Nelson gave Elliot his first command on 10 July 1803, appointing him to the sloop . His time in command of her was brief, and on 1 August he was moved to the 32-gun . He received a promotion to post-captain on 2 January 1804, and commanded Maidstone at the blockade of Toulon. On 11 July 1804 boats from Maidstone, and those from and took part in the destruction of vessels at Lavandou. He was then briefly attached to the squadron blockading Cadiz under Captain Sir Richard Strachan, and it was around this time that Nelson described him as one of the best officers in the navy. Elliot spent the rest of the war serving on several different stations, at times in home waters, and with spells in the Mediterranean, and in the East Indies.
