A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Stevens, James Agnew
STEVENS. (Commander, 1842.)
James Agnew Stevens entered the Navy, 9 Aug. 1803, as Sec.-cl. Boy, on board the Sulphur bomb, Capt. Danl. M‘Leod; and on 14 of the ensuing month was wounded in an attack upon the town of Granville. Removing with Capt. M‘Leod, in Oct. 1804, to the Cygnet sloop, commanded afterwards by Capt. Robt. Bell Campbell, he proceeded in that vessel to the West Indies; where, in June and Aug. 1806, he became Midshipman and Master’s Mate of the Northumberland 74, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, and Alligator, Capt. R. B. Campbell. In Dec. of the same year he joined the Seahorse of 42 guns and 281 men, Capt. John Stewart, attached to the force in the Mediterranean; and on the night of 5 July, 1808, he contributed to the capture, after a memorably furious engagement, and a loss to the Seahorse (30 of whose crew were absent) of 5 men killed and 10 wounded, of the Turkish man-of-war Badere Zaffer, mounting 52 guns, with a complement of 543 men, of whom 170 were slain and 200 wounded. The Alis Fezan, of 26 guns and 230 men, a ship which had been also opposed to the Seahorse, was at the same time put to flight. While on his passage, 2 Oct. 1809, with despatches to Rear-Admiral Geo. Martin at Palermo, Mr. Stevens was again wounded and taken prisoner by the French. He was detained at Naples until 17 Feb. 1811; and being then exchanged he rejoined the Seahorse, in which ship, after serving for a short time with Sir Chas. Cotton in the San Josef 110, he returned in the following June to England an invalid. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place 7 July, 1812. At the commencement of the peace he had command, under the authority of the Post-office and Admiralty, of the Pelham and Uxbridge Falmouth and Holyhead packets; and he was afterwards, from 18 May, 1837, until advanced to his present rank 4 May, 1842, employed in the Packet-service at Weymouth, with his name on the books of the Victory 104, bearing the flag of the Admiral Superintendent at Portsmouth; where, since 28 Jan. 1848, he has been officiating as Second-Captain of the Blenheim steam guard-ship, Capt. Horatio Thos. Austin. Commander Stevens’ eldest daughter is the wife of Commander Jonas Archer Abbott, R.N.