A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Greenway, George Courtenay
GREENWAY. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 11; h-p., 30.)
George Courtenay Greenway entered the Navy, 2 Oct. 1806, as Fst,-cl. Vol., on board the Achille 74, Capts. Sir Rich. King and Aiskew Paffard Hollis. After serving for some time in the Bay of Biscay, and co-operating in the reduction of Flushing, he joined, as Midshipman, in the defence of Cadiz, where he was lent to the Spanish 74-gun ship Neptune. On his return home in 1811 on board the San Josef 110, late flag-ship in the Mediterranean of Sir Chas. Cotton, he became successively attached to the Endymion 40, Capt. Sir Wm. Bolton, York 74, Capt. Robt. Barton, and Macedonian, of 48 guns and 254 men, Capt. John Surman Carden. While in the latter ship he commanded her cutter, in company with another boat under Lieut. Geo. Rich. Pechell, at the capture, 7 Aug. 1812, of a French lugger, lying aground within musket-shot of the formidable batteries on Ile d’Aix; and on 25 Oct. 1812 he was present and severely wounded in a desperate action of two hours and 10 minutes, which rendered her a shattered prize, after experiencing a loss of 36 men killed and 68 wounded, to the American frigate United States, of 56 guns and 474 men, 12 of whom only appear to have been killed and wounded.[1] The injury he received on the occasion was produced by a grape-shot, weighing 14 ounces, which entered the left side under the centre of the dorsal vertebrae, and, cutting away the right shoulder-blade, took an oblique direction and lodged immediately over the fifth and sixth ribs, whence it was extracted. Joining next, in April, 1813, the Dragon 74, Capt. Robt. Barrie, Mr. Greenway was by that officer detached for a period of six months in the Erie, of 2 guns and 30 men, for the purpose of harassing and destroying the enemy’s trade in the Chesapeake and Penobscot. He afterwards came into frequent contact with Commodore Barney’s flotilla up the Patuxent, and assisted also in the attacks on St. Mary’s, Bangor, and other places. He came home in April, 1815, having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on of the previous October; and was next, from Sept. in the same year until July, 1817, employed at Plymouth on board the St. George 98, Impregnable 98, Berwick 74, and Impregnable again, all flag-ships of Sir John Thos. Duckworth. He has not held any further appointment.
Lieut. Greenway has been in the receipt, since Aug. 1816, of a pension for his wound of 91l. 5s.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1812, p. 2596.