A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Graham, Charles
GRAHAM, C.B. (Captain, 1830. f-p., 20: h-p., 17.)
Charles Graham entered the Navy, 9 June, 1810, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Bellona 74, Capt. John Erskine Douglas, stationed in the North Sea, whence, in 1812, he accompanied the same officer to the Mediterranean, as Midshipman of the Prince of Wales 98. On his rejunction of the latter ship, after having witnessed in the Impérieuse 38, Capt. Hon. Henry Duncan, the capture of Porto d’Anzo, and the operations against Leghorn and Genoa, he returned home and was paid off in July, 1814. Until 26 Oct. 1816 he further served, on the Home and Jamaica stations, in the Glasgow 50 Capt. Hon. H. Duncan, Romney 50, Capt. John Mackellar, Salisbury 50, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral J. E. Douglas, Primrose 18, Capt. Chas. Geo. Rodney Phillott, and Salisbury again, Capt. John Mackellar. He then became successively Acting-Lieutenant, also in the West Indies, of the Active and Pique frigates, Capts, Philip Carteret and J. Mackellar; and, on 9 July, 1817, was confirmed into his former ship, the Primrose 18, still commanded by Capt. Phillott. Having returned to England in Aug. 1818 on board the Rifleman brig, Capt. Norwich Duff, Mr. Graham next joined – 15 Sept. 1819 the Tartar 42, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Geo. Ralph Collier on the coast of Africa – and 14 Dec. 1822 and 11 March, 1823, the Impregnable 104, and Britannia 120, as Flag-Lieutenant to Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth. In the capacity of Commander, a rank he attained 17 April, 1824, Capt. Graham was subsequently, 16 June, 1829, appointed to the Philomel 16, on the Mediterranean station. He was promoted to the command, 4 Nov. 1830, of the Rattlesnake 28, attached to the force in South America, whence he returned home and was paid off 10 Nov. 1833 He has been employed on the East India station since 28 April, 1343, as Captain of the Castor 36. In Dec. 1845, while Senior officer of the squadron at New Zealand, he there landed in command of about 340 officers, seamen, and marines, for the purpose of co-operating with a body of troops under Colonel Despard in the reduction of a pah belonging to a rebel chieftain named Kawiti, and situated in a thick forest on a mountain 14 miles inland from the head of the river Kawakawa. After more than three weeks of indefatigable labour and exertion, during which the British, notwithstanding great wetness in the weather, were constantly employed in cutting roads through the woods and over the hills of a hitherto untraversed country, in erecting batteries near the pah, in then breaching, shelling, and rocketing it, and had moreover to live under what shelter they could temporarily contrive out of the bush, the enemy’s stronghold was assaulted and carried in triumph. For this service Capt. Graham was nominated a C.B. 27 July, 1846.[1] Agents – Messrs. Chard.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1846, pp. 2345. 2347.