"SIR,
"It is with the greatest pride, and satisfaction, that I receive,
from the honourable court, this testimony of their approbation of
my conduct: and, with this very sword,"[_Holding it up, in his only
hand_] "I hope soon to aid in reducing our implacable and
inveterate enemy to proper and due limits; without which, this
country can neither hope for, nor expect, a solid, honourable, and
permanent peace."
His lordship was highly gratified with his city reception, on this day
of annual festivity. He was ever a great friend to the grand display of
a London Lord-Mayor's shew: not on account of the pageantry and parade
of such a public spectacle; but, as he expressed himself to his friends,
for the sake of it's beneficial effects on youthful minds. It was, he
contended, a holiday without loss of time: since the hope of one day
riding in the gilt coach of the Lord Mayor, excited a laudable emulation
in the breast of every ingenuous city apprentice, which made them
afterwards apply themselves, with redoubled diligence, to the business
of their respective masters; and, by thus fixing them in industrious
habits, could not fail of proving finally advantageous to themselves.
Not only the city of London, but the whole nation, through every
gradation of rank, from the sovereign on the throne to the occupier of
the humblest hut gratefully regarded the hero of the Nile as the person
to whom they were chiefly indebted for the security and comfort they
enjoyed; and there was, perhaps, scarcely a house which his lordship
could enter, in the British dominions, or even those of our allies,
where he would have been welcomed with a less affectionate aspect than
his own.
Having taken up his residence in Dover Street, he naturally wished to
enjoy the society of his nearest and dearest relatives; from whom he
had, in the discharge of his professional duties, been so long divided.
Few of these, however, had, during his lordship's absence, met with any
excess of respectful civilities from her ladyship; and, of course,
though now affectionately invited, their visits by no means appeared to
augment her felicity. Lady Nelson's nerves could not bear the constant
presence of his lordship's young nephews and nieces; while his
lordship, fond of virtue in every shape, never felt happier than when
surrounded by the amiable children of his brother and sisters. Here was
another want of unison in sentiment; and, consequently, a considerable
source of discord. It will be sufficient, to hint a few such unhappy
incongruities of disposition, to account for that extreme deficiency of
harmony between the parties which afterwards led to a separation by
mutual consent. The present Earl and Countess Nelson, there can be no
doubt, will long remember the mortifying _hauteur_ which they so often
experienced from her ladyship, even at their brother's table, as well as
on other occasions, where they were then deemed of insufficient
consequence to appear in company with so lofty a personage as their
elevated sister-in-law, over whom they now triumph in rank: such are the
fluctuations of fortune; such, not unfrequently, the salutary checks to
the career of a vain ambition.
Lady Nelson unfortunately regarded all his lordship's relations as the
natural enemies of her son; whom she seems, unaccountably, to have
considered as the rightful heir of her husband's honours. This
improvident young man, however, far from conciliating his
father-in-law's esteem, had insulted him with more grossness than his
lordship ever experienced from any other person; and, consequently,
estranged himself, as much as possible, from his heart. Had any other
human being acted exactly in the same manner, it is not improbable that
his life might have paid the forfeiture. What a source was this, too,
for domestic inquietude! In short, without any charge of criminality
against her ladyship, the unfortunate tempers of herself and son, so
little accordant with that of his lordship, conduced to render our hero,
amidst all the honours he was every where deservedly receiving, the most
miserable mortal in existence. After one of those too frequent domestic
broils, by which his life was embittered, this exalted man, of whom the
world was scarcely worthy, had wandered all night, through the streets
of London, in a state of absolute despair and distraction. He rambled as
far as the city; perambulated Fleet Market, Blackfriars Bridge, &c. and,
exhausted with fatigue, as well as overpowered by mental suffering,
reached the house of Sir William Hamilton, in Grosvenor Square, about
four in the morning; where, having obtained admittance, he threw himself
on the bed of his alarmed friends, in an agony of grief much too
poignant for expression. The soothing voice of friendship; the
sympathetic tenderness of such congenial minds; and the manifest
interest which they felt in the affecting recital which his lordship
ventured to unbosom; all assisted, by degrees, to calm the tremendous
hurricane in his perturbed breast. After his lordship was refreshed, and
had taken a little rest, his friend, Sir William, persuaded him to seek
that happiness in his professional pursuits, which it seemed unlikely be
would ever find at home; and, that very day, it is said, his lordship
offered his services at the Admiralty, where they were gladly accepted.
On the 1st of January 1801, he was elevated to the rank of Vice-Admiral
of the Blue: and, on the 9th, ordered to hoist his flag on board the San
Josef, of a hundred and twelve guns, one of the Spanish prizes taken by
himself in the battle off Cape St. Vincent, and then lying at Plymouth
Dock; which he accordingly did, on the 17th of the same month.
On the 28th, his lordship received orders to put himself under the
command of his old friend, the Earl of St. Vincent; and, as soon as the
San Josef should be in all respects ready for sea, to proceed with that
ship to Torbay.
