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Sir Peter Parker, 2nd Baronet (England, 1785 – 31 August 1814, Fairlee, Maryland) was an English naval officer, the son of Vice-Admiral Christopher Parker and Augusta Byron. ==Biography== Parker was the descendant of several Royal Navy flag officers. His father was the son of Admiral Sir Peter Parker, and his mother the daughter of Vice-Admiral John Byron. Educated at Westminster School, he entered the Royal Navy in 1798, serving under his grandfather and his grandfather's friend, Lord Nelson in ''Victory''. He rapidly rose through the ranks, and was promoted in May 1804 to Commander. The next year he took command of the brig ''Weazel''. The ''Weazel'' was the first British vessel to sight the Franco-Spanish fleet leaving Cádiz, an action that precipitated the Battle of Trafalgar. For this service he was promoted to Captain. Parker was briefly a Member of Parliament. He was returned unopposed as a Tory for the Irish borough constituency of Wexford at a by-election held on 3 March 1810. He resigned the seat in 1811 and was replaced at a by-election on 1 July 1811. In 1810, he was given command of the frigate , which he commissioned. Within weeks of commissioning she was involved in the suppression of a mutiny aboard ''Africaine''. The notoriously brutal Captain Robert Corbet had been appointed to command ''Africaine'' and the crew had protested and refused to allow him to board. The Admiralty sent three popular officers to negotiate with the crew and ordered ''Menelaus'' to come alongside. If the crew of ''Africaine'' refused to agree with the appointment of Corbet, Parker had been ordered to fire on the ship until they submitted. The crew eventually agreed to allow Corbet aboard and ''Menelaus'' did not have to fire on ''Africaine''. In the summer of 1810, Parker sailed for the Indian Ocean to reinforce the squadron operating against Île de France, where he participated in the capture of the island in December 1810. In 1812, ''Menelaus'' was part of the blockade of Toulon in the Mediterranean and operated against coastal harbours, shipping and privateers off the southern coast of France with some success. In 1813, the frigate was transferred to the Atlantic for service convoying merchant ships to Canada in the War of 1812. ''Menelaus'' was subsequently employed in raiding American positions along the Maryland coastline, destroying a coastal convoy in September. In 1814, Parker was ordered to operate against French ships in the Atlantic and recaptured a valuable Spanish merchant ship in January. In 1814, following the French surrender, ''Menelaus'' was sent to Bermuda. From there Parker joined the British forces in the Chesapeake Bay under Admiral Sir George Cockburn and took part in the blockade of Baltimore. A bold and efficient commander, he became known for his ferocity in destroying American farms and property along the Chesapeake. Having for several days raided Kent County, Maryland, he landed a shore party and attempted a night attack on a detachment of Maryland militia at Fairlee, Maryland on the night of 30 August 1814. Unexpected resistance from the militia precipitated the Battle of Caulk's Field; while British and American sources differ on the result of the battle, Parker was one of the casualties. Leading his marines, he was hit in the thigh (as his grandfather had been at the Battle of Sullivan's Island), but unlike his grandfather, Parker died on the field of a severed femoral artery. Parker's body was sent to Bermuda, and subsequently interred at the family vault at St Margaret's, Westminster, a public funeral with military honors being held on both occasions. He was eulogized by his first cousin, Lord Byron. 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「Sir Peter Parker, 2nd Baronet」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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