 An unspectacular officer, he benefited from the general promotion at the outbreak of the Revolutionary Wars, making commander in 1795 and taking over the fireship .He was apparently engaged with the enemy during the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands under Lord Hotham in March of that year, but did not distinguish himself and was not mentioned in the dispatches of the action.Receiving the jump to post-captain on 16 December 1796, Redmill was not given a ship until 1799 when he was placed in command of the prize ship the 64 gun , a poorly built Dutch ship used almost exclusively as a troop transport.