In the mean time, the memorable Quixottical insanity of the Russian
Emperor Paul, having operated, with the intrigues of France, to produce
an intended naval confederacy of the northern nations against the
maritime power of Great Britain, it was wisely determined, by the then
British government, instantly to crush a design pregnant with such
alarming consequences. For this purpose, a powerful fleet was now
fitting out, under Admiral Sir Hyde Parker; which, while it conveyed to
the triple league of the Danes, the Swedes, and the Russians, the most
unequivocal desire of preserving peace, on the part of Great Britain,
should carry with it the fearless front of a decided readiness to
commence, if necessary, immediate hostilities.
Lord Nelson having consented to go out second in command, on this grand
and most important expedition, came to London, for a few days,
previously to his departure: when his lordship learned, with no small
degree of surprise, that Lady Nelson had given up the house, and was
retired to Brighthelmstone. His astonishment, at thus finding himself
without a house or home, is not easy to be described. He hastened to his
friend Sir William Hamilton, and most pathetically represented his
situation. Sir William embraced him--"My dear friend! while I have a
house, you can never want one." Then, conducting him to his
lady--"Emma," exclaimed Sir William, "Lord Nelson says, he has no home.
I say, he has, while I have one; what say you?" Her ladyship replied,
that she was exactly of the same opinion. Lord Nelson opposed this
arrangement, on account of the slanders of the world: but Sir William
Hamilton, with a noble disdain of malevolence, felt sufficiently
satisfied of the virtue in which he confided; and Lady Hamilton, who
never opposed Sir William in any thing, without affecting to raise
squeamish objections, readily signified her acquiescence. Lord Nelson
then dropped on his knee, and piously appealed to Heaven, as witness of
the purity of his attachment; and, with similar solemnity, they each,
reciprocally, vowed an equally disinterested and indissoluble
friendship. Such was the bond of that sincere amity which, whatever may
be said, the individuals who compose the world will generally be
inclined to estimate, as they always do on such occasions, according to
the larger or lesser degree of vice or virtue which they respectively
find in their Own hearts. From this moment, it was agreed that, while
his lordship should be in England, they would constantly reside
together: and, as no power on earth could have now prevailed on Lord
Nelson again to live with his lady, who had carried her resentments much
farther, in several respects, than it is thought necessary on this
occasion to particularize, deeds of separation were soon after prepared
and executed by mutual consent; the negociation of which was kindly
undertaken by Alexander Davison, Esq. his lordship's confidential
friend.
While Lord Nelson, the second in command, was thus seeking to escape
infelicity, by a separation from his lady, which he had fully resolved
should be brought to a conclusion previously to his return from this
expedition; his old friend, Sir Hyde Parker, the commander in chief, was
equally desirous of securing happiness, prior to his departure, by the
immediate possession of a young wife. This difference in the state of
their respective domesticities by no means operated to disturb their
harmony; though, doubtless, his lordship was rather in the greatest
hurry to be gone. The few days while Lord Nelson remained in London were
chiefly engaged at the Admiralty; where, happily, his mind was so much
absorbed by the consideration of public affairs, and the formation of
due professional arrangements, that his domestic concerns found fewer
intervals for their unwelcome intrusion. Even while at the house of his
friend Alexander Davison Esq. in St. James's Square, transacting his own
private business, so intent was his lordship on the public service that,
when he mentioned, at the first proposal of the Copenhagen expedition,
his intended going under Sir Hyde Parker--"If," added his lordship, "I
had the chief command, I know well enough what I would do." Then,
observing that his knowledge of the Cattegat was rather imperfect, and
that he should therefore wish to see a correct chart, he requested Mr.
Davison would immediately send for one to Mr. Faden's shop at Charing
Cross. This being done, he said that government could spare only twelve
ships for the purpose; and, after examining the chart a very few
minutes, he positively marked on it the situations of those twelve ships
exactly as they were afterwards placed on that memorable occasion. This
extraordinary anecdote of Lord Nelson, his biographer had the honour to
receive from Mr. Davison's own lips, in the very parlour where the
circumstance occurred; and it affords an admirable proof of our hero's
wonderful promptness and decision, as well as of his ardent zeal for the
service of his country.
His lordship's flag had been shifted to the St. George, a second rate of
ninety-eight guns; the San Josef, which he left at Torbay, being unfit
for the intended service in the north seas. After joining part of the
squadron at Spithead, they proceeded to Yarmouth, where the whole
armament, consisting of fifty-two sail of various descriptions,
unfortunately lessened by the loss of the Invincible of seventy-four
guns, which struck on a shoal off Winterton, having been assembled, and
fully prepared, took their departure on the 12th of March 1801.
