The First Baronet

Who is Peter Parker?

This edition of the Yankee Doodle Spies will recount the exploits of one Peter Parker. No, not that Peter Parker. Our Peter Parker was not a web-crawling teen like his comic book namesake. But before he was a teen, he was skipping along the rigging with a speed and grace that would make even Spider-Man jealous. This is our first naval topic in a while and focuses on a little-known British sailor who rose through the ranks due to long service, some patronage, good timing, and courage. Sometimes, all it takes to rise to the top is simply being there.

Skipping up the rigging

Midshipman

Our Peter Parker was born in Ireland in 1721, the son of Vice-Admiral Christopher Parker. Like all legacy officers of the Royal Navy, he started his career early, serving as a cabin boy and midshipman. During this period, he served on several ships under Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon of the West Indies station at the beginning of the War of Jenkins' Ear.

Vice Adm Sir Edward Vernon

War of the Austrian Succession

The eight-year War of the Austrian Succession provided plenty of action for the Royal Navy and numerous opportunities for up-and-coming young officers like Peter. Parker received his lieutenant’s commission in the summer of 1743 aboard the HMS Russell, a second-rate, 80-gun ship of the line. He served on several warships at various stations, most notably in the Mediterranean, where he participated in the battle of Toulon on February 11, 1744, aboard the flagship of Rear-Admiral William Rowley, the 90-gun HMS Barfleur.

Admiral William Rowley

In May 1747, he was promoted to captain and commissioned a captured French privateer as the 24-gun frigate HMS Margate. Captain Parker commanded this vessel in the Channel, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean. When she was paid off in April 1749, he had a brief stint aboard the 66-gun HMS Lancaster before going on half-pay with the end of the war. It was common practice to place officers on half-pay during periods between active conflicts.

Young Lieutenant Parker served at Toulon

Seven Years of War

Captain Parker remained ashore on half-pay for several years while overseeing the construction of the 44-gun HMS Woolwich in Portsmouth. With the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War, he went to sea on the Woolwich and commanded it on a voyage to the Baltic Sea. However, he fell seriously ill during the trip after catching a fever that swept through the ship.

After he recovered, the navy sent him to the Leeward Islands in December 1756, where, in January 1759, he transferred to the 50-gun HMS Bristol. Parker commanded the Bristol during the unsuccessful campaign against Martinique and later in the campaign that captured Guadeloupe.

Taking Fort Louis at Guadeloupe was one
of many sea-land campaigns in Parker's career

In 1760, he returned to his home station in the Channel, where he took command of the 64-gun HMS Montague. Parker captured several prize ships while navigating the narrow but dangerous waters between Britain and the Continent. His success earned him command of the 70-gun HMS Buckingham and a squadron that dismantled French fortifications on the Isle d’Aix. The next year, he took part in the assault on a fort at Belle-Isle. This was typical 18th-century warfare, involving the capture of positions and negotiations to secure a better peace. But fierce action and naval skill made this possible. His last wartime command was the 74-gun HMS Terrible just before the 1763 Treaty of Paris.

HMS Terrible in action

Another Half-Pay Hiatus

The 1763 Treaty of Paris placed Parker and most of his fellow officers on half-pay. This half-pay status aimed to cut costs while keeping experienced officers available for future conflicts. In the 18th-century Royal Navy, there was always the next war. Parker stayed without a command for nearly ten years. But then things changed. Knighted in 1772, Sir Peter Parker was given command of the second-rate but heavily armed (90-gun) HMS Barfleur when he rejoined the service in 1773. By then, tensions were rising in the North American colonies. In 1775, Parker was assigned to command the fourth-rate 50-gun HMS Bristol, but more importantly, he was soon to command a squadron and promoted to commodore.

Ships returning to Plymouth

War of Rebellion

In February 1776, Captain Peter Parker was appointed commodore of a small squadron at Plymouth and tasked with transporting several Irish regiments under General Charles Cornwallis to America. The destination was the Cape Fear region of North Carolina. This was part of a complicated plan in which he would work with North Carolina’s infamous Royal Governor Josiah Martin and General Henry Clinton to rally Loyalist support in the unrest-filled colony.

Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet

Ill-Fated Southern Rendezvous

Bad weather and bad luck thwarted these efforts. A rough Atlantic voyage followed, and by the time Parker’s fleet reached its rendezvous with Clinton, the expected Loyalist uprising they depended on had been crushed. To their dismay, they learned of the decisive battle at Moores Creek Bridge on February 21, 1776. 

The resettled Scots Highlanders of the Carolina hill country had agreed to march to the coast in support of the crown. Ironically, many of them had been resettled after the disaster at Culloden decades earlier in Scotland. Now, they had taken up the claymore for the crown that defeated them in 1745. The Highlanders’ attack was easily scattered by the rebels from the coastal Tidewater—thus, there was no force to link up with.

Battle at Moores Creek Bridge

But no armada should ever go to waste, so Parker and Clinton shifted their focus south to Charleston, South Carolina. The town was seen as being poorly defended. Quickly capturing it would provide a good naval base in the South and a safe haven for Loyalists across the region. The idea of winning hearts and minds remained a central part of the British approach to the war.

Charleston

On June 1, 1776, Parker’s flotilla was off Charleston, but the lack of charts (see the Yankee Doodle Spies Blog Post on hydrography) forced the British to sound the waters while they waited for the tides to favor an attack. It was a good plan given the circumstances, but the delay allowed the American commander, Colonel William Moultrie, time to strengthen the defenses of Fort Sullivan on Sullivan’s Island.

Moultrie's gallant defense of Fort Sullivan
spared the South for a few years

On June 28, Parker finally managed to land British troops on Long Island, the island further up the coast to the northeast of Sullivan’s Island, and positioned ships where they could bombard the island. Despite a severe bombardment, the defenders held their ground, shielded by Fort Sullivan’s palmetto walls. The spongy bark of the palmetto logs absorbed cannon fire. The defenders had only a few guns, but Moultrie utilized these effectively. He concentrated their fire on Parker’s flagship, HMS Bristol. In a stroke of bad luck, the ship’s cable was severed. Out of control, the Bristol swung around, and the guns from the fort unleashed enfilade fire upon her.

Our commodore bravely stood his post on the quarterdeck in the finest tradition of the Royal Navy. But a heated cannonball, deadly red-hot shot, burned his pants off his rear end and caused serious injuries. Meanwhile, things worsened further. To avoid capture, the frigate HMS Actaeon ran onto shoals and ran aground. Under American fire, the resourceful British sailors set their ship ablaze to prevent it from being captured. The intense fighting continued for 10 hours. Finally, with casualties exceeding 250, Parker signaled the flotilla to break off, and they disengaged.

Shoals, palmetto logs, and well-aimed guns set
our commodore's pants afire

Parker’s failure at Charleston preserved the South for the cause, at least for a few years. The resulting boost in American morale rallied southern patriots and subdued southern Loyalists. In this type of war, morale would prove to be decisive.

True North

With their commodore recovering from his burns, Parker’s flotilla returned to New York. There, it joined the fleet under Admiral Richard Howe. Commodore Parker recovered enough to command the squadron that captured Long Island in August 1776. At that time, his ships supported the landing of British troops on Long Island, forcing the rebel army to retreat from New York City.

Parker's leadership was part of a brilliant sea-land
campaign that resulted in victory on
Long Island and New York

In December 1776, Parker was entrusted with command of a flotilla that carried an invasion force under Henry Clinton in another successful operation: capturing Newport, Rhode Island. This gave the British an extra base from which to threaten Massachusetts and Connecticut. More maritime success for the commodore that would not go unnoticed.

Sir Henry Clinton

Commodore Parker stayed at Rhode Island for nearly a year with two 50-gun warships and several frigates under his command. Although the assignment seemed like a remote posting, his career was about to take a turn toward higher rank: flag officer!

A Flag Officer

Comte de Grasse

  Parker was promoted to rear admiral on April 28, 1777. He was soon named commander of the Jamaica Station (not the subway stop). By that time, British strategy had shifted to capturing as much of the West Indies as possible. The rest of the war focused on supporting efforts there against the French and Spanish. He performed his duties well and was promoted again to rear admiral in March 1779.

