A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Parsons, George Samuel
PARSONS. (Lieut., 1802. f-p., 19; h-p., 33.)
George Samuel Parsons entered the Navy, in July, 1795, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Barfleur 98, Capt. Jas. Rich. Dacres, under whom he fought as Midshipman in the action off Cape St. Vincent, 14 Feb. 1797. Removing, in April, 1798, to the Foudroyant 80, he acted as Signal-Midshipman of that ship under Lord Nelson at the capture, 18 Feb. 1800, of Le Généreux 74 and Ville de Marseilles armed store-ship, and, on 31 March following, after a desperate action, in which the Foudroyant (in company at the time with the Lion 64 and Penelope 36) sustained a loss of 8 men killed and 64 wounded, of Le Guillaume Tell, of 84 guns and 1000 men, flagship of Rear-Admiral Decrès. After officiating in a like capacity under Lord Keith during the expedition to Egypt, where he was intrusted with the command of a gun-boat on Lake Mareotis, he was nominated, 6 Aug. 1801, Acting-Lieutenant of El Carmen, Capt. Wm. Selby; in which ship, the bearer of Sir Wm. Sidney Smith, he returned, towards the close of the same year, to England. For his services in Egypt Mr. Parsons was presented with a gold medal by the Turkish government. He was confirmed a Lieutenant, 25 March, 1802, into the Batavier, Capt. Wm. Robt. Broughton, but continued only a few weeks in that ship, and was subsequently appointed – 9 Sept. 1803, to the Ganges 74, Capt. Thos. Fras. Fremantle, employed off the coasts of Ireland and Spain – 3 Feb. and 1 April, 1805, as First, to the Racoon and Elk sloops, Capts. Jas. Alex. Gordon, Rundel M‘Donnel, and Jas. Rich. Dacres, both in the West Indies – 8 Feb. 1806, for passage home, to the Malabar 74, Capt. Geo. Scott – 13 Sept. following, to the Texel 64, flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Jas. Vashon at Leith – 27 Feb. 1807, to the Orion 74, Capt. Sir Archibald Dickson, part of the force employed in the attack upon Copenhagen – and, 14 May, 1809 (after five months of half-pay, caused by indisposition), as Senior, to the Valiant 74, Capts. Thos. Geo. Shortland, John Bligh, and Robt. Dudley Oliver. In the Racoon and Elk Lieut. Parsons served at the blockade of St. Domingo and Curaçoa; and in the latter vessel,under Capt. Dacres, he fought in an action with 11 Spanish gun-boats on the Spanish Main. While attached to the Valiant he commanded her boats at the cutting out of a convoy from Basque Roads; besides contributing, under Capt. Bligh, to the capture, near Belleisle, 3 Feb. 1810, of the French 40-gun frigate Cannonière, laden with the spoil of the principal prizes which the enemy had taken in the East Indies during the three preceding years. The state of his health obliging him to seek half-pay in Dec. 1810, he was not again officially employed until 1841. Since 1 Nov. in that year he has been in discharge of the duties of Admiralty Agent on board a contract mail steam-vessel, and has been once wrecked.
Lieut. Parsons is the author of an interesting work, entitled ‘Nelsonian Reminiscences,’ published in 1843 by Saunders and Otley. The volume contains a more elaborate statement of his services than we have been able to find space for. He married in 1812, and has a family of eight children now living.