Early in the morning of the 18th, land was discovered; and next day,
about noon, the British fleet made the Scaw, or Scagen, the first
general rendezvous. This low point of sandy and apparently barren land,
which is the most northernly part of the peninsula of North Jutland, is
eleven or twelve leagues distant from Marstrand Island on the Swedish
shore. At both these points, the Danes and Swedes have respectively
erected light-houses; for the support of which, all vessels passing the
Sound, or entering the Swedish ports, are required to contribute: the
entrance between the Scaw Lights and the Cattegat being considered as
the entrance to the Cattegat. As it was well known, that the Danes were
making every possible effort to obstruct the passage of the Sound, and
render Copenhagen inaccessible to the approach of gun-vessels, much
surprise was expressed, at the fleet's not being ordered to pass the
Cattegat, with a strong north north-west wind, so highly favourable to
such a design. The commander in chief, however, was probably deterred,
by the nature of his instructions, from committing the country, by a
forcible passage of the Sound, till the effect of Mr. Vansittart's
pacific propositions, who had preceded the fleet, on board a frigate
with a flag of truce, should be first fairly ascertained. This gentleman
having reached Elsineur the 20th of March, proposed to the Danish
court, in conjunction with Mr. Drummond, the British minister at
Copenhagen, the secession of Denmark from the northern alliance; the
allowance of a free passage to the British fleet through the Sound; and
an abandonment of the system of sending convoys for the protection of
Danish merchant vessels. These proposals being instantly rejected, the
two British plenipotentiaries received passports for their return.
In the mean time, the officers and crew of the fleet, by foul winds,
with heavy falls of sleet, snow, and rain, added to a chilling cold,
which they particularly experienced from the 21st to the 24th, suffered
considerable fatigue. This, with the delay, had a tendency to damp the
ardour of the enterprise; and Lord Nelson, aware of all the
consequences, would gladly have discarded much of that diplomatic
etiquette which finally proved, as he had from the first supposed it
would do, quite unimpressive with the Danes. Still less did he regard
the discouraging suggestions of ignorant and designing pilots, whose
exaggerated accounts of the difficulties to be surmounted, when the
commander in chief had resolved on forcing the passage of the Sound,
represented the enterprise as more practicable, and less hazardous, by
the circuitous passage of the Great Belt. Though Lord Nelson's mind
could not be thus induced to fluctuate, and was decidedly for the
immediate passage of the Sound, when the Great Belt appeared to be
preferred--"Let us, then, go by the Great Belt!" said the hero.
Impatient for action, he was desirous of proceeding by any way which
might soonest lead to the object.
On the 26th, at day-break, the fleet got under weigh, and stood to the
westward; for the purpose, as was generally imagined, of passing the
Great Belt; and Captain Murray, of the Edgar, who had, the preceding
summer, surveyed that entrance to the Baltic with a degree of precision
hitherto unknown, tendered his services for the purpose. The facility
with which this passage might be effected, by the aid of so active and
intelligent an officer, where the Danes had only a single guard-ship,
left little room to doubt that it would be adopted. This, however, was
not done. Several vessels from the Baltic, on this and the following
day, passed the Sound, under Prussian colours; and they were permitted
to proceed, notwithstanding it was then sufficiently ascertained that
Prussia had also acceded to this confederacy against Great Britain.
On the 27th, Sir Hyde Parker, acting under his instructions, dispatched
a flag of truce, with the following note, to the Governor of Cronenberg
Castle,
"From the hostile transactions of the Court of Denmark, and sending
away his Britannic Majesty's Charge d'Affaires, the commander in
chief of his majesty's fleet is anxious to know what the
determination of the Danish Court is--and whether the commanding
officer of Cronenberg Castle has received orders to fire on the
British fleet as they pass into the Sound?--as he must deem the
firing; of the first gun a declaration of war on the part of
Denmark.
"Hyde Parker."
To these enquiries, this answer was returned by the Danish Governor.
"I have the honour to inform your excellency, that his Majesty, the
King of Denmark, did not send away the Charge d'Affaires; but that,
on his own demand, he obtained a passport. As a soldier, I cannot
meddle with politics; but, I am not at liberty to suffer a fleet,
whose intention is not yet known, to approach the guns of the
castle which I have the honour to command. In case your excellency
should think proper to make any proposals to the King of Denmark, I
wish to be informed thereof before the fleet approaches nearer to
the castle.
"Heer Stricker."
After receiving the above reply, the British commander in chief
immediately sent notice to the Danish Governor--That, finding the
intentions of the Court of Denmark to be hostile against his Britannic
Majesty, he regarded his excellency's answer as a declaration of war;
and, therefore, agreeable to his instructions, could no longer refrain
from hostilities, however repugnant it might be to his feelings: but
that, at the same time, the admiral would be ready to attend to any
proposals of the Court of Denmark, for restoring the former amity and
friendship, which had for so many years subsisted between the two
courts. During these negociations, an officer of distinction, high in
favour with the crown prince, coming on board the admiral, with a verbal
answer to one of our proposals, and finding some difficulty in
expressing, with sufficient accuracy, the sentiments of his court, was
requested to communicate them in writing; when, a pen being brought for
this purpose, which happened to be ill pointed, he held it up, and
remarked, with a sarcastic smile--"If your guns are not better pointed
than your pens, you will make little impression on Copenhagen." Certain
it is, that the Danes, who were conscious of having taken every
precaution which science could suggest for the defence of their country,
entertained very little doubt that the British fleet would be compelled
to retire, should it even venture to make an attack. The Sound was
protected, on the Swedish side, by the fort of Helsingberg; and, on that
of Denmark, by the Castle of Cronenberg: each of them garrisoned with
forces very sufficient to withstand any attack. Besides this formidable
opposition, numerous strong batteries were erected on the Danish shore,
through the tremendous fire of which it was thought quite impracticable
for any hostile fleet to pass. As for Copenhagen, it was, from the
excellent state of it's ancient fortresses, the different batteries
recently constructed, and the numerous well-disciplined troops by which
they were manned, considered as absolutely impregnable.
