Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez Volume I Part 11

I take the earliest opportunity of acknowledging your letter to be appointed to a line-of-battle s.h.i.+p. I am not at present apprised of there being an immediate opportunity to comply with your request; but it will give me great pleasure to have an early one afforded me of promoting an officer of so much acknowledged merit.

I am, sir, with great respect, Your obedient humble servant, SPENCER.

To Captain Saumarez, H.M.S. Crescent.

Admiralty, December 24th, 1794.

Crescent, Spithead, 1st March 1795.

MY LORD,

I beg to avail myself of the return of the fleet into port, to remind your lords.h.i.+p of the application I had the honour to make to be appointed to a line-of-battle s.h.i.+p; and as the Orion is likely soon to become vacant, I shall be greatly obliged to your lords.h.i.+p to have the goodness to give me the command of her, and at the same time to permit me to take my officers and s.h.i.+p's company.

I have the honour to be, my lord, Your lords.h.i.+p's most obedient and most humble servant,

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

Right Honourable Earl Spencer.

Crescent, off Spithead, 4th March 1795.

MY LORD,

I beg to express my sincere acknowledgments to your lords.h.i.+p for having been pleased to appoint me to the command of the Orion. I shall be further obliged to your lords.h.i.+p to permit the commissioned and warrant officers of the Crescent to be removed to her, with the s.h.i.+p's company.

I have the honour to be, &c. &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

Earl Spencer, &c. &c.

Sir James remained with the Channel fleet until the 13th of March, when, at his own request, he was removed into his Majesty's s.h.i.+p Orion. The whole crew of the Crescent volunteered to follow him, and his application for them was in part complied with; as also for Lieutenants Otter and Rye, and some of the warrant and petty officers, who were consequently turned over to that s.h.i.+p, which was fitting at Portsmouth. As it would be a considerable time before she could be refitted so as to be ready for sea, Captain Saumarez was, at the special application of the admiral, Lord Hugh Seymour, appointed (pro tempore) to the Marlborough of seventy-four guns, and attached to a detachment of the grand fleet under the Honourable W. Waldegrave, (afterwards Lord Radstock,) cruising between Ushant and Cape Finisterre. His appointment was dated 19th March 1795. On the 8th of April he became senior officer of the detached squadron off the Western Isles, under the orders of Lord Bridport. He returned on the 8th of June to take command of his own s.h.i.+p, the Orion, which had been fitted out by Captain Donnelly, and was now ready to receive orders for sea. He was now again placed under the orders of his lords.h.i.+p, the commander-in-chief of the Channel fleet, and sailed on the 12th of June, two days after his arrival. On the 22nd, the squadron fell in with the enemy off L'Orient at daylight, at which time the Orion was one of the sternmost s.h.i.+ps when the signal was made to chase. Her captain soon gave a manifest proof of his zeal and abilities on this occasion. She was, before morning of the 23rd, the headmost s.h.i.+p of the fleet; and, before six o'clock, was the first which actually began the action with one of the enemy's largest s.h.i.+ps.

The following is a copy of Lord Bridport's official despatch:

Royal George, at sea, 24th June 1795.

SIR,

It is with sincere satisfaction I acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that his Majesty's squadron under my command attacked the enemy's fleet, consisting of twelve s.h.i.+ps of the line, attended with eleven frigates and some smaller cruisers, on the 23rd instant, close in with the port of L'Orient. The s.h.i.+ps which struck are the Alexander, Le Formidable, and Le Tigre, which were with difficulty retained. If the enemy had not been protected and sheltered by the land, I have every reason to believe that a much greater number, if not all the line-of-battle s.h.i.+ps, would have been taken or destroyed.

In detailing the particulars of this service, I am to state that at the dawn of day, on the 22nd instant, the Nymphe and Astrea, being the look-out frigates ahead, made the signal for the enemy's fleet. I soon perceived there was no intention to meet me in battle; consequently, I made the signal for four of the best-sailing s.h.i.+ps, the Sanspareil, Orion, Russell, and Colossus, and, soon afterwards, the whole fleet, to chase; which continued all day and the whole night with very little wind.

Early in the morning of the 23rd, the headmost s.h.i.+ps, the Orion, Irresistible, Queen Charlotte, Russell, Colossus, and Sanspareil, were pretty well up with the enemy; and a little before six o'clock the action began, and continued till near nine. When the s.h.i.+ps struck, the British squadron was near to some batteries, and in the face of a strong naval port, which will manifest to the public the zeal, intrepidity, and skill of the admirals, captains, and all the other officers and seamen, and soldiers, employed upon this service; and they are fully ent.i.tled to my warmest acknowledgments.

I beg also to be allowed to mark my approbation in a particular manner of Captain Domett's conduct, serving under my flag, for his manly spirit, and for the a.s.sistance I received from his active and attentive mind. I feel great satisfaction in doing justice to the meritorious conduct of all the officers of every cla.s.s, as well as to the bravery of the seamen and soldiers in the Royal George, upon this event and on former occasions.

I judged it necessary, upon the information I received of the force of the enemy, to put the Robust, Thunderer, and Standard into my line of battle; but their distance from my squadron, and there being little wind, prevented them from joining me till after the action was over.

I shall proceed upon my station as soon as I have ordered a distribution of the prisoners, and made other necessary arrangements for the squadron. It is my intention to keep at sea, in order to fulfil every part of my instructions.

