A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Rivers, William
RIVERS. (Lieut., 1806. f-p., 22; h-p., 30.)
William Rivers was born some time between the years 1786 and 1788.
This officer entered the Navy, 8 May, 1795, os Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Victory 100, in which ship, commanded by Capts. John Knight, Robt. Calder, Geo. Grey, Thos. Sotheby, and Wm. Cuming, and, as a dépôt for prisoners of war at Chatham, by Lieut. John Rickman, he continued employed as Midshipman until paid off in Nov. 1799. He was in consequence present under the flag of Rear-Admiral Robt. Mann, and received two splinter-wounds in the right arm, in Hotham’s second partial action, 13 July, 1795; and, under Sir John Jervis, in the battle off Cape St. Vincent 14 Feb. 1797. On 9 April, 1803, he again embarked on board the Victory, then the flag-ship of Lord Nelson, under whom, after pursuing the combined squadrons of France and Spain to the West Indies and back, he shared, as one of his lordship’s Aides-de-Camp, in the glories of Trafalgar, 21 Oct. 1805. On that occasion he received a severe contusion by a splinter, which knocked out three of his teeth, and he had the misfortune to have his left leg carried away by a shot.[1] As a reward, however, for his valour and his sufferings he was made Lieutenant, 8 Jan. 1806, into the Princess of Orange 74, Capt. Thos. Rogers, was presented with a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund, and was subsequently, 4 April, 1816, allotted a pension of 91l. 5s. per annum. His appointments, after he had been discharged from the Princess of Orange, were – 1 April, 1806, to the Otter sloop, Capt. John Davies (a), stationed in the Channel, where he served until Jan. 1807 – 11 April in the latter year, to the Cossack 24, Capt. Geo. Digby, part of the force employed in Admiral Gambier’s expedition to Copenhagen – 18 Oct. 1809 (seven months after he had left the Cossack), as First, to the Cretan 16, Capt. Chas. Fred. Payne, off Flushing – 19 Sept. 1810 (having quitted the Cretan in the preceding Jan.), to the Raisonnable 64, Capts. Thos. New, Chas. Hewitt, and Edw. Sneyd Clay, lying at Sheerness – and 16 June, 1814, and 26 Aug. 1815, to the Namur and Bulwark 74’s, bearing the flags of Sir Thos. Williams and Sir Chas. Rowley, Commanders-in-Chief at the Nore. We may here mention that while serving in the Cossack Mr. Rivers was frequently employed in a boat for the purpose of intercepting such vessels as might be passing with troops through the Little Belt. He was for four months engaged in her as First-Lieutenant in watching the enemy’s movements at Brest; and he co-operated for some time with the British army on the coast of Spain, whence the Cossack brought home the present Marquess of Anglesey and the despatches announcing the defeat and death of General Moore at Corunna. During the last six months of 1814 Mr. Rivers performed the duties of Flag-Lieutenant to Sir Thos. Williams in the Namur, in which ship and in the Bulwark he afterwards, until paid off in April, 1818, officiated as First-Lieutenant. He was the only First-Lieutenant, be it observed, of a guard-ship bearing the flag of a Commander-in-Chief who was not promoted at the conclusion of the war. After many fruitless applications for employment, he obtained, in Nov. 1824, the appointment of Warden at Woolwich Dockyard, where he continued until admitted, 28 April, 1826, into the Royal Hospital at Greenwich.
Lieut. Rivers married, 9 JiJy, 1809, a niece of Joseph Gibson, Esq., of Long Bennington, co. Lincoln, by whom he has issue two sons (one of them, William Thomas, a Lieutenant R.N.) and six daughters.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1805, p. 1484.