On the 28th, the order to prepare for battle was received, as usual, by
the British tars, with the loudest acclamations of joy; and they were
soon convinced, that the passage of the Sound had been at length decided
on. Nothing was now wanting to their felicity, but the appointment of a
popular leader: and, happily for their country, and even for those who
opposed them, this service was allotted to Lord Nelson; who, for that
purpose, had judged it advisable to shift his flag on board the
Elephant, commanded by his gallant and judicious friend, the Honourable
Captain Thomas Foley.
The ships were now cleared for action, with an alacrity and expedition
almost incredible: and, on the 30th, the wind having become favourable,
the British fleet weighed, and formed the order of battle, Lord Nelson
leading the van-division; and all safely passed the Sound, the
celebrated Key of the Baltic, in about four hours, without having
received the smallest damage from any of the Danish artillery. The only
casualty, indeed, of this day, happened on board the Isis; where six or
seven men were killed or wounded, by the bursting of a lower-deck gun.
It is to be observed, however, that the Swedish batteries were very
prudently silent, which afforded our ships an opportunity of keeping at
a sufficient distance from the shore of Denmark; where a heavy and
well-supported fire had commenced, from the whole line of their
positions, at half-past six in the morning, when the Monarch, which had
the honour of leading the fleet, appeared sufficiently advanced to be
nearly within their range: a compliment which was soon returned, and
with far better effect, on the town of Elsineur, by the leading ships,
as well as by some of those which composed the centre and rear
divisions.
The Danes, from a long received opinion in Europe, that the possession
of Cronenberg Castle gave them an uncontrouled command of the passage of
the Sound, have exacted, for more than a century, the undisputed right
of levying contributions on all vessels trading to and from the Baltic,
in proportion to the value of the cargoes: an imposition so sanctioned
by time, that they considered any augmentation to the works as
superfluous; and, relying on the co-operation of the Swedes, had
fortunately neglected to render the approach more difficult, by forming
a line of floating-batteries.
The channel of the Sound offers a prospect of very singular interest. On
the right, appear the territories of Denmark; the islands of Saltholm
and Amak, with part of Zealand; and Copenhagen, the capital of the
kingdom, nearly in the front. The shore of Denmark presents a continued
succession of fertile plains, umbrageous woods, rich meadows, rural
mansions, neat villas, and embellished gardens; while the Swedish side
chiefly exhibits, with much excellent pasture, a mountainous and
picturesque coast. The island of Nuen, too, famous for the Observatory
of the celebrated Tycho Brahe, fails not to attract the attention of
every curious voyager: from whence the eye, looking back, perceives the
fortresses of Elsineur, Cronenberg, and Helsingberg, apparently unite,
bounding a vast lake to the north; but, on advancing, immediately
descries the ocean, and the whole extent of the plain of Copenhagen,
with it's capacious port crouded by vessels, and it's highly cultivated
environs. On the side next the sea, this city, which is visible at the
distance of several miles, presents itself in all it's magnificence; and
the Gothic towers, with which it abounds, greatly engage the attention
of every spectator, as well by the loftiness of their spires, as by the
variety of their pleasingly grotesque decorations. The fortresss of
Fredericstadt, supported on one side by the batteries of one of the
arsenals, defends the entrance of the harbour: where there is, also,
another battery; and where, as at this period, in case of necessity, a
number of flat-bottomed boats, and floating-batteries, may likewise be
stationed.
It appears that Sir Hyde Parker had, with the soundest discretion, now
left every thing, but the nominal chief command, to our hero; who, with
his usual alertness on all important occasions, lost not a single
moment in preparing for the grand attack of the Danish capital. "The
attempt," observes an ingenious eye-witness, said to be Mr. Fergusson,
surgeon of the Elephant, "was arduous in the extreme; no common mind
durst have conceived it, but it was suited to the exalted heroism of
his. As his was the invigorating spirit of the counsel that planned the
attack; so, in the execution, he only could have commanded success."
