This battle is called by the French _Aboukir_, the name of the bay
in which it took place, and it is really a more proper name for the
action, as only a small mouth of the Nile opened into the bay.
Beside the great naval action, Aboukir has given its name to a bloody
and decisive land battle, which took place July 25th, 1799, between the
French and a Turkish army. We may dispose of the latter briefly before
taking up the more important sea fight, although in point of time the
latter precedes it a year.
Bonaparte having learned of the landing of a Turkish army of 18,000
infantry at Aboukir, advanced to attack them, at the head of only
about 6000 men. The Turks, who were mostly Janissaries, had a very
considerable force of artillery, and were in part commanded by English
officers. Being strongly intrenched at the village of Aboukir, they
should have beaten off the French force easily; but, at the word of
command from Bonaparte, Generals D’Estaing, Murat and Lannes attacked
the entrenchments with desperate courage, and, after a terrible fight,
which lasted some hours, the Turks were fairly driven into the sea.
Thousands of bodies floated upon the bay, which the year before had
borne the corpses of so many French sailors, who had perished from
gun-shot or by fire. Perhaps for the first time in the history of
modern warfare, an army was entirely destroyed.
It was on this occasion that Kleber, at the close of the fighting,
seized Bonaparte in his arms, and embracing him, exclaimed: “General,
you are the greatest man in the world!”
A year previous to the event just recorded, while Bonaparte was
occupied in organizing his new conquest of Egypt, fortune was preparing
for him one of the most terrible reverses which the French arms had
ever met, by sea or by land.
What must have made it harder for him to bear was, that when leaving
Alexandria to go to Cairo he had very strongly recommended Admiral
Brueys, who commanded the fleet which had brought him to Egypt, not
to remain at the anchorage of Aboukir, where the English could, he
thought, take him at a disadvantage. In fact, Napoleon’s military mind
foresaw just what afterwards happened.
Brueys at first thought of taking his fleet to Corfu, but lost precious
time in waiting for news from Cairo, and this delay brought on the
disaster which had a very important influence in moulding the destiny,
not only of Egypt, but of the whole of Europe.
Learning of the departure of a large body of troops, and of a strong
fleet, from Toulon, but in entire ignorance of the object of their
expedition, Nelson, after vainly seeking for them in the Archipelago,
in the Adriatic, at Naples, and on the coasts of Sicily, at last
learned with certainty that they had effected a landing in Egypt. He
made all sail at once for Alexandria, determined to fight the French
fleet the moment it was found, and wherever it might be. He found it at
Aboukir bay, just to the eastward of Alexandria, on the 1st of August,
1798; and we shall now give a general sketch of what ensued, and after
that the particulars of this important action--from both French and
English sources.
Although it was nearly six o’clock in the evening when the French fleet
was discovered, Nelson resolved to attack immediately.
Admiral Brueys’ fleet was moored in the bay, which forms a pretty
regular semicircle, and had arranged his thirteen ships-of-the-line
in a curved line, parallel with the shore; having upon his left, or
western flank, a little island, called also Aboukir.
Thinking it impossible that a ship-of-the-line could pass between this
island and the last ship of his line, to take him in the rear, he
contented himself with establishing upon the island a battery of twelve
or fourteen guns; thinking, indeed, that part of his position so little
liable to attack that he placed his worst vessels there.
But with an adversary like Nelson, most formidable, not only for the
brilliancy of his conceptions, but for the skillful audacity with which
he carried them out, the precautions which under ordinary circumstances
would have been sufficient proved of no avail.
The British fleet comprised the same number of line-of-battle-ships as
the French, but the latter had more smaller ships.
The British Admiral advanced intrepidly to the attack; a portion of
his ships taking a course between the French line and the coast. The
Culloden, the leading English ship, ran upon a shoal, and stuck fast;
but, although her batteries were thus thrown out of the engagement
which followed, her mishap piloted the others in. The Goliath, the
Audacious, the Theseus and the Orion succeeded in passing inside the
French line; penetrating as far as the Tonnant, which was the eighth of
the French line, and thus engaged the French centre and left.
The rest of the English fleet advanced outside the French line, and so
put the left and centre of it between two fires.
The battle was a terrible one, especially at the French centre, where
the French Admiral’s ship, L’Orient, was stationed. The Bellerophon,
one of Nelson’s best ships, was dismasted, terribly cut up, and obliged
to haul off; and other English ships so damaged that they were obliged
to withdraw.
In spite of the success of Nelson’s grand manœuvre, Brueys still had
some chance of success, if the orders which he gave to his right,
or eastern, wing had been carried out. But Admiral Villeneuve, who
commanded there, did not make out Brueys’ signals, and remained in his
position, at anchor, instead of getting under way, and doubling upon
the English outside line, which would have thus put the latter, in
their turn, between two fires.
Nelson’s ready mind had foreseen this danger; but Villeneuve, who was
to lose another even more important battle at Trafalgar, lacked the
instinctive resolution which causes a second in command, under such
circumstances, to hasten to the relief of his chief, without formal
orders.
Like Grouchy at Waterloo, he heard and saw the cannonade which was
destroying the centre and left of the French line, without coming to
the rescue; and while that part of the French fleet was performing
prodigies of valor to uphold the honor of their flag, Villeneuve
escaped, with four ships-of-the-line, thinking himself praiseworthy in
saving them from the fate of the rest.
