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Captain Edward Rotheram CB RN (27 December 1753 – 6 November 1830) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy, who served for many years during the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic Wars. During his service, Rotheram saw action at several major naval engagements, including as a lieutenant at the Glorious First of June in 1794 and as captain of HMS ''Royal Sovereign'' at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Although he was highly praised for his actions at both battles, he was not well regarded in the service, being once described by his admiral at Trafalgar, Cuthbert Collingwood, as "a man of no talent as a sea officer" and "a stupid man". Rotheram gained a reputation as a difficult officer to serve with, and he rapidly alienated his fellow officers and the sailors who served under him. Ultimately this character trait resulted in his removal from service and overlooking for promotion in 1808 after being court martialled for inappropriate behaviour towards junior officers. The rest of his life was spent requesting the Admiralty, often in an aggressive manner, for both further service and the rewards he felt were his due. == Early career == Rotheram was born in 1753 at Hexham in Northumberland to Dr. John Rotheram, a local physician, and his wife Catherine Roberts. Rotheram was the second of the couple's seven children and was educated, with his brothers, at Head School in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where the family moved when Edward was seven.〔(Rotheram, Edward ), ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', C. H. H. Owen, Retrieved 14 March 2008〕 His elder brother John Rotheram was later a senior professor in natural philosophy at St Andrew's University. Edward Rotheram went to sea at a young age, joining a collier sailing from Newcastle and serving aboard merchant ships for several years.〔White, p. 112〕 In 1777 however, Rotheram joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman during the American Revolutionary War. Initially serving on HMS ''Centaur'', Rotheram moved to HMS ''Barfleur'' in 1780 and HMS ''Monarch'' shortly afterwards as a lieutenant, serving under Lord Howe.〔 ''Monarch'' was heavily engaged in the West Indian campaign during the latter stages of the war, and Rotheram saw action at the Battle of Martinique in 1780, the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781 and the Battle of St Kitts and the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. Following the end of the war at the start of 1783, Rotheram returned to Britain as a reserve officer on half-pay.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Edward Rotheram」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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