Alexander Inglis Cochrane, British admiral during the War of 1812, was born on 22 April 1758 to a noble family in Scotland. He joined the navy during the Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of post captain. In 1788 he married Maria Shaw, with whom he would have five children. Cochrane continued his naval service during the Napoleonic Wars, and was awarded a knighthood in 1806. He commanded the North American station during the War of 1812, directing the attacks on Baltimore and Washington, D.C. In 1815 he oversaw the withdrawal of British forces from the continent.