His time in America ended in 1782, and Parker returned to England in August of that year. He had the distinct privilege of carrying the captured French admiral, Francois-Joseph-Paul, Comte de Grasse, and his staff as prisoners from the Battle of the Saintes. Despite the defeat at the Saintes, de Grasse gained honors for his victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781-a rare defeat of the Royal Navy that set the stage for American victory. One can only wonder about the sea stories they shared over wine during the voyage back! In London, de Grasse would set the stage for negotiations that led to the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American War for Independence.

High Command

Service in American waters brought Parker great distinction, despite Charleston. He was elevated to baronet in 1783 and appointed commander of Portsmouth Harbor, the home port of the Royal Navy. During this time, he met and mentored a young Lieutenant Horatio Nelson, the future victor of Trafalgar. Parker helped Nelson early in his career, and for that, the British should hold him in high regard. Parker was named admiral of the fleet in September 1799 after the death of Admiral Lord Howe. He was also appointed a general of marines. Sadly, one of Parker’s last official acts was serving as the chief mourner at Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s funeral on 9 January 1806.

Parker would mentor a young Horatio Nelson
and sadly preside at his funeral

An MP

While not unusual for military officers of that era, Parker served in Parliament as the MP for Seaford from 1784 to 6. In 1787, he became the MP for Malden, holding the position until 1790. Parker’s West Indian prize money enabled him to build an estate in Essex, although his parliamentary address was registered as Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire. He supported the government but delivered only two speeches during his time in the House of Commons. 

As a Member of Parliament, Parker held pro-slavery views, stating that “the abolition of the Africa Trade would, in my opinion, cause a general despondency amongst the Negroes and gradually decrease their population and consequently the produce of our islands, and must in time destroy near half our commerce and take from Great Britain all the pretensions to the rank she now holds as the First Maritime power in the World.”

Parliament

Family Life

True to his class and position, Parker made a good match in his family life by marrying Margaret Nugent. They had two sons and two daughters, with one son, Christopher, rising to Vice Admiral.

Admiral Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet, was regarded as tough and opinionated, yet well-respected for his composure and coolness in action. After all, how many admirals continued to fight with their pants seared off? While he was considered cantankerous, he met his match with Margaret, who had a very strong personality. During his command period in Jamaica, she was almost his equal in managing the station. He died in London on December 21, 1811, and was buried at St. Margaret's, Westminster.

Peter Parker's resting place at
St. Margaret's Church

Legacy

Peter Parker's career, reminiscent of Forrest Gump, spanned decades, continents, battles, and interactions with prominent figures of the 18th-century Royal Navy — a path that was not unusual. After all, building an empire often requires men to place themselves in strange situations, sometimes for years at a time. Naval officers frequently came from a long line of naval leaders. 

As we see, Parker's lineage was notably distinguished. Besides being the son and father of an admiral, he was also the grandfather of one. Parker's use of patronage helped elevate his son Christopher (who served under him) to captain and then admiral at a young age. Christopher's son, Captain Peter, the renowned 2nd Baronet, also served under his grandfather and alongside Horatio Nelson. 

The second Peter Parker fought in America, just like his father and grandfather, during the War of 1812. In 1814, near Baltimore, he was shot in the pants during combat, similar to the first Sir Peter — though sadly, it proved to be fatal. He was buried at St. Margaret's.

Captain Peter Parker, 2nd Baronet

The Palmetto Fortress

A Tour de Force

In the spring of 1776, the British planners in London aimed to turn their recent stalemate and embarrassing withdrawal from Boston into a strategic victory that would end the rebellion that year. One fleet was ready to strike the crucial port of New York with a direct attack, while another planned a quick left hook at the equally important port of Charleston. The latter strike was to come first, setting the stage for a more decisive blow in the middle Atlantic colonies. Charleston, the major southern city at the time, had vital connections to the key islands in the West Indies, which were always a top priority for British interests. Dominated by a planter class, South Carolina wasn't seen as a heavily rebel area that would fall easily. However, a few brave patriots proved them wrong.

A Last-Minute Plan

Lord Dartmouth

The British strike at the southern colonies actually began earlier in the year when William Legge, Lord Dartmouth, and Secretary of State for the Colonies ordered General Henry Clinton and Commodore Peter Parker to rendezvous with another armada under General Lord Charles Cornwallis off Cape Fear, North Carolina. Misfortune on land and at sea turned the North Carolina plan to mud. But before Clinton could sail north, Parker reported that a reconnoiter of Charleston indicated the defenses were ill-prepared and that a quick strike against Fort Sullivan on Sullivan's Island in the harbor would be successful. After that, the city could be successfully assaulted. Anxious for some "low-hanging fruit" after the Tar Heel frustration, Clinton concurred, and so they made their way south, anchoring off the city on 7 June 1776.

