A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Grant, William
GRANT. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 10; h-p., 31.)
William Grant was born 14 May, 1789, at Taunton, in Somersetshire, and died 1 Dec. 1845. He was son of Capt. John Grant, who obtained a medal for his services in the 40th Regt. during the first American war, and who afterwards, when belonging to the Prince of Wales’ or Leicestershire Fencibles, fought in Ireland during the rebellion of 1798. One of his cousins, Wm. Cottell, Lieutenant R.M., was mortally wounded on board the Robust 74, at the defeat, in the latter year, of a squadron under Commodore Bompart; and another, the late Capt. Jas. Cottell, R.M., who died in 1842, served in the Tonnant at Trafalgar. He has left a brother, a Surgeon in H.M. 10th Regt., now at Calcutta.
This officer entered the Navy, 13 Sept. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Quebec 32, Capt. Hon. Geo. Heneage Lawrence Dundas, with whom he continued to be employed, in the same ship, and in the Euryalus 36, and Edinburgh 74, until May, 1814. He frequently came into contact, while in the Euryalus, with divisions of Spanish and Danish flotillas. He saw, also, an immense deal of boat-service; conveyed Sir John Moore to the shores of Portugal, the Duke of Angoulême to Gottenhorg, and other members of the French royal family from the latter place to Harwich; assisted, during the Walcheren expedition, in forcing the passage of the batteries between Flushing and Cadsand; was for eight months employed, without once dropping an anchor, with the in-shore squadron off Toulon; partook, while so stationed, of various encounters with the French fleet; contributed, in the boats, to the capture of a large number of armed and other vessels; was often in warm collision with the Italian batteries; and frequently landed for the purpose of destroying the enemy’s stores. On his removal to the Edinburgh, Mr. Grant, in Oct. 1813, commanded the storming-party from that ship at the capture of the defences at Port d’Anzo; and he further served on shore in the unsuccessful attack on Leghorn, at the capture of Santa Maria and other strongholds in the Gulf of Spezia, and finally at the reduction of Genoa. On the latter occasion he was sent to take possession of the Sphynx captured sloop-of-war. From the Edinburgh, which had been recently commanded by Capt. John Lampen Manley, he was transferred, in Dec. 1814, to the Boyne 98, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland, flagship afterwards of Lord Exmouth, under whom he served at the siege of Gaeta. He went on half-pay in Sept. 1815, having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 11 of the preceding Feb., and did not again go afloat.
Lieut. Grant married in 1837. Agent – J. Hinxman.