A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Huggins, James Edward
HUGGINS. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 18; h-p., 33.)
James Edward Huggins was born in Aug. 1782, at Nevis.
This officer (who had previously been in the East India Company’s service) entered the Navy, in Nov. 1796, as A.B., on board the Vindictive frigate, Capts. Dan. Oliver Guion, Gardner, and Aiskew Paffard Hollis, stationed at the Cape of Good Hope; and on his return to England in 1798, appears to have been employed for upwards of seven months off Woolwich as Midshipman in command of the Experiment fire-vessel. After an attachment of some time to the Zealand 74, flag-ship at the Nore of Vice-Admirals Skeffington Lutwidge and Sir Andw. Mitchell, he joined the Amazon 38, Capt. Edw. Riou, under whom he was severely wounded on the occasion of that ship running foul of Le Bourgainville French 18-gun privateer, in Feb. 1800. From the following April until April, 1802, he again served with Capt. Guion, on board the Eurus 36, and Trusty 50. In the former of those ships he attended,the expeditions to Ferrol and Cadiz, and also the one to Egypt, where he was in command of a flat-boat during the battles of 8, 13, and 21 March, 1801, at the destruction of Rosetta Castle, and at the surrender of Grand Cairo and Alexandria. On the night of 29 Aug. 1800, he had served with the boats of a squadron, 20 in number, commanded by Lieut. Henry Burke, at the cutting-out, close to the batteries in Vigo Bay, of La Guêpe privateer, of 18 guns and 160 men; which vessel, 25 of whose people were killed and 40 wounded, was boarded and carried in 15 minutes, with a loss to the British of 3 seamen and 1 marine killed, 3 Lieutenants, 12 seamen, and 5 marines wounded, and 1 seaman missing. From June, 1802, to Oct. 1803, we find Mr. Huggins serving at Newfoundland as Admiralty-Midshipman of the Camilla 20, Capts. Edw. Brace, Henry Hill, and Bridges Watkinson Taylor. In March, 1804, having joined, as Master’s Mate, the Inconstant 36, Capt. Edw. Stirling Dickson, he assisted at the recapture of the African island of Gorée; with the despatches relative to which event he was sent to England. He was then, after having passed his examination, ordered to the West Indies, where he frequently distinguished himself in command of the tenders of the Hercule and Veteran flag-ships – particularly when in the Gracieuse, in which vessel, while in the act of boarding a French national schooner, off St. Domingo, he received a wound so severe as to deprive him of the entire use of his arm, and to elicit the presentation of a sword from the Patriotic Society.[1] In March, 1806, in consequence of the injury he had sustained, he was sent home to Haslar Hospital; but in the summer of the following year he returned to the West Indies, and joined the Wolf 16, Capt. Wm. Sumner Hall. Between May, 1808, and the date of his official promotion, which took place 27 Sept. 1810, Mr. Huggins was further employed on the same station, chiefly as Acting-Lieutenant, in the Shark, Griffon, Elk, and Pert sloops, Capts. Edw. Henry A’Court, H. S. Jones, Jeremiah Coghlan, and W. S. Hall. In the Griffon, he also for some months discharged the duties of Acting-Commander. Obtaining an appointment, 16 Oct, 1810, to the Rover 18, Capt. Justice Finley, he served in that vessel in co-operation with the patriots on the north coast of Spain until Aug. 1812, when he was again obliged to be sent to Haslar in consequence of a serious hurt he had received while engaging the batteries at Bilboa. He next, on 3 March, 1813, joined the Majestic, a cut-down 74, Capt, John Hayes, under whom, during a cruize in the North American station, he contributed, 3 Feb, 1814, to the capture, after a running-fight of two hours and a-half, of the Terpsichore French frigate, of 44 guns. Since his advancement to his present rank, 15 June, 1814, Commander Huggins has been unable to procure employment. He was awarded a pension of 150l, for his wounds, 28 May, 1816. Agent – Fred. Dufaur.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1805.