Sir Edward Buller, 1st Baronet

Sir Edward Buller, 1st Baronet (24 December 1764 – 15 April 1824) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Buller was born into a prominent West country family in 1764 and began his naval career twelve years later, serving with Lord Mulgrave during the American War of Independence. He initially saw action at the Battle of Ushant in 1778, before travelling to the East Indies with Sir Edward Hughes and participating in several of the engagements with the Bailli de Suffren. Appointed to his first command during his time off India, Buller narrowly survived a hurricane and a hazardous journey back to Britain. He commanded a sloop off the North American coast after the end of the war, and received his promotion to post-captain in 1790. Buller spent the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars escorting convoys and serving on the Cape of Good Hope, before returning to Britain and spending some time ashore, and some time at sea commanding ships in the English Channel.

He embarked on a political career during the Peace of Amiens, being elected Member of Parliament for East Looe in 1802, a seat that had been controlled by the Buller family for a number of years, and which his father and brother had both previously represented. The outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803 led to Buller's return to active naval service, commanding in the blockade of the French and Spanish ports. He was with Sir Robert Calder's fleet at the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805, at times bearing the brunt of the fighting, and helping to capture two Spanish ships. He afterwards served in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, taking part in several daring operations before ill health obliged him to return home. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1808 and accepted a dockyard position the following year. He served in this role until 1812, when he was promoted to vice-admiral. He received no further active employment from the navy, though he continued his political career, representing East Looe continually until 1820. He was also recorder for the borough from 1807 until his death in 1824 at the age of 59.

Early life Edward Buller was born in Admiralty House, Whitehall, Westminster on 24 December 1764. He was the second son of John Buller and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir John St Aubyn, 3rd Bt. The Bullers were a prominent family in Cornwall and Devon, and Edward's father was Member of Parliament for East Looe, a Lord of the Admiralty and later a Lord of the Treasury. Edward was sent to be educated at Westminster School in 1774, and jointed the navy in 1777, at the age of 12. The Sceptre went out to the East Indies as part of Sir Edward Hughes' fleet, and Buller saw action at most of the subsequent engagements between Hughes and the Bailli de Suffren, being wounded during one of them. Chaser was present at the Battle of Cuddalore in June, and was at sea off the Coromandel Coast in November when she became caught in a great hurricane that swept the area. For some time it was feared by those on shore at Madras and Bombay that Chaser had foundered with the loss of all aboard, but Buller had managed through skilful seamanship to navigate the Gulf of Mannar, a passage previously thought unsafe for navigation, and so survive the storm. He also used his time to make detailed surveys of the harbours and anchorages along the coast. In April 1789 news reached Buller that a large merchant vessel had been wrecked on the Isle of Sable, and that a number of the crew had survived, but were now stranded on the island at risk of starvation. Despite firing signal guns, no sign of any shipwrecked men could be found and after realising that the initial reports were probably groundless, Buller returned to Halifax. He served in the English Channel, before being transferred to take command of the 44-gun . While escorting a convoy of 13 Dutch merchants from Nova Scotia to Britain he was intercepted by a French squadron, and narrowly escaped. The merchants were released from his protection after being escorted past the danger, but were then promptly rounded up by British cruisers following the embargo placed on Dutch property. He was then compelled to return home to attend to personal matters, and transferred into the 64-gun for the voyage home. Unable to take up a sea-going command due to his personal affairs, Buller accepted command of the Sea Fencibles based from the Lyme to Cawsand Bay. He transferred to the 74-gun in April 1801, and took part in the blockade of the French ports of Brest and Rochefort.

Napoleonic Wars

Buller went ashore during the Peace of Amiens, and was elected as Member of Parliament for East Looe in 1802, but with the outbreak of hostilities again in 1803, was appointed to the 80-gun and employed in the blockade of the French and Spanish Atlantic ports. He was made a Colonel of Marines on 28 April 1805, and was assigned to the fleet under Sir Robert Calder and took part in the Battle of Cape Finisterre on 22 July 1805. During the battle Buller found himself isolated from the rest of the fleet due to the patchy fog and failing light, and was surrounded by five enemy ships.

Buller remained with Malta into 1806, and in August was placed with Sir Thomas Louis' squadron to escort troops for a secret expedition. On another occasion while Malta was refitting at Gibraltar, Buller learnt that a Portuguese frigate had been wrecked on the Spanish coast. Buller at once went out and attempted to save the crew, working for several hours in pounding surf and twice being swept away, but refusing to leave until there were no more men to be saved. While at Plymouth Captain Robert Corbet, a man notorious for his harsh discipline and, at times, tyrannical behaviour was appointed to a new ship, Africaine. The crew of Africaine at first refused to hear his commission, forcing the commander at Plymouth, Admiral William Young, to bring another ship alongside and run out her guns to prevent any mutinous actions. Buller was appointed to investigate the matter, and one day while sitting near Buller at table, Corbet was heard to remark 'The service will not be good for any thing until captains can flog their lieutenants if needful, as well as the ship's company; absolute power over all in the ship is the thing.' The baronetcy became extinct upon his death.

Family and issue On 15 May 1790, in Halifax, Edward Buller married Gertrude Van Cortlandt (1772–1849), eldest daughter and heir of Loyalist Philippus Van Cortlandt, a descendant of Stephanus Van Cortlandt, the Schuyler family and the de Peyster family. They had one son, John St. Aubyn Buller, who died in infancy; and one daughter, Anna Maria Buller, who married James Drummond Elphinstone. James and Anna Maria's son became William Buller Fullerton Elphinstone, 15th Lord Elphinstone.