Captain Richard Burges RN (1754-1797), Commander of The Ardent at The Battle of Camperdown in 1797, During which he Died. Portrait miniature (Watercolour on Paper), After John Smart (1776 - 1809).
Captain Richard Rundle Burges (Burgess) was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1772. He was injured in 1782 on HMS London during the Anglo-French War. During the Battle of Camperdon he commanded HMS Ardent which attacked the larger ship Vrijheid on her own. There she suffered more than a hundred casualties, including Burges himself, who was cut in two by a chain shot in the first ten minutes of battle. During the fight, Burges' men "fought like maniacs." Ardent suffered the most casualties of any British ship, over 12% of the total British losses in battle. In 1802, Burges was honored with a monument in St Paul's Cathedral in London, documenting his action in the battle.
The Battle of Camperdown was fought on 11 October 1797 between the Royal Navy's North Sea Fleet under Admiral Duncan and a Batavian Navy Fleet led by Vice-Admiral De Winter. Duncan's fleet won a complete victory over de Winter's in what was the most significant engagement between British and Batavian forces during the French Revolutionary Wars, capturing eleven ships without losing any of their own.
Approximate frame dimensions are 18.2 cm height and 14.5 cm width.
Approximate portrait dimensions are 8.5 cm height and 6 cm width.
Approximate weight is 193 grams.
Some foxing and discolouration, otherwise in good order.
