A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Le Vesconte, Henry
LE VESCONTE. (Commander, 1828.)
Henry Le Vesconte is brother of Commander Philip Le Vesconte.
This officer entered the Navy, 5 June, 1790, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Cambridge 74, Capt. Boger, bearing the flag at Plymouth of Admiral Graves. He was discharged, in the following Jan.; but re-embarked, in March, 1793, on board the Duke 98, bearing the broad pendant in the West Indies of Commodore Geo. Murray, and between the close of that year and the receipt of his first commission, bearing date 27 Oct. 1800, was employed on the Home, North American, and Cape of Good Hope stations, in 12 different ships, in the capacities of Volunteer, Midshipman, and Acting-Lieutenant. Joining, then, the Jamaica 24, Capts. John Mackellar and Jonas Rose, he shared in that vessel in the action off Copenhagen 2 April, 1801; and on 21 of the following Aug. took command, in conjunction with Lieut. Jas. John Chas. Agassis, of the boats of a squadron, and gained the praise of Lord Nelson for his gallantry and zeal at the capture and destruction, with but slight loss to the British, of six flat-bottomed gun-vessels which had been driven on shore near St. Valery, and were protected by the fire of a body of military and five field-pieces.[1] He invalided from the Jamaica in Jan. 1804, and was subsequently appointed – 16 June following, to the Naiad 38, Capts. Jas. Wallis and Thos. Dundas, under the latter of whom he fought at Trafalgar, and on that occasion assisted in extricating the Belleisle 74. from a perilous position near the shoals, whither she was fast drifting – 5 July, 1808, after seven months of half-pay, to the Raven, sloop, Capt. Jas. Grant, on the Mediterranean station – 1 Feb. 1809, and 18 March aftd 1 Aug. 1811, to the Ville de Paris 110, and, as First-Lieuteiuint, to the Rodney and Milford 74’s, flag-ships in the Mediterranean of Admirals Lord Collingwood and Thos. Fras. Fremantle – 1 Feb. 1812, to the acting-command, for a few weeks, of the Epervier sloop, on the same station – and, afterwards, to the Queen 74, bearing the flag, also in the Mediterranean, of the late Sir Chas. Vinicombe Penrose. He attained his present rank 5 Jan. 1828; and has since been on half-pay.
Commander Le Vesconte is Senior of 1828. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1801, p. 1037.