A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Johnston, Charles James
JOHNSTON. (Rear-Admiral of the White, 1841. f-p., 23; h-p., 37.)
Charles James Johnston entered the Navy, about 1787, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Savage sloop, Capts. Rich. R. Burgess and Dickinson, with whom he served on the Greenock station until transferred, as Midshipman, in 1790, to the Formidable 98. In the course of the same year heremoved to the Scorpion sloop, Capt. Benj. Hallowell, and, after an attachment of two years to that vessel on the African and West India stations, he successively joined the Syren frigate. Stately 64, and Excellent 74, the two latter bearing the flag of Sir Rich. King and Hon. Wm. Cornwallis at Newfoundland and in the Channel. In the latter ship he continued until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 26 Feb. 1795; four months subsequently to which period we find him appointed to the Ruby 64, Capt. Hon. Henry Edwin Stanhope, part of the force employed at the ensuing reduction of the Cape of Good Hope. Exchanging, after that event, into the Arrogant 74, Capts. Rich. Lucas and Edw. Oliver Osborn, Lieut. Johnston witnessed the surrender of Columbo 15 Feb. 1796; and, on 9 of the following Sept., when off the coast of Sumatra, participated, in company with the Victorious 74, in a long conflict of nearly four hours with six heavy French frigates under M. Sercey, which terminated in the separation of the combatants, after each had been well crippled, and the Arrogant occasioned a loss of 7 men killed and 27 wounded. In July, 1800, our officer, who had for a long time discharged the duties of First-Lieutenant of the latter ship, and had assisted at the capture and destruction of many armed vessels and valuable merchantmen, off Batavia, and in other parts of the Java seas, joined the Suffolk 74, bearing_ the flag of Sir Edw. Pellew, who (besides intrusting him with the government, for a short time in 1802, of the Naval Hospital at Madras) successively appointed him to the command, between May, 1801, and June, 180.5, of the Daedalus frigate, Vulcan bomb, Victor sloop, Trident 64, Dédaigneuse frigate, and Cornwallis 50. His official promotion to the rank of Commander took place while he was serving on board the Victor, 18 Jan. 1803; and to that of Captain while in the Cornwallis, 5 Sept. 1806. In the course of the latter year Capt. Johnston appears to have several times engaged the enemy’s formidable batteries on the Isle of France; and on 11 Nov. he made a dash with Capt. Bingham, of the Sceptre 74, into St. Paul’s Bay, Ile de Bourbon, and opened a fire upon the shipping there at anchor, consisting of the Semillante French frigate, three armed ships, and 12 sail of merchantmen which had been captured from the British. Had it not been that the breeze soon subsided and impeded the manoeuvres of their assailants, the enemy on this occasion would in all probability have incurred great loss. The Cornwallis was afterwards, in 1807, the first regular man-of-war that ever, we believe, passed between New Holland and Van Diemen’s Land. Capt. Johnston’s next and last appointments were 18 Feb. 1808, and 23 Dec. 1813, to the Powerful and Scarborough 74’s; the former of which ships, after having brought her home from India, and then accompanied the expedition to the Walcheren, he paid off 11 Oct. 1809. In the Scarborough, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Ferrier in the North Sea, he served until 5 May, 1814. His advancement to Flag-rank took place 23 Nov. 1841.
The Rear-Admiral is married, and has issue.