During the interval which preceded the battle, the passage to the scene
of action being very little known, and extremely intricate, his lordship
had the soundings accurately made under his own eye and observation, and
the several buoys laid which were to direct the passage of the fleet;
the vast fatigue of this employ was too much for his tender
constitution, and had nearly proved fatal, but he was happily
re-invigorated by his excessive zeal. With the most indefatigable
attention, did he prescribe every measure to be adopted by all ranks and
degrees under his command; and there was no possible position that could
have been contrived by the enemy, for which he was not effectually
prepared, "I could only admire," says Mr. Fergusson, modestly
disclaiming nautical science, "when I saw the first man in all the world
spend the hours of the day and the night in boats; and wonder, when the
light shewed me a path, marked by buoys, which was trackless the
preceding evening." It had been agreed, with Sir Hyde Parker, that his
lordship should proceed with twelve ships of the line, and all the
frigates, bomb-ketches, fire-ships, and other vessels, to Draco Point, a
short distance from Copenhagen, for the purpose of making his final
dispositions for the attack; waiting, there, the favourable effect of a
wind to the southward: and the commander in chief was to weigh anchor,
with his division, whenever his lordship should proceed to the immediate
scene of action; thus menacing, by his advance, the Crown Batteries,
together with four ships or hulks which lay near for the protection of
the arsenal, as well as covering any vessels which might happen to be
disabled in an attack where they must necessarily be so prodigiously
exposed. Being now fully prepared, his lordship, with that truly
Christian spirit which, in direct opposition to the puritanic cant of
piety, was ever far more manifested by his actions than expressed by his
lips, devoutly exclaimed--"Thank God, for having enabled me to get
through this difficult and fatiguing part of my duty: which has, really,
worn me down; and is infinitely more grievous to me, than any resistance
I can experience from an enemy!"
The subsequent circumstances, as described by Mr. Fergusson, are so very
characteristically detailed, that they cannot fail highly to interest
every reader--"On the 1st of April, in the afternoon," says this
ingenious gentleman, "we took our departure from the main body of the
fleet, then lying about four miles below Copenhagen; and coasted along
the outer edge of the shoal called the Middle Ground, till we doubled
it's farthest extremity, when the squadron cast anchor. This shoal, of
the same extent as the sea-front of the town, lies exactly before it, at
about three quarters of a mile in distance. The interval between it and
the shore has deep water, and is called the King's Channel. There the
Danes had arranged their line of defence, as near the town as possible.
It consisted of nineteen ships and floating-batteries, flanked at the
lower extremity by two artificial islands in the mouth of the harbour,
called the Crown Batteries, and extended for about a mile along the
whole extent of the town, leaving intervals for the batteries on shore
to play. As our anchor dropped, at eight in the evening, Lord Nelson
emphatically called out, that he would fight them the moment he had a
fair wind. It came with the morning; and the signal to prepare for
battle, floated from our mast-head. He had spent the whole night in
consultation. The gallant and ever to be lamented Captain Riou never
left him. Captain Hardy, too, was there, of course; and the brave and
the good Captain Foley. To mark the spirit which the presence and
example of Lord Nelson never failed to inspire, Captain Hardy, as soon
as it became dark, had ventured along the enemy's line, in the smallest
sized boat; and, as he went so near that the noise of throwing the lead
might have discovered him, he used a long pole, or rod, on which he
marked the depth of the water. About half past nine in the morning, the
signals of the different ships having been made, repeated, and answered,
we had the mortification to see the Agamemnon get upon the edge of the
shoal, on the first attempt to leave her anchorage, where she remained
immovable. A similar misfortune followed, in succession, to the Russell
and Polyphemus; and the Jamaica frigate, with a convoy of gun-boats and
small craft, having fallen in with a counter-current, made the signal of
inability to come forward. A mind less invincible than Lord Nelson's,
might have been discouraged. Though the battle was not began, yet he had
approached the enemy; and he felt that he could not retreat, to wait for
reinforcements, without compromising the glory of his country. His soul,
too, was ever superior to common discouragements; and, the signal to
bear down still kept it's place. His agitation, during these moments,
was extreme. I never shall forget the impression that it made upon me!
It was not, however, the agitation of indecision; but of ardent,
animated patriotism, panting for glory, which had appeared within his
reach, and was vanishing from his grasp. The Edgar, at last, led in. I
shall not attempt to describe the scene that ensued, for language has
not the power. We were received with the fire of more than a thousand
guns! No sooner had all the ships got into their stations, than the
countenance of our chief brightened, and his good-humour flowed. As the
fire rolled, his conversation became joyous, animated, elevated, and
delightful; for, confident of victory, he knew that his deck was, at
that moment, the most glorious theatre of human nature. For an hour, the
battle raged. Our fire was regular, distinctive, and terrible; that of
the enemy was becoming desultory and ill-directed. When the
signal-lieutenant called out, that number 39, (to discontinue the
action) was thrown out by the commander in chief, then about four miles
off, Lord Nelson refused to believe it: but, when he was again assured,
he exclaimed--"Then, damn the signal; take no notice of it, and hoist
mine for closer battle: that is the way I answer such signals!" It flew,
at the word; and every ship engaged respected it as soon as seen. He
again exclaimed--"Now, nail mine to the mast!" and, turning to Captain
Foley, with admirable good-humour said--"Foley, you know I have lost an
eye, and have a right to be blind when I like; and, damn me, if I'll see
that signal!"--pointing to Sir Hyde Parker's ship. At a quarter before
three in the afternoon, the victory was compleat; the whole Danish line,
that was drawn up before the town, having struck their colours, after a
dreadful defence, and their ships becoming untenable. The Elephant, the
flag-ship, about an hour before, in veering away cable, to get opposite
the Crown Batteries, had stuck on a small middle shoal, and remained
fast: the same misfortune had happened to the Defiance; and, I believe,
one more besides. To board the prizes was difficult; or, rather,
impossible: for, being under the batteries of the town, no boat could
approach them. Lord Nelson, therefore, sent a flag of truce, with the
following letter--
"Lord Nelson has directions to spare Denmark, when no longer
resisting; but, if the firing is continued on the part of Denmark,
Lord Nelson will be obliged to set on fire all the
floating-batteries he has taken, without having the power of saving
the brave Danes who have defended them.
