Admiral James Cumming (16 April 1738 – 19 August 1808) was a British Royal Navy officer. He sailed with John Byron as part of a circumnavigation of the world in 1764. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and eventually rose to the rank of Admiral before his death in 1808.[1]
James Cumming | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Miniature portrait of Cumming c.1795–1800 | |
| Born | 16 April 1738 Sandwich, Kent, England |
| Died | 19 August 1808 (aged 70) Wilmington, England |
| Buried | St Luke's, London, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1751–1808 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMS Tamar HMS Wasp HMS Cruizer HMS Deal Castle HMS Aurora HMS Assurance HMS Confederate HMS Resolution |
| Battles / wars | |
Early life
editBorn in Sandwich, England to a Naval family, he was the third son to James Cumming, A Lieutenant of Greenwich Hospital. He studied at the Royal Naval Academy and was commissioned Lieutenant in 1758.[1][2]
Voyage around the world
editIn 1764, Cumming served as 1st Lieutenant on HMS Dolphin, on a circumnavigation of the world. Captain John Byron was secretly tasked with surveying the Falklands Islands, searching for the non-existent Pepys's Island, and finding a northeastern passage across North America.[3]
The two-ship expedition made landfall in Patagonia, where the crew made contact with indigenous people. Cumming, being the only other officer ashore within a close distance, became Byron's reference to the natives' supposed enormous size, due in part to his own tall stature. Cumming, who stood at 6'2", was described as being dwarfed over by the natives. Following the voyage, various accounts would be added to the already existing European lore of the 'Patagonian Giants'.[4] Later on, it was implied through conversation to Captain Robert Scott, an uncle of Sir Walter Scott and close acquaintance of Cumming, that the descriptions of the giants were merely exaggerated.[5]
In April, 1765 Cumming was transferred and promoted to Commander of HMS Tamar, the Dolphin's consort ship. He would reach England again in 1766, after stopping in Antigua to repair a broken rudder.[1][6]
Service in the American Revolutionary War
editCumming was a commissioned captain during the American Revolutionary war, seeing action on both the American coast and West Indies. He would capture several American Privateers during this time. He was present during the Battle of St. Lucia, commanding HMS Aurora as part of Samuel Barrington's convoy against the French attempt to re-take the island. The Aurora was among three frigates positioned in a line of battle to protect the windward side of the island.[7] Thereafter, Cumming would go on to command HMS Assurance in 1780.[8][9] His last commission was HMS Confederate, which proved to be a defective ship.[10]
Later career
editCumming was not commissioned again until 1793, when he commanded HMS Resolution (74) during the early period of the French Revolutionary Wars.[11] Soon after, he reached flag rank and would not see any further field service. He was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1795, and finally Admiral of the White in 1805 before dying at his home in Wilmington, England in 1808.[1][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "James Cumming (1738-1808)". threedecks.org. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ "James Cumming (d.1772)". threedecks.org. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
- ^ Nowell, Charles E. (1965-08-01). "Byron's Journal of his Circumnavigation". Hispanic American Historical Review. 45 (3): 482–484. doi:10.1215/00182168-45.3.482. ISSN 0018-2168.
- ^ "Patagonian Giants". library.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ Byron, John (1812). Narrative of the Hon. John Byron: Being an Account of the Shipwreck of the Wager, and the Subsequent Adventures of Her Crew (Prefixed by James Ballantyne & Co. ed.). Edinburgh: James Ballantyne & Co. pp. xxxiii–xxxvi.
- ^ Gallagher, Robert E. (1964). Byron's Journal Of His Circumnavigation. Cambridge University Press. p. 140. ISBN 9780521010108.
- ^ Ekins, Charles (1828). The Naval Battles of Great Britain: From the Accession of the Illustrious House of Hanover to the Throne to the Battle of Navarin. Baldwin and Cradock. pp. 91–93.
- ^ "Page 2 | Issue 11862, 31 March 1778 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ "Page 2 | Issue 12591, 30 October 1784 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ "James Cumming". More than Nelson. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ Hiscocks, Richard (2020-03-20). "Captain Durham's Hind escapes from five French Frigates - 13 January 1794". more than Nelson. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ^ "** Kent, England Online Parish Clerks ** Newspaper Abstracts - Death Announcements and In Memoriams". kent-opc.org. Retrieved 2023-02-05.