Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez Volume II Part 8

From the number of well-directed sh.e.l.ls thrown from the Terror into the pier and parts of the town, I am persuaded they must have done very considerable damage. The fire was kept up till after five o'clock, when I thought it advisable to recall the Terror, and anch.o.r.ed with this s.h.i.+p and the Charwell a short distance from the town. The Sulphur bomb, whose bad sailing prevented her from beating up, joined shortly after, and also anch.o.r.ed. The loss on this occasion was two men wounded by splinters on board the Terror.

A few sh.e.l.ls were thrown in the evening, but the tide prevented the s.h.i.+p getting sufficiently near to be attended with much effect.

This morning the squadron was under sail before dawn of day, and all circ.u.mstances concurred to enable them to take their respective stations with the utmost precision. The two mortar-vessels opened a brisk and well-directed fire soon after five o'clock; which was unremittingly kept up till half-past ten, when the falling tide rendered it necessary to withdraw from the attack. Twenty-two gun-vessels, that had hauled out of the pier, drew up a regular line, and kept up a heavy fire, jointly with the batteries around the port, without doing much execution.

The Cerberus, after getting under sail, grounded on one of the sand-banks, and remained about three hours, before she floated: nine of the gun-boats, perceiving her situation, endeavoured to annoy her, and kept up a heavy fire upon her for some time; but were silenced by the Charwell and Kite, and also by the fire of the Sulphur and Terror bombs, and by the carronade launch of the Cerberus, under the orders of Lieutenant Mansell, a.s.sisted by the Eling and Carteret, which obliged them to take shelter in their port.

In the performance of this intricate service, I cannot too highly applaud the zeal and persevering exertions of all the officers and men under my orders; and I should not do justice to the merits of Captain Selby, were I not to acknowledge the able a.s.sistance I have received from him since I had the honour of being in his s.h.i.+p: the steadiness and good conduct of all the officers and men in the Cerberus, during the time the s.h.i.+p was aground, do them infinite credit. The various services in which Capt. McLeod of the Sulphur, and Hardinge of the Terror, have been employed this war, are already sufficiently known: but I will venture to a.s.sert, that in no instance can they have displayed greater zeal and gallantry than on the present occasion. Great praise is due to Lieutenants Macartney and Smith, and the parties of artillery embarked on board the respective bomb-vessels.

It is not possible to ascertain the damages the enemy has sustained; but, as a very few of the sh.e.l.ls missed taking effect, they must have been very considerable.

JAS. SAUMAREZ.

During the period the Cerberus was aground the tide fell six feet, and at one time she was in the greatest danger of upsetting; the topmasts were immediately struck, and the vessel sh.o.r.ed up by the lower yards and spare spars. While heeling over more than forty-five degrees, the bottom of the s.h.i.+p was exposed to the shot of the enemy, and was struck in several places. Sir James himself had a very narrow escape from a shot, which grazed his legs as he was standing on the gangway with the purser and the secretary, whose dismay and quick retreat from so dangerous a situation only produced a smile from the Admiral, who would not listen to proposals subsequently made to him for quitting the Cerberus while in that situation. The coolness with which he gave his orders, and his presence of mind on this trying occasion, tended materially to save the s.h.i.+p, by exciting the officers and men to exert themselves; while the most perfect order was maintained under circ.u.mstances which often cause disorder and confusion.

The Cerberus received no material damage in the bottom from being aground: she was soon repaired, and returned with the squadron to Guernsey on the 17th, when the flag was again hoisted in the Diomede.

We subsequently learned that the flotilla at Granville was so much damaged as to delay its arrival at Boulogne, which was its ultimate destination, until a late period of the year; and that many of the vessels were lost in and near the Race of Alderney, on their pa.s.sage, by a storm in which they were overtaken.

The following is extracted from a letter which Sir James wrote to his brother, describing this action:

Cerberus, off Granville, 15th Sept. 1803.

You will be glad to find that, thanks to Providence, the business of Granville has gone off as well as possible, although we have not succeeded in entirely destroying the enemy's gun-vessels. I have to regret that, in the execution of my orders, many of the harmless inhabitants of the town, and their dwellings, must have suffered very considerably; having bombarded it nearly four hours on Wednesday, and six hours this morning, with scarcely any intermission.[3] This s.h.i.+p (the Cerberus) was for three hours on sh.o.r.e, and the tide left her six feet less than she drew. She was at the same time a.s.sailed by some of the enemy's gun-boats, but without great mischief. A shot was very nearly taking off both Mr. Champion and myself: how our legs escaped is inconceivable, having come through the part of the quarter-deck close to which we were standing.

