Frank Austen's Family
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Francis William Austen [2] continued.
... lose the use of the fore-finger and thumb of his right hand.
On November 23rd 1841 he was advanced to the rank of Commander and on November 10th 1845 he was appointed to the 'Alecto' steam sloop of three 32-pounders and 80 men. Proceeding in her to the Rio de la Plata, Commander Austen soon joined in the hostilities against General Rosas. On February 10th 1846 he was engaged with the enemy's batteries at Tonelero, on the Parana, and had five men wounded and, on April 6th, while passing up the same river with three heavily-laden schooners in tow against a curtain of three knots and a head wind, he was for an hour and ten minutes in action, within musket range, with a battery of seven 18-pounders on the heights of San Lorenzo. His good conduct on this occasion was brought to the notice of the Commander-in-Chief, Rear-Admiral Inglefield, by Capt. Hotham, the senior officer in the Parana.
On June 4th in the same year the 'Alecto' formed part of the Anglo-French squadron which escorted a convoy of 110 vessels of all nations in comparative safety through the fire of from sixteen to twenty guns, brought together by General Rosas at San Lorenzo for the express purpose of obstructing their passage down the river.
For these services Commander Austen was gazetted ...
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