Sidney Smith (admiral)

Sir William Sidney Smith KCB (21 June, 1764 – 26 May, 1840) was the British admiral of whom Napoleon Bonaparte said, "That man made me miss my destiny".

Peace and Waterloo

Smith then took up the anti-slavery cause. The Barbary pirates had operated for centuries out of a number of North African ports. They had enslaved captured sailors and even made raids to kidnap people from European coasts, including England and Ireland. Smith attended the Congress of Vienna to campaign for funds and miltary action to end the practice of slave taking. In March 1815 Napoleon escaped from Elba and gathering his veteran troops marched on Paris where he was reinstated as Emperor of France. Smith travelled back to England but had only reached Brussels by June. Hearing the gunfire of a great battle, he rode out of Brussels and went to meet the Duke of Wellington. Smith found him late in the day when he had just won the Battle of Waterloo. Smith started making arrangements for the collecting and treatment of the many wounded soldiers on both sides. He was then asked to take the surrender of the French garrisons at Arras and Amiens and to ensure that the Allied armies could enter Paris without a fight and that it would be safe for King Louis XVIII to return to his capital. For these and other services, he was finally awarded a British knighthood, the KCB, so he was not just "the Swedish Knight" any more.

Related Topics:
Barbary pirates - North Africa - England - Ireland - Congress of Vienna - 1815 - Paris - Emperor - Brussels - Duke of Wellington - Battle of Waterloo - Arras - Amiens - Louis XVIII - KCB

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Smith had managed to run up significant debts through his diplomatic expenses, which the British government proved to be very slow in reimbursing. He also lived high lifestyle and his efforts to mobilise opinion against the slave trade had cost a good deal of money. In Britain, at that time debtors were often imprisoned until their debts were paid. So he took his family to France and lived in Paris. Eventually the government did reimburse his expenditures and increased his pension, so he was able to live in some style. Despite frequent attempts to obtain a sea-going position, he was never to hold a command again. He died on 26 May 1840 following a stroke. He is buried with his wife in the cemetery of Pere Lachaise.

Related Topics:
26 May - 1840 - Pere Lachaise

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