Our friends Dumaresq and Pipon were in company, the former having joined early this morning. I am quite exhausted with fatigue, having had no rest since I left the island. Lady S.

was unapprised of what was going forward, as well as yourself; but you must approve of the motives which urged me to conceal it from you. I am on my return to the island, which I hope to reach to-morrow evening.

[3] Before commencing the bombardment, Sir James sent in a flag of truce, to inform the governor of it, and requesting that he would send the women, children, and inoffensive inhabitants away from the scene of action.

The blockade of the French coast between Havre-de-Grace and Ushant, which was intrusted to Sir James, was kept up with rigour; and the Channel islands put into such a state of defence, as to defy all the projects of the enemy. In the performance of this service, the Admiral had to regret the loss of the Shannon, which was wrecked on the 10th December in a gale, under the batteries of Cape La Hogue; and of the Grappler, which was lost on the 31st, at the Isles de Choisey: the crews of both these vessels were saved, but made prisoners.

The Diomede was sent to refit at Portsmouth; and, at the end of 1803, Sir James's flag was flying on board the Cerberus, while he lived at his own residence on sh.o.r.e with his family, carrying on the duty as a port-admiral.

CHAPTER VI.

1804 to 1806.

Sir James continues in the command at Guernsey.--Proceedings of his Squadron.--Letter from Lord Nelson, dated two days before he was killed.--Capture and destruction of La Salamandre.--Sir James's benevolent conduct at Guernsey.

The year 1804 is remarkable in the annals of the empire for the extraordinary exertions made by the First Consul of France to collect a powerful flotilla at the ports between Flus.h.i.+ng, Cherbourg, and Boulogne, with the avowed intention of invading England. The vessels so collected were intended to convey the "Army of England," as it was called by Bonaparte, across the channel. We have already mentioned the fate of the Granville flotilla, after the attack made on it by Sir James. Early in this year it was discovered that one of the vessels belonging to it, a brig of 200 tons, had been driven on sh.o.r.e in the Bay of Dillette, adjacent to Alderney; that the enemy had succeeded in drawing her up to repair, and that she was nearly ready for launching.

The commander of the Carteret cutter, who first discovered this, having represented it to Captain Bennet of the Tribune, (senior officer of the detachment which Sir James had placed off Cherbourg,) proposed to take advantage of the first nocturnal spring-tide, either to launch her, if ready, or to destroy her. The Carteret was accordingly reinforced by two mids.h.i.+pmen and ten men from the Tribune; a landing was effected, and the guard defeated: but the brig was found to have a plank out on each side of the keel, and she was therefore destroyed. This service was performed with the loss of one of the Carteret's men, Mr. Parker (a mids.h.i.+pman), and two men of the Tribune; while the enemy's loss was five killed and ten prisoners, who were afterwards released.[4]

[4] It is worthy of remark, that the French commanding officer, who was killed, had in his pocket a watch belonging to the commander of the Carteret, of which he had been robbed when taken prisoner in 1800.

The Diomede, of fifty guns, having been refitted at Portsmouth, returned to take Sir James's flag. Her former commander, Captain Thomas Larcom, died at Portsmouth; and Captain Hugh Downman, who had succeeded Captain Brenton in the Caesar, was, at Sir James's request, appointed his flag-captain. The Cerberus was sent to refit at Portsmouth, and on her way thither she captured a gun-boat.

During the years 1804 and 1805 the following vessels were taken and destroyed by the squadron:

31st January.--The Hydra and Tribune captured four gun-boats.

17th March.--The Loire captured the Brave of St. Maloes, of sixteen guns and 110 men.

18th March.--The Tartar lugger captured the Jeune Henri, twelve, and 64 men.

-- April.--The Sylph destroyed several gun-vessels in the Race of Alderney, in which she had one man killed and two wounded.

The Hydra captured a privateer off Cherbourg.

On the 9th October, the Albicore, Captain Henniker, destroyed five French gun-vessels near Grosnez de Flamanville, without any loss in men, although considerably damaged in the rigging and hull.

In the course of this eventful year, Sir James kept up a constant correspondence with his friend Lord Nelson, whose glorious career was now near its close. Availing himself of the opportunity of a vessel from Guernsey bound to Gibraltar, he sent his lords.h.i.+p a supply of wines and other good things which that fertile island produces, together with newspapers, &c. These reached the Victory only a few days before the memorable battle of Trafalgar; and Lord Nelson's answer, which we here transcribe, was dated only three days before the action, and is probably the last but one ever written by him.

Victory, off Cadiz, Oct. 18th, 1805.

