A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Gill, Thomas
GILL. (Captain, 1837. f-p., 16; h-p., 37.)
Thomas Gill, born 19 Feb. 1782, is descended in a direct line from the Rev. Alex. Gill, D.D., who flourished at the commencement of the sixteenth century.
This officer entered the Navy, 15 Jan. 1794, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Swan 18, Capt. Hugh Pigot, under whom he assisted, among other services, at the ensuing capture of Port-au-Prince, St. Domingo. Until the peace of Amiens he was further employed on the West India and Home stations, a great part of the time as Midshipman, in the Success 28, Capt. H. Pigot, Royal William, Capt. Wm. Lechmere, Conquest gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander W. Green, Magnanime 44, Capt. W. Taylor, and Cambridge 80, Capt. C. H. Lane. He then joined the Racoon 18, Capt. Austin Bissell; and in the early part of July, 1803, succeeded, while in command, as prize-master, of a merchant schooner, having on board 2 six-pounders and only 6 men, in capturing, after a gallant struggle of 10 minutes, a French national cutter, armed also with 2 six-pounders, besides swivels, musketry, &c., and manned with 33 able-bodied seamen, in addition to whom were a Lieut.-Colonel, two subalterns, several soldiers, and other passengers. On 11 of the same month, having rejoined the Racoon, Mr. Gill, whom we find his Captain officially describing as “a very worthy promising young man,” took part in a very warm action of 40 minutes, which terminated in the capture, in Leogane Roads, of the French corvette Le Lodi, of 10 guns and 61 men.[1] On that occasion, although the only person hurt, he lost his left arm close to the shoulder; he had previously been deprived of a finger, and had received three other very painful wounds, but had heroically refused to leave his quarters. On 17 of the following Aug. we discover the Racoon effecting the destruction, off the island of Cuba, of the national brig La Mutine, of 18 guns; after which, on 14 Oct. with but 42 men on board, she most gallantly brought to action, and compelled to strike their colours, in spite of a desperate resistance, a French gun-brig, cutter, and schooner, carrying altogether between 300 and 400 men. For his conduct on the latter occasion Mr. Gill, whose wounds were still open, but who did not quit the deck for 27 hours, was presented with 50 guineas by the Patriotic Society, and was a few days afterwards promoted by the Commander-in-Chief to a Lieutenancy in the Créole 38, to which frigate his Captain had also been transferred. We had almost neglected to record that, having been sent in the preceding March to demand from the Spaniards at Truxillo, on the Spanish Main, the restoration of a merchant-vessel which had been unlawfully detained, Mr. Gill had been seized and confined for twenty days on board a ship in the harbour, whence he was only rescued by a signal effort of judgment and valour, first in contriving to despatch a boat during a dark night to the Racoon, which vessel was at the time at Honduras, and then by keeping the enemy at bay until her arrival. To return to the Créole. That ship, being shortly afterwards ordered to England, unfortunately foundered on her passage, and would inevitably have consigned all on board to a watery grave, had not the Cumberland 74, miraculously hove in sight at the eleventh hour, and with great difficulty effected their rescue. Mr. Gill whose promotion was confirmed on his arrival home by commission dated 8 May, 1804, subsequently served, until promoted to the rank of Commander at the conclusion of the war, 15 June, 1814, in the Prince 98, Capt. Rich. Grindall, Combatant 20, Capt. A. Bissell, Aurora 28, Capt. Hon. Geo. Elliot, Kingfisher 18, Capt. Wm. Hepenstall, Medway 74, Capt. Augustus Brine, and Semiramis 36, Capt. Chas. Richardson. He also for short periods, in 1804-6-9, commanded the Tartar Revenue-cutter, the Aurora (as Acting-Captain), and the Panther prison-ship. While Lieutenant of the Aurora, under Capt. Elliot, he participated in an action of three hours with some Spanish gun-boats near Tarifa, three of which were captured. He likewise either conducted in person, or bore a prominent share in, a variety of boat operations on the coast of Italy, and on every occasion displayed a gallant and characteristic bearing, particularly in the month of December, 1806, when, in command of two boats belonging to the Kingfisher, he chased an armed felucca on shore, then landed at the head of a party of 40 officers, seamen, and marines, secured the prize, plundered a neighbouring village, and ultimately brought off the spoil, although the enemy had rallied, and had brought together a force of 500 men to oppose him. On 27 June, 1808, he was again wounded at the capture, after a smart action of nearly 30 minutes, of the letter-of-marque Le Hercule, of 12 guns and 57 men, which vessel he subsequently conducted into Malta. Capt. Gill’s appointments, after his promotion to the rank of Commander, were, we find – 28 April, 1829, to the Sparrowhawk 19, on the West India station – and, 22 July, 1830, as Acting-Captain, to the Magnificent, receiving-ship at Port Royal, Jamaica, whence he invalided 19 Feb. 1831. He was promoted to the rank he now holds 10 Jan. 1837; and has since been unemployed.
Capt. Gill married, 16 Aug. 1816, and has issue, with six daughters, three sons, of whom the eldest Thos. Cadman Roberts, is a Mate, R.N. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1803, p. 1229.