A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Sutton, Charles Thomas
SUTTON. (Lieut., 1813. f-p., 10; h-p., 34.)
Charles Thomas Sutton entered the Navy, 20 July, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Montagu 74, Capts. Thos. Rogers, John Wentworth Loring, Fras. Pickmore, Henry Inman, and Thos. Seccombe, stationed in the Downs; where he attained the rating of Midshipman in March, 1805, and removed, 1 May, 1806, to the Glatton 50, Capts. Thos. Seccombe, Henry Hope, John Clavell, and Geo. Miller Bligh. On proceeding in the latter ship to the Mediterranean he united in the operations of 1807 in Egypt, and was actively employed in the boats on Lake Mareotis. In Jan. 1808 he chanced to be on board the Bittern sloop in a running action of three hours in the Faro of Messina; and in the course of the next month he commanded a boat at the evacuation of Scylla, the garrison of which was embarked under a galling fire from the enemy on the Calabrian shore. He had previously assisted, in charge of a gun-boat, at the defence of that place. On finally leaving the Glatton, Mr. Sutton was received, in Oct. 1809, on board the Thracian 18, Capt. Jas. Grant, stationed in the North Sea; he removed in March, 1810, to the Kent 74, Capt. Thos. Rogers, again in the Mediterranean; and he subsequently, in the early part of 1813, joined the Royalist 18, Capt. Jas. John Gordon Bremer. While attached to the Kent he served, 13 Dec. 1810, with the boats of a squadron under Capt. Fras. Wm. Fane, in a disastrous but most valorous attack upon the enemy’s shipping in the Mole of Palamos; on which occasion the British, out of 600 officers and men, sustained a loss of upwards of 200 killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. He contributed in the Royalist to the defence of Castro, on the north coast of Spain; and on its fall he was very active in bringing off the Spanish garrison. Referring to the latter event, Capt. Robt. Bloye, the senior officer present, expresses himself to the following effect in his official letter:– “I have great pleasure in informing you our loss has been trifling to what might have been expected, consisting of 10 wounded, 4 in the Royalist and 6 in the Sparrow. Lieut. Kentish of the Royalist was slightly wounded in the leg, and Mr. Sutton, Midshipman, received a musket-ball in the leg, while embarking the garrison, which rendered amputation necessary.[1] Capt. Bremer speaks of his conduct in the highest terms, and I was an eye-witness of his intrepidity in saving the garrison amidst a shower of musket-balls.”[2] For his conduct Mr. Sutton was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant by a commission bearing date 27 May, 1813. He has since been on half-pay. He was allotted a pension of 91l. 5s. per annum in consideration of his wound 18 June, 1816.