"Nelson and Bronte,
"Vice-Admiral, under the command of
"Admiral Sir Hyde Parker.
"Dated on board his Majesty's ship Elephant, Copenhagen Roads,
"April 2, 1801.
"To the Brothers of Englishmen, the Danes."
"It may be farther characteristic of his lordship, to mention that, when
a wafer was brought for the above letter, he said--"No; bring me wax,
and a match: this is no time to appear hurried and informal." An
unfounded idea has prevailed, that the flag of truce was sent to cover
his own ships, which would inevitably have been destroyed if the Danes
had not been cajoled into an armistice; and the victory is, thereby,
converted into a defeat: but the victory was too decisive, to be thus
ravished from his grasp. The enemy were compleatly horrified and
dismayed, at the carnage and ruin which a dreadful contest of five hours
had involved them in. The batteries of the town were too far distant, to
have much effect even upon the ships aground; Sir Hyde Parker, with the
rest of the fleet, could soon have approached; and, as to the Crown
Batteries, which alone were to be dreaded, the following disposition was
made for carrying them--As the flag of truce left the admiral's ship,
fifteen hundred of the choicest boarders, who had been selected from the
whole fleet previously to the action, descended into fifty boats, thirty
men in each boat. These boats were to be commanded by the Honourable
Colonel Stewart, and Captain Freemantle. The moment it could be known,
that the flag of truce was refused, the boats were to have pushed for
the batteries. The fire of every gun in the fleet would have covered
their approach; a few minutes would have carried them there; and let any
one ask himself, what defence was to be expected from five hundred raw
Danish soldiers, on an ill-built battery, that gave no cover--fatigued,
besides, by the carnage of a terrible battle--against such assailants,
flushed with victory, and irresistible in courage." It may, however, be
proper to remark, that we could have done little more than spiked the
guns; as these batteries, being within the range of the fire of the
citadel, were not possible to have been long retained.
The following note, in answer to that sent on shore by Lord Nelson, was
brought in a flag of truce from Copenhagen, by General-Adjutant
Lindholm.
"His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has sent me,
General-Adjutant Lindholm, on board, to his Britannic Majesty's
Vice-Admiral, the Right Honourable Lord Nelson, to ask the
particular object of sending the flag of truce?"
Though Sir Frederic Thesiger, formerly a commander in the Russian
service, and who had been recommended, by Earl Spencer, to accompany
Lord Nelson as what is absurdly denominated, with a very reprehensible
spirit of Gallicism to introduce into the British navy, the admiral's
aide-de-camp, had carried the flag of truce, with Lord Nelson's note,
and was authorized verbally to enlarge on the humanity of it's import,
some suspicions appear to have been entertained as to the true nature
and extent of his lordship's object; and, therefore, General-Adjutant
Lindholm was thus commissioned to procure a farther explanation in
writing. His lordship, accordingly, addressed to the Government of
Denmark the following reply.
"Lord Nelson's object in sending the flag of truce, is humanity.
He, therefore, consents that hostilities shall cease, till Lord
Nelson can take his prisoners out of the prizes; and he consents to
land all the wounded Danes, and to burn or remove his prizes.
"Lord Nelson, with humble duty to his royal highness, begs leave to
say, that he will ever esteem it the greatest victory he ever
gained, if this flag of truce may be the happy forerunner of a
lasting and happy union, between his own most gracious sovereign
and his majesty the King of Denmark.
"Nelson and Bronte.
"Elephant, 2d April 1801."
The Danish government, now wisely satisfied of Lord Nelson's sincerity,
immediately invited him on shore, that a conference might be held with
the King of Denmark, for arranging the preliminaries of an amicable
treaty; and his lordship, without hesitation, visited Copenhagen in the
afternoon of this very day.
On landing at the quay, the carriage of a respectable merchant, by whom
it had been purposely sent, was respectfully offered to his lordship:
the royal carriage, intended for our hero's conveyance, not having
arrived sufficiently soon; owing to the suddenness of his arrival, and
the vast press of people who had assembled to behold him. Much has been
said, respecting the temper of this prodigious multitude, on first
seeing the British hero among them: some protesting, that the conqueror
of their country in the morning, was hailed, in the afternoon, as their
guardian angel--which, all things considered, he perhaps well deserved
to have been; while others maintain, that the people's fury was so
excessive, and their knowledge of his lordship's views so imperfect,
that they were with difficulty restrained from absolutely tearing in
pieces the pacific hero who had thus, inspired by the most humane and
generous sentiments, fearlessly ventured his person among them. It may
be very difficult, and cannot on this occasion prove of much importance,
to ascertain the exact truth; which seldom resides in extremes, and is
not always found precisely in the centre, where dull and formal gravity
is ever induced alone to seek it. Whatever might seem the momentary bias
of the mob, they unquestionably proceeded to no actual outrage; and it
is universally agreed, that the Danes, of all ranks, were no sooner made
acquainted with our hero's humane and generous motives, than they
greeted him with every testimony of the truest admiration and regard.
