Robert Spencer was a captain in the Royal Navy during the War of 1812. He and Lt. John Peddie engaged in scouted the area of Bayou Bienvenu, and determined it to be a suitable point for landing British troops. This scouting included disguising themselves as civilians, and hiring a pirogue, which carried them to the plantation of Jacques Villeré, which they decided would be the best landing point. Spencer was a son of the Earl Spencer. Aside from this, nothing about Spencer's life is readily available.