 5 Feb. 1813, to the Indus 74, part of Sir Edw. Pellew’s fleet in his partial action with the French off Toulon 13 Feb. 1814. He again went on half-pay on 14 Sept. in the latter year; and, assuming the rank of Rear-Admiral, 19 July, 1821, was afterwards employed as Commander-in-Chief of H.M. ships in the East Indies from 13 Dec. 1825, to 9 Jan. 1830 – of a squadron in the Downs from 10 May to 13 July, 1833 – and of the Naval force on the Lisbon station, from 9 April, 1834, to 17 Dec. 1837.
Sir Wm. Hall Gage, who has not since been afloat, and had been knighted and nominated a G.C.H. 19 April, 1834, became a Vice-Admiral 10 Jan. 1837, and a full Admiral 9 Nov. 1846. From 3 Feb. 1842, until 1846, he occupied a seat at the Board of Admiralty.