Lord Nelson having walked to the royal palace of the Octagon, the crown
prince received him in the hall; conducted him up stairs; and presented
him to the king, whose very infirm state is said to have greatly
affected our hero's sensibility. The preliminary objects of this
impressive interview having been arranged, with every appearance of
reciprocal sincerity, his lordship readily accepted an invitation to
partake of some refreshment with the crown prince. During the repast,
Lord Nelson spoke in raptures of the valour of the Danes; and he is
asserted to have declared that, though the French fought bravely, they
could not have stood one hour the fight which the Danes had maintained
for four. "I have been," observed his lordship, "in one hundred and five
engagements, in the course of my life, but that of to-day was the most
terrible of all." It is added, that he particularly requested the crown
prince would introduce him to a very young officer, whom he described as
having performed wonders during the battle, by attacking the Elephant
immediately under the lower guns. This proved to be a youth of
seventeen, named Villemoes: whom the hero, on his being presented,
immediately embraced with the affection of a brother; and delicately
intimated, that he ought to be made an admiral. The crown prince, with
peculiar felicity, instantly replied--"If, my lord, I were to make all
my brave officers admirals, I should have no captains or lieutenants in
my service." This heroic stripling had volunteered the command of a sort
of raft, called a praam, carrying twenty-four guns, and a hundred and
twenty men; on which, having pushed off from shore, in the fury of
battle, he got under the stern of his lordship's ship, below the reach
of the stern-chasers, and fired with considerable effect. The British
marines, however, made terrible slaughter among these brave fellows;
many of whom were soon killed, but their young commander still remained
at his post, surrounded by the slain, till the announcement of the
truce. The crown prince has since presented this youth with a medallion
commemorative of his gallantry, and appointed him to the command of the
royal yacht in which his royal highness makes his annual visit to
Holstein.
On the day following, Lord Nelson addressed the official account of this
great victory to Sir Hyde Parker, his commander in chief.
"Elephant, off Copenhagen,
3d April 1801.
"SIR,
"In obedience to your directions, to report the proceedings of the
squadron named in the margin--[the Elephant, Defiance, Monarch,
Bellona, Edgar, Russell, Ganges, Glatton, Isis, Agamemnon,
Polyphemus, and Ardent, ships of the line; the Amazon, Desirée,
Blanche, and Alcmene, frigates; the Dart, Arrow, Cruiser, and
Harpy, sloops; the Zephyr, and Otter, fire-ships; the Discovery,
Sulphur, Hecla, Explosion, Zebra, Terror, and Volcano, bombs; with
eight gun-brigs]--which you did me the honour to place under my
command, I beg leave to inform you that, having by the assistance
of that able officer Captain Riou, and the unremitting exertions of
Captain Brisbane and the masters of the Amazon and Cruiser in
particular, buoyed the channel of the Outer Deep and the position
of the Middle Ground, the squadron passed in safety, and anchored
off Draco the evening of the 1st: and that, yesterday morning, I
made the signal for the squadron to weigh; and to engage the Danish
line, consisting of seven sail of the line, ten floating-batteries
mounting from twenty-six twenty-four pounders, to eighteen eighteen
pounders, and one bomb-ship, besides schooner gun-vessels. These
were supported by the Crown Islands, mounting eighty-eight cannon;
four sail of the line, moored in the harbour's mouth; and some
batteries on the island of Amak.
"The bomb-ship, and schooner gun-vessels, made their escape; the
other seventeen sail are sunk, burnt, or taken, being the whole of
the Danish line to the southward of the Crown Islands, after a
battle of four hours.
"From the very intricate navigation, the Bellona and Russell
unfortunately grounded: but, although not in the situation assigned
them, yet so placed as to be of great service. The Agamemnon could
not weather the shoal of the Middle Ground, and was obliged to
anchor: but not the smallest blame can be attached to Captain
Fancourt; it was an event to which all the ships were liable. These
accidents prevented the extension of our line by the three ships
before mentioned: who would, I am confident, have silenced the
Crown Islands, the two outer ships in the harbour's mouth, and
prevented the heavy loss in the Defiance and Monarch; and which
unhappily threw the gallant and good Captain Riou (to whom I had
given the command of the frigates and sloops named in the
margin--[the Blanche, Alcmene, Dart, Arrow, Zephyr, and Otter]--to
assist the attack of the ships at the harbour's mouth) under a very
heavy fire. The consequence has been, the death of Captain Riou,
and many brave officers and men in the frigates and sloops. The
bombs were directed, and took their stations, abreast of the
Elephant, and threw some shells into the arsenal. Captain Rose, who
volunteered his services to direct the gun-brigs, did every thing
that was possible to get them forward, but the current was too
strong for them to be of service during the action; but not the
less merit was due to Captain Rose, and--I believe--all the
officers and crews of the gun-vessels, for their exertions.
"The boats of those ships of the fleet who were not ordered on the
attack, afforded us every assistance; and the officers and men who
were in them, merit my warmest approbation.