I have judged it necessary to send Captain Domett with my despatches, who will give their lords.h.i.+ps such further particulars as shall have occurred to him on the victory we have gained.

I am, &c.

BRIDPORT.

To Evan Nepean, Esq.

The enemy made their escape into L'Orient. By some accounts the commander-in-chief has been blamed for not continuing the action; but this does not seem to have been the opinion of Sir James Saumarez, who wrote the following letter to his brother on the day after the action.

It is said that the fleet were not supplied with pilots for that part of the coast.

Orion, at sea, 24th June 1795.

MY DEAR RICHARD,

I have the satisfaction to acquaint you that, last Monday, we fell in with the French fleet, about eighteen leagues from the Isle de Groix. The signal for a general chase was made at six o'clock; but, having little wind, we were still at a considerable distance from them in the evening. Our headmost s.h.i.+ps denoted by signal that they consisted of fourteen sail of the line and eleven frigates. The admiral made the signal to engage the enemy on coming up with them. It was with great delight I found the Orion sail extremely well, and in the morning we were one of the headmost s.h.i.+ps of the squadron. I should observe, that Sir John Warren's convoy were in sight at the time we first saw the enemy; and a vessel was detached to order the Robust and Thunderer to join us, which made our number nineteen sail of the line.

The French fleet at daylight was about five miles from us, crowding all sail, and steering for their coast, which appeared in sight. At five o'clock, this s.h.i.+p, being ahead of the Queen Charlotte, began the action, and kept up a constant fire as we came up; which was warmly returned by the enemy's sternmost s.h.i.+ps, one of which was the Montagne. Finding I could go to windward of one of their s.h.i.+ps, I hauled up between her and their fleet, and gave her our larboard guns directly for her stern. She was afterwards attacked by other s.h.i.+ps, to which she struck, and proved to be the Alexander.

The Irresistible, Russell, Colossus, and Sanspareil were the headmost of our fleet after the Orion and Queen Charlotte, and engaged the enemy as they came up. A French seventy-four, that had taken fire on the p.o.o.p, struck to the frigates. She is called the Formidable, and is not materially damaged from the fire. When the Queen, London, and finally the Royal George, came into action, they kept up a most amazing fire; but by this time the enemy were within three miles of their coast, and they all escaped except the Tigre, which struck to the Royal George.

For further details I must refer you to the public accounts. Our loss in this s.h.i.+p has been inconsiderable when I a.s.sure you we were engaged with very little intermission the whole time of the action, which lasted four hours. We have four killed, two since dead, and eighteen wounded. The s.h.i.+p has suffered more in proportion in the hull, masts, and sails. We regret not to have had a few leagues' more s.p.a.ce, as none could then have escaped.

Port Louis, near L'Orient, has afforded them this timely shelter, but not till they had a severe drubbing.

You will show the contents of this letter to Mr. Le Mesurier, as I have scarcely one moment to spare.

Adieu! Remember me most kindly to my sister; and believe me truly, my dear Richard,

Yours affectionately, JAS. SAUMAREZ.

You will oblige Lady S. by inclosing this, after perusal, to her.

This detachment of the Channel fleet, which was destined to protect the ill-fated expedition to Quiberon Bay, under Sir J.B. Warren, continued for some time on the coast; but the Orion, being one of the s.h.i.+ps which had suffered most, was ordered to Portsmouth. On his arrival, Sir James wrote the following letter to his brother Richard.

Orion, off St. Helens, 12th July 1795.

MY DEAR BROTHER,

I take the earliest opportunity to acquaint you, that I parted from the fleet last Thursday, with the Charon, hospital s.h.i.+p, which I saw safe into Portland this morning: Captain Grindall, (the only captain wounded,) who took his pa.s.sage on board her, was much recovered. On the day I left the fleet, Admiral Cornwallis, with the s.h.i.+ps under his command, joined Lord Bridport; and I imagine the Queen Charlotte, with the s.h.i.+ps that suffered most in the action, will go home. As the Orion requires a new fore-mast and bowsprit, besides considerable repair, I take it for granted she will be ordered into harbour.

A few days after the action we were alarmed by the appearance of an epidemic fever on board; but, by sending the men infected on board the hospital s.h.i.+p, and using timely precaution, I am happy to say it has entirely subsided, but it gave me a great degree of concern: added to this, we have had the small-pox on board; but it has been of so favourable a kind, that the men who have had it are all doing well, two excepted, who died on board the hospital s.h.i.+p. Several are now under inoculation, and I hope will recover.

We have lost eight men in consequence of the action: all the wounded, except two, are nearly well; their wounds, I am happy to find, were slight.

It will have surprised you to find me differ in my statement of the action from the Admiral, when I mention having begun the action. The fact was, the Irresistible fired two, or, I believe, three bow-guns, but I never could consider that ent.i.tling her to being the first in action; _but of this hereafter_.

Now is a good opportunity for you and my sister to come and spend a few days at Portsmouth, if you can spare time to undertake the journey. Come down immediately, and take a sail in the s.h.i.+p into Portsmouth Harbour. I was in great hope to be in time to see Lady S. this evening, but I fear it is impossible; it is near eight o'clock, and we are no nearer than St. Helen's Road, with little wind. I have heard from none of my friends during the cruise, so that I know not what became of you after your peregrination to St. Helens.

The prizes left the fleet ten days ago, and must be expected the first westerly winds. You will be glad to hear that Mr. Otter is promoted.