A City Prepares

Charleston's waters were treacherous
as the British would soon discover

But the South Carolinians in Charleston had long anticipated that they would be a target of the British and eagerly built up defenses on Sullivan's Island. This was a three-sided fort with sixteen-foot-high sand walls surrounded by softwood palmetto logs. The spongy palmetto wood absorbed the impact of cannonballs—the main threat to the fort. The fort was armed with twenty-five guns of various sizes and calibers, and housed a garrison of over four hundred men. Most importantly, the commanding officer of Fort Sullivan was militia Colonel William Moultrie, who would soon prove to be one of the most capable fighting generals of the war. The city itself had a garrison of over six thousand troops, including Continental Line infantry. In command was Major General Charles Lee, a former British officer and widely regarded (especially by himself) as the finest officer in the American cause. Lee believed that Fort Sullivan was too exposed to the fire of British warships and ordered it to be abandoned. However, South Carolina Governor John Rutledge overruled Lee, viewing it as a necessary buffer against a naval attack. Geography and hydrography favored the defenders; the narrow harbor channel, with strong currents and shoals, troubled the British as they planned where to land and how to position their ships. It took a month before they were ready to attack the city that was just within their reach.

Colonel William Moultrie's militia
staged a gallant defense

Bombs Bursting in Air... Sand.. and Wood

The South Carolina flag hoisted in battle
boosts morale

On 28 June, a bombardment commenced between Parker's warships aligned off Sullivan Island and Moultrie's raw militia manning the guns protected by sand and palmetto logs. The barrage went on for hours. The British gunners were frustrated that, despite hit after hit, the combination of sand and spongy logs inflicted little damage on the fort. Shot after shot from the warships either bounced off the walls or got absorbed into the soft walls of the palmetto. The Americans fired back. But low on gunpowder, Moultrie insisted that each shot be well-aimed. In the middle of the hours-long engagement, a British shot cut down the South Carolina flag. A brave sergeant named William Jasper, in full view of the British and the Americans, ignored the hail of lead and iron to mount the parapet and restore the flag. The impact on the morale of both sides was telling. As the battle continued, the defenders' deliberate fire took its toll on the British ships, scoring hit after hit. Things took a final turn against the British when Parker sent three frigates around Sullivan Island to take the defenders in the flank. Unaware of the dangerous waters of the channel, all three suddenly grounded in the shallows. After a struggle, the two freed themselves, but the third, HMS  Acteon, remained stuck. The frustrated crew burned it to prevent the rebels from taking it.

The savage naval bombardment was decided
by shoals, sand, and wood

Fight  on till Dark

Commodore Parker

The firing continued on both sides. Commodore Parker's flagship had its anchor cable severed by a shot, causing the ship to turn and present its exposed stern to American fire. The rounds poured in, and one actually passed between Parker's legs as he shouted out commands. The commodore was unhurt but indignant as the shot tore his pants off. When darkness descended on the harbor, Parker signaled the fleet to disengage. Exasperated, the British fleet sailed from the harbor. It would be four long years before they would deign to return to face the Carolinians and their palmettos. The next one would end differently, but in 1776, the failed attack presented the British with a near disaster. The Royal Navy incurred well over two hundred casualties - Moultrie's men less than forty. And what of General Clinton? His men had landed on nearby Long Island to prepare for an assault on the mainland once Fort Sullivan fell. With the warships gone, this would not be. Instead, they remained exposed there for several weeks before the British transports were able to sail in and they could re-embark.

The Result

The British armada returned to New York at the end of July with ships damaged and sailors and soldiers discouraged. However, they soon had a chance for some revenge when the British launched their massive attack on Long Island in late August. Still, the victory at Fort Sullivan kept the South safe for four crucial years. It introduced the world to a brave new leader and boosted morale across the Carolinas and the entire rebellion. And in honor of the palmetto’s role in the victory, the noble tree with soft bark was added to the South Carolina state flag, where it remains today.

South Carolina State Flag