MY DEAR SIR JAMES,

You may rely upon it that, when I can, I will remove Lieutenant Fisher of the R.M. into a frigate; at present, I fear the frigates are full, and the line-of-battle s.h.i.+ps empty: but in whatever manner, my dear Sir James, I may be able to meet your wishes, I desire you will let me know. Our friends at Cadiz are ready to come forth, and I hope they will not again escape me: the career of the Rochfort squadron, I think, has been several days stopped by Sir Richard Strachan, but I wish his force had been more equal to the contest. I have to thank you for your great attention about my wine, and for recommending me some excellent champagne. I beg my most respectful compliments to Lady Saumarez; and, believe me ever, my dear Sir James, your most faithful and obliged friend,

NELSON & BRONTE.

To Sir James Saumarez, Bart. & K.B.

Since writing my letter, I have to thank you for your packet of newspapers and your letter of October 1st; nothing could possibly be more acceptable. I hope we shall see Bonaparte _humbled_. The Guernsey vessel has made a very valuable recapture of a vessel loaded with cloths, bound to Lisbon.

Your's faithfully, Nelson & Bronte.

The above was probably finished on the 19th, the day on which the Penelope frigate left the fleet with despatches for England,--the last his lords.h.i.+p ever sent.

During the year 1805 Sir James continued in the command at Guernsey, having his flag in the Diomede, and occasionally on board a frigate in her absence. The preparations of the French for invasion, which were continued with unremitting vigour, made this station of more importance than it would otherwise have been. Spain, having declared war early in January, joined Napoleon in the grand object of invading England; and it was calculated, including the Dutch fleet, that the united force, which could be ready in the month of April, would amount to seventy-five sail of the line, fifty frigates, and 2,300 smaller vessels; and that the invading army would consist of 200,000 men.

It was evident that, without a junction of all his naval forces in the British Channel, Napoleon had no chance of being able to make a descent on the adjacent coast; and, to effect this, it was necessary to draw off a part of our blockading fleets. With this view the Toulon fleet went to the West Indies, whither it was pursued by Nelson; and, after an action with the squadron under Sir Robert Calder, it entered the port of Cadiz. The effectual blockade of that port and of Brest, together with the interruptions his flotilla met with in its progress towards Boulogne, defeated Napoleon's plans; and the Channel islands, which were now in a complete state of defence, continued unmolested.

The only losses on this station were the capture of two gun-brigs, after a very gallant defence, by a flotilla of very superior force, off Granville; and the Pigmy cutter, which was wrecked near Jersey.

The memorable battle of Trafalgar at once put an end to all the speculations of the ruler of France. The projected invasion was now impossible; and, consequently, the force which had been requisite for the station Sir James occupied, was no longer necessary. The Diomede, of fifty guns, and several other vessels, were withdrawn, and Sir James s.h.i.+fted his flag to the Inconstant. The year 1805 terminated without any other remarkable occurrence.

During the year 1806 the enemy's convoys were proceeding in a westerly direction; the victualling the French fleet at Brest, which had considerably increased, being the princ.i.p.al object, the squadron under Sir James was actively employed in intercepting these convoys. On the 9th of September the Constance, Captain Burrowes, fell in with Le Salamandre, French frigate store-s.h.i.+p, of twenty-six guns; and, a.s.sisted by the Strenuous and Sharpshooter, drove her on sh.o.r.e under a battery; and, believing her destroyed, returned to Jersey. It was, however, ascertained that she was floated off; and, returning to St.

Maloes, repaired her damages. On the 12th of October, when again attempting to make her pa.s.sage, she was attacked by the Constance, Sheldrake, and Strenuous, and having taken shelter under the fort of Equi, in the Bay of Brehat, the engagement, in which the gallant Captain Burrowes was killed, became severe. Le Salamandre, after running on sh.o.r.e, was compelled to strike, and was taken: but the wind began to blow hard directly on the land; the Constance parted her cables, which had been damaged by the shot from the batteries, and drove on sh.o.r.e. It became therefore necessary, after taking out the men, to burn both the Constance and the prize. In this affair ten men were killed, and twenty-three wounded, exclusive of thirty-six men made prisoners in the unsuccessful attempt to save the Constance. The captain (M. Saloman) of the Salamandre and twenty-nine men were killed; but of the wounded there is no account, excepting of nine, who were among the prisoners taken on board the Sheldrake. Captain Thicknesse, of that sloop, was made post-captain on this occasion.

Nothing else worthy remark, connected with the subject of this memoir, happened during the year 1806: and Sir James had now enjoyed the society of his family and friends at his native island for three years; during which time his mind was not only actively employed in the performance of his duty as commander-in-chief on this important station, and in rendering his native island more capable of defence, but also in the establishment and support of its charitable inst.i.tutions.