Sidney Smith (Royal Navy officer)
British naval officer (1764–1840) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith GCB GCTE KmstkSO FRS (21 June 1764 – 26 May 1840) was a British naval and intelligence officer. Serving in the American and French revolutionary wars and Napoleonic Wars, he rose to the rank of Admiral.
Sir Sidney Smith | |
---|---|
Born | (1764-06-21)21 June 1764 Westminster, London, England |
Died | 26 May 1840(1840-05-26) (aged 75) Paris, France |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1777–1815 |
Rank | Admiral |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Order of the Sword Order of the Tower and Sword Knight Commander of the Bath |
Smith was known for his outspoken character and penchant for acting on his own initiative, which caused a great deal of friction with many of his superiors and colleagues. His military skill, personal intelligence and enterprise led to his involvement in a variety of tasks which involved warfare, diplomacy and espionage. He became a hero in Britain for leading the successful defence of Acre in 1799, thwarting Napoleon's plans of further conquest in the Sinai.
Napoleon Bonaparte, reminiscing later in his life, said of him: "That man made me miss my destiny".[1][2]