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Vice-Admiral James Wilkes Maurice (10 February 1775 – 4 September 1857) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Unlike his contemporaries who won fame commanding ships, Maurice gained accolades for his command of a number of island fortresses. Maurice was employed on a number of ships prior to the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars, and by 1794 held the position of midshipman. He saw action in the English Channel and in the Western Approaches the following year, participating in the Battle of Groix and the Quiberon expedition. Good service in these actions led to his appointment to a number of acting commissions as a lieutenant. His career took a major step forward when Maurice, his lieutenant's commission by now confirmed, went out to the West Indies with Commodore Sir Samuel Hood. Hood had decided to fortify Diamond Rock, in order to harass French shipping off the port of Fort de France in Martinique and Maurice, as first lieutenant of Hood's flagship, began to oversee the arduous task. After work was completed Hood commissioned the Rock and rewarded Maurice's efforts by putting him in command. For seventeen months Maurice and his men raided and interdicted shipping off Martinique, and proved a continual thorn in the side of the French. The arrival of a large fleet under Pierre de Villeneuve in May 1804 during the Trafalgar Campaign gave the French enough resources to assault the Rock. In the subsequent battle, Maurice held out for several days until the exhaustion of the Rock's supplies of water and ammunition forced him to surrender. Maurice spent a brief period in command of a sloop, before being appointed governor of Marie-Galante, tasked with the defence of the island. His next posting was as governor of Anholt during the Gunboat War. In 1811 he fought off an attack from a much larger Danish force, inflicting heavy casualties. Maurice then returned to Britain and largely retired from active service, though he continued to be promoted. He reached the rank of vice-admiral before his death in 1857. ==Family and early life== Wilkes was born on 10 February 1775 in Devonport, Devon. He was nominally entered onto the books of Lieutenant James Glassford's in 1783, but did not actually enter the navy until August 1789, when he became able seaman aboard Captain Alexander Mackey's 14-gun sloop .〔 He served on ''Inspector'' until joining the 74-gun under Captain Thomas Hicks in December 1792.〔〔 He visited the Cape of Good Hope during his time on ''Powerful'', when the ship escorted a convoy of East Indiamen there.〔 Hicks was replaced by Captain William Albany Otway, and ''Powerful'' was ordered to the West Indies, but Maurice left the ship before she sailed, having been subpoenaed to give evidence in a case concerning a warrant officer accused of embezzling stores.〔 By the time his services were no longer required Maurice found himself unable to rejoin his ship and instead joined the 80-gun under Captain Richard Boyer in January 1794.〔 ''Cambridge'' was based at Plymouth with the Channel Fleet, and in May Maurice transferred to another ship on the station, the 32-gun under Captain Sir Richard Strachan.〔 Maurice remained with ''Concorde'' after Captain Anthony Hunt replaced Strachan and served in the Western Approaches based out of Falmouth.〔 Maurice saw action at the Battle of Groix on 23 June 1795 and then during the Quiberon expedition under Commodore Sir John Borlase Warren.〔 Warren gave Maurice an acting commission as a lieutenant in August aboard the 74-gun under Captain Albemarle Bertie.〔 Maurice returned to ''Concorde'' in January 1796, serving at first under his old captain Hunt, and when he was replaced, under Captain Richard Bagot.〔 He was briefly aboard Lord Bridport's flagship, the 100-gun for three weeks in February 1797, before taking an acting commission aboard the 80-gun , a commission confirmed by the Admiralty on 3 April 1797.〔〔 He was lieutenant aboard the 74-gun between 17 January 1799 and May 1802. The ''Canada'' was at the time the flagship of Commodore Sir John Borlase Warren, and served in the English Channel and off Minorca.〔〔 In late summer 1802 he was moved to become first lieutenant of the 74-gun , captained by Murray Maxwell and the flagship of Commodore Sir Samuel Hood.〔 ''Centaur'' went out to the West Indies and aboard her, Maurice was present at the reduction and capture of the French and Dutch possessions of Saint Lucia, Tobago, Demerara and Essequibo.〔〔 He was landed with a party at Martinique on 26 November 1803 with orders to destroy the battery at Petite Anse d'Arlet, but was badly wounded when the battery's magazine exploded.〔〔 The Lloyd's Patriotic Fund awarded him a sword valued at £50 as a reward for his services.〔 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「James Wilkes Maurice」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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