Born into a seafaring family in 1763, Morris joined the navy in 1775 and served aboard several ships, including HMS Prince of Wales in numerous actions off the United States seaboard and in the West Indies.
At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars,[REF] Morris was in command of the sloop HMS Plato and succeeded in capturing his French counterpart Lutine off Newfoundland, for which he was promoted Post captain[REF] in 1793.