"The Desirée took her station in raking the southernmost Danish
ship of the line, and performed the greatest service.
"The action began at five minutes past ten. The van led by Captain
George Murray of the Edgar, who set a noble example of
intrepidity, which was as well followed up by every captain,
officer, and man, in the squadron. It is my duty to state to you,
the high and distinguished merit and gallantry of Rear-Admiral
Graves.
"To Captain Foley, who permitted me the honour of hoisting my flag
in the Elephant, I feel under the greatest obligations; his advice
was necessary, on many important occasions, during the battle. I
beg leave to express how much I feel indebted to every captain,
officer, and man, for their zeal and distinguished bravery on this
occasion. Colonel Stewart did me the favour to be on board the
Elephant; and himself, with every officer and soldier under his
orders, shared with pleasure the toils and dangers of the day.
"The loss, in such a battle, has naturally been very heavy. Amongst
many other brave officers and men who were killed, I have, with
sorrow, to place the name of Captain Moss, of the Monarch, who has
left a wife and six children to lament his loss; and, among the
wounded, that of Captain Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, of the
Bellona.
"I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, Sir, your most
obedient humble servant,
"Nelson and Bronte."
The above letter being transmitted to England by Sir Hyde Parker,
inclosed in his dispatches to government, was afterwards published in
the London Gazette, preceded by the following public letter from the
commander in chief.
"Copenhagen Roads, 6th April 1801.
"Sir,
"You will be pleased to acquaint the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty, that since my letter of the 23d of March, no
opportunity of wind offered for going up the Sound, until the 25th;
when the wind shifted, in a most violent squall, from the
south-west to the north-west and north, and blew with such
violence, and so great a sea, as to render it impossible for any
ship to have weighed her anchor. The wind and sea were even so
violent, as to oblige many ships to let go a second anchor to
prevent them from driving, notwithstanding they were riding with
two cables an end; and, by the morning, the wind veered again to
the southward of the west. On the 30th of last month, the wind
having come to the northward, we passed into the Sound with the
fleet; but not before I had assured myself of the hostile intention
of the Danes to oppose our passage. After anchoring about five or
six miles from the Island of Huen, I reconnoitred, with
Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson and Rear-Admiral Graves, the formidable
line of ships, radeaus, pontoons, galleys, fireships, and
gun-boats, flanked and supported by extensive batteries on the two
islands called the Crown; the largest of which was mounted with
from fifty to seventy pieces of cannon. These were again commanded
by two ships of seventy guns, and a large frigate, in the inner
road of Copenhagen; and two sixty-four gun ships, without masts,
were moored on the flat on the starboard side of the entrance into
the arsenal. The day after, the wind being southerly, we again
examined their position, and came to the resolution of attacking
them from the southward. Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson having offered
his services for conducting the attack, had some days before we
entered the Sound shifted his flag to the Elephant; and, after
having examined and buoyed the outer channel of the Middle Ground,
his lordship proceeded, with the twelve ships of the line named in
the margin--[Elephant, Defiance, Monarch, Bellona, Edgar, Russell,
Ganges, Glatton, Isis, Agamemnon, Polyphemus, and Ardent]--all the
frigates, bombs, fire-ships, and all the small vessels; and, that
evening, anchored off Draco Point, to make his disposition for the
attack, and wait for the wind to the southward. It was agreed,
between us, that the remaining ships with me, should weigh at the
same moment his lordship did, and menace the Crown Batteries and
the four ships of the line that lay at the entrance of the arsenal;
as, also, to cover our disabled ships, as they came out of action.
"I have, now, the honour to inclose a copy of Vice-Admiral Lord
Nelson's report to me of the action on the 2d instant. His lordship
has stated so fully the whole of his proceedings on that day, as
only to leave me the opportunity to testify my entire acquiescence
and testimony of the bravery and intrepidity with which the action
was supported throughout the line. Was it possible for me to add
anything to the well-earned renown of Lord Nelson, it would be by
asserting that his exertions, great as they have heretofore been,
never were carried to a higher pitch of zeal for his country's
service. I have only to lament, that the sort of attack, confined
within an intricate and narrow passage, excluded the ships
particularly under my command from the opportunity of exhibiting
their valour: but I can with great truth assert, that the same
spirit and zeal animated the whole of the fleet; and I trust, that
the contest in which we are engaged will, on some future day,
afford them an occasion of shewing that the whole were inspired
with the same spirit, had the field been sufficiently extensive to
have brought it into action.
"It is with the deepest concern, I mention the loss of Captains
Moss and Riou; two very brave and gallant officers, whose loss, as
I am well informed, will be sensibly felt by the families they have
left behind them: the former, a wife and children; the latter, an
aged mother. From the known gallantry of Sir Thomas Thompson, on
former occasions, the naval service will have to regret the loss of
the future exertions of that brave officer, whose leg was shot off.
For all other particulars, I beg leave to refer their lordships to
Captain Otway; who was with Lord Nelson in the latter part of the
action, and is able to answer any questions that may be thought
necessary to put to him. A return of the killed and wounded you
will receive herewith."