A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Raymond, George
RAYMOND. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 25; h-p., 15.)
George Raymond was born in 1794.
This officer entered the Navy, 11 March, 1807, as Sec.-cl. Boy, on board the Edgar 74, Capts. Robt. Jackson, Jas. Macnamara, and Stephen Poyntz; and in that ship, which at first bore the flag of Lord Keith, was for upwards of three years and a half employed (the greater part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman) in the North Sea, Channel, and Baltic. In Aug. 1808 he witnessed the embarkation of the Marquis de la Romana and his patriot troops from Nyeborg; at which place and at Langland he assisted in cutting out some Danish gun-boats. On one of the occasions he was slightly wounded. Removing, in Dec. 1810, to the Tremendous 74, Capt. Robt. Campbell, he served for two years and a half in that ship in the North Sea, Baltic, and Channel, and was present in her at the destruction of a French frigate and corvette off Barfleur in 1812. In July of the latter year he joined the San Josef 110, bearing the flag of Lord Keith in the Channel; where, in Oct. of the same year, he became Master’s Mate of the Belle Poule 38, Capt. Geo. Harris. In the early part of the following year he was captured in a prize by the American lette--of-marque Volante, but was soon afterwards retaken in Boston Bay by the Curlew sloop, Capt. Michael Head; from which vessel, in April, 1813, he was transferred to the Shannon of 50 guns, throwing a broadside weight of 538 lbs., and 306 men, Capt. Philip Bowes Vere Broke. On 1 June following he had the honour of assisting, and being particularly recommended for his conduct, at the capture of the American ship Chesapeake, of 50 guns, yielding a broadside of 590 lbs., and 376 men – an exploit achieved after a close and desperate action of 15 minutes, a loss to the British of 24 killed and 59 wounded, and to the enemy of 47 killed and 115 wounded.[1] Among the wounded on board the Shannon was Mr. Raymond, who received a ball in the right arm, which has never been extracted and still occasions him much pain. In Oct. 1813 (having taken a passage for the purpose on board the Aeolus 32, Capt. Lord Jas. Townshend) he again joined the Belle Poule, still commanded by Capt. Harris, under whom he assisted, in the spring of 1814, in forcing the entrance of the Gironde, and in there destroying a line-of-battle ship, three brigs of war, several smaller vessels, and all the forts and batteries on the north side of the river. During a portion of the operations he had charge of a French prame. On leaving the Belle Poule, which had been latterly commanded in the West Indies by Capt. Fras. Baker, Mr. Raymond joined the Royal Oak 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Pulteney Malcolm; and on 14 of the ensuing Dec, previously to sharing in the attack upon New Orleans (where he served on shore with the army), he commanded one of the boats of a squadron at the capture, on Lake Borgne, of five American gun-boats under Commodore Jones, whose desperate resistance occasioned the British a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. On 17 Feb. 1815 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. His appointments have since been – 6 April, 1815, to the Florida 20, Capts. Andrew Mitchell and Wm. Elliott, employed at first in the West Indies and afterwards in the North Sea, whence he invalided 24 March, 1816 – 13 Dec. 1829, to the Coast Guard, in which service he remained nearly 12 years as a chief officer and an Acting-Inspecting-Commander – 2 Dec. 1841 and 15 April, 1842, to the command of the Snipe cutter and Spy brigantine, in the latter of which vessels he proceeded for the suppression of the slave-trade to the coast of Africa, ratified treaties with Kings Eyo and Eyamba of the river Calabar (by the former of whom he was presented with a sword) , and then returned with the ratifications to England – 31 March, 1843, again to the Snipe, in which vessel he served on the north-west coast of Ireland and in the Channel until paid off at the commencement of 1845 – 4 March, 1847, to the command of the Dover steam-packet of 90-horse power – 18 Oct. 1847, as Additional-Lieutenant (in Packet service at Dover), to the Ocean 80, Capt. David Price, guard-ship at Sheerness – and, 11 Jan. 1848, to the Onyx steam-packet of 120-horse power, wherein he is now employed.
Lieut. Raymond married in 1819, and again in 1844, and has a family of seven children. Two of his sons, George and Michael, are Master-Assistants in the service. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1810, p. 1330.