A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Morris, George (a)
MORRIS. (Rear-Admiral, 1846. f-p., 19; h-p., 39.)
George Morris, born 7 Oct. 1778, is son of the late Wm. Morris, Esq., Master R.N.; and brother of Commander John R. Morris, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, in Oct. 1789, as Master’s Servant, on board the Victorious 74, commanded by his father, then Master Superintendent of Ordinary. In Jan. 1793 he removed, as A.B., to the Audacious 74, Capt. Wm. Parker, under whom, while holding the rating of Midshipman, he lost a leg in Lord Howe’s action, 28 May, 1794. After serving a year and ten months at the Nore in the Sandwich 90, Capt. Jas. Robt. Mosse, he was made Lieutenant, 2 June, 1796, into the Ardent 64, Capts. Rich. Rundell Burgess and Thos. Bertie, attached to the force on the North Sea station, where, under Capt. Burgess, who was killed, he fought, as Second Lieutenant, in the action off Camperdown, 11 Oct. 1797. During the expedition to Holland, in 1799, being still in the same ship, he assisted at the debarkation of the troops, and was present at the surrender of the Dutch squadron in the Texel, whence, it appears, he brought the Admiral De Ruyter, one of the prizes, to England. Assuming command, 22 March, 1800, of the Lady Charlotte, hired armed brig, Lieut. Morris, who continued in that vessel until Oct. 1801, succeeded, while cruizing between Start Point and Portland, in capturing L’Espoir and Le Petit Pirate, small privateers (the former carrying 6 carriage-guns and 23 men[1]), and in retaking several British merchantmen. Attaining the rank of Commander, 14 April, 1802, he was successively appointed, in that capacity – 6 Oct. 1803, 15 June, 1806, and 2 April, 1807, to the Penguin, Elk, and Renard sloops, on the African and Jamaica stations – 3 Dec. 1807, to the Magnet 18, in the Baltic – 11 April, 1809, for 12 months, to the Sea Fencibles at Lynn – and, 23 Sept. 1811, to the Vulture 16, employed off Jersey and Guernsey. In the Penguin, aided by his boats, he effected the destruction, on the bar of Senegal river, of the French privateer La Renommée, of 14 guns and 87 men, supported by two other vessels, 24 March, 1804;[2] he destroyed and took, in the Elk, the French and Spanish privateers Alliance, of 5 guns and 75 men, and Coecila, of 4 guns and 20 men; and, in the Magnet, after intercepting the Danish privateer Paulina, of 10 guns and 42 men, be was wrecked on the ice near Malmo, 11 Jan. 1809. After that catastrophe he marched with his ship’s company to Göttenborg, for the purpose of joining Sir Rich. Keats, then lying in Wingo Sound. On the breaking up of the ice he was sent home with despatches in the Centinel gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Elleston King. He left the Vulture, on attaining Post-rank, 1 Feb. 1812; and, on 1 Oct. , 1846, he accepted the rank he now holds.
For the loss of his leg Rear-Admiral Morris was awarded, 4 April, 1816, a pension of 300l. per annum. He married, 10 Nov. 1807, Sarah, daughter of B. Bentham, Esq., of Sheerness, by whom he has issue two sons and three daughters. Agent – Frederick Dufaur.