Marshall, John

British Rear Admiral Sir John William Phillips Marshall, CB (1785-1850) entered service in the British Navy in 1800 as a mid-shipman, rising to the ranks of lieutenant, commander, and captain during the period of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) and the related War of 1812. In October 1812, following his promotion to the rank of commander, he was sailing to India aboard the H.M.S. Java to take command of his ship when the Java was attacked by the American ship U.S.S. Constitution. After release through an exchange of prisoners, Marshall was appointed to the Shamrock, a British sloop participating in action along the Elbe River, and was later awarded high honors by the kings of Sweden and Russia for meritorious conduct. Upon return to civilian life in 1826, Marshall was appointed as an administrator of government quarantine facilities; in 1832 he was knighted for his services during action along the Elbe. He returned to naval duty in 1841 as senior officer of H.M.S. Isis, surveying ports of the Brazil and Cape Stations, among other duties.

British rear admiral.