The unfortunate Brueys, though wounded, would not leave the deck.
“An Admiral ought to die giving his orders,” he is reported, on good
authority, to have said. Not long after this speech another shot killed
him. The brave Captain Dupetit-Thouars had both legs carried away,
but, like the Admiral, would not leave the deck, but remained there,
taking snuff, and coolly directing operations, until another shot
struck and killed him.
In fact, acts of heroism were performed by many of the officers and men
on both sides.
About eleven o’clock at night the Orient, a huge and magnificent
vessel, blew up, with a terrible explosion. By this time all the French
vessels were destroyed or rendered worthless, except the four carried
off by Villeneuve, and Nelson’s fleet was in no condition to pursue
them.
Such, in brief, was the celebrated battle of Aboukir, or the Nile,
the most disastrous the French navy had ever fought, and the military
consequences of which were of such immense importance. It shut up
the French and their army in Egypt, and abandoned them to their own
resources.
France lost, and England gained, ascendancy in the Levant, and what was
worse, it destroyed the _morale_ of the French navy--the effects being
seen for years, and especially at Trafalgar.
And now we will proceed to give a more detailed account of the action.
Nelson’s fleet arrived off Alexandria on the morning of the 1st
of August, at about 10 o’clock. They found there a forest of
masts--belonging to transports and troopships, but few men-of-war. The
harbor did not permit of the entrance of such large ships as composed
the French line. The two British look-out ships, the Alexander and
Swiftsure, also found the French flag flying on the forts and walls.
About noon the Zealous, which ship had been looking further to the
eastward (just as the Pharos tower of Alexandria bore south-southwest,
distant about 20 miles), signaled that sixteen ships-of-the-line lay
at anchor, in line of battle, in a bay upon her port bow.
The British fleet instantly hauled up, steering to the eastward, under
top-gallant sails, with a fine breeze from the northward and westward.
These ships were in good discipline, and it did not take them long to
clear for action.
Let us now turn to the French fleet, which they were soon to encounter.
On the 1st of July, Admiral Brueys, with his fleet, brought to off the
old port of Alexandria, and at once learned that a British squadron had
been looking for him there. On hearing this, General Bonaparte desired
to be landed, and the Admiral at once proceeded to disembark the
General and 6000 men, in a creek near Marabout Castle, about six miles
from the city of Alexandria.
Between the 1st and the 6th of July all the troops, with their baggage,
were landed; and six vessels, armed _en flute_, went into Alexandria
harbor, to protect the transports. As the ships-of-the-line drew
too much water to enter, Admiral Brueys, with three frigates and 13
sail-of-the-line, stood off and proceeded to Aboukir bay, about 15
miles to the eastward of Alexandria. Reaching the bay, he anchored his
ships very judiciously, in line ahead, about one hundred and sixty
yards (Engl.) from each other, with the van-ship close to a shoal in
the northwest, and the whole of the line just outside a four-fathom
bank. It was thus considered that an enemy could not turn either flank.
The French ships, beginning at the van, were ranged in the following
order: Guerrier, Conquérant, Spartiate, Aquilon, Peuple-Souvérain (all
74’s), the Franklin, 80, Rear-Admiral Blanquet, second in command;
Orient, 120, (formerly called the Sans Culotte, and the flag-ship of
Admiral Brueys, Rear-Admiral Gauteaume and Captain Casa-Bianca); next
the Tonnant, 80; the Heureux, 74; the Mercure, 74; the Guillaume Tell,
80, and the Généreux and Timoléon, both 74’s.
Having thus moored his fleet in a strong position, the French Admiral
awaited the issue of General Bonaparte’s operations on shore.
He also erected the battery already spoken of on Aboukir island, and
four frigates--the Diane, Justice, Artemise and Sérieuse, with four
brigs and several gunboats, were stationed along the bank, inside, or
at the flanks of the line, so as best to annoy an enemy in his approach.
Yet Admiral Brueys appears to have been taken, at last, rather by
surprise. No doubt the short interval which had elapsed between the
departure of a reconnoitring fleet and the arrival of another led him
to the belief that the English were aware of the proximity of the
French fleet, and for want of sufficient strength declined to attack
it. So that, when the Heureux, at 2 P. M. of the 1st of August, made
the signal for a fleet in the northwest, the French ships were still
lying at single anchor, without springs on their cables; and many of
the crew of each ship were on shore, getting water. These were at once
recalled; and some of the men of the frigates were sent to reinforce
the crews of the largest vessels. The latter crossed top-gallant yards,
as if about to get under way, but the French Admiral thought that
his enemy would never attack at night, in such a position, and so he
remained at anchor. When Nelson’s movements undeceived him, he ordered
the ships to let go another bower anchor, and another one to be carried
out to the S. S. E.; but very few of his ships found time to do either.
Before the English fleet approached the bay, each ship got a cable out
of a gun-room port, and bent it to an anchor, and prepared springs, to
give requisite bearing to her broadside. This was to enable the ships
to anchor by the stern, in the best position for attacking the enemy,
and for supporting each other.
As the British approached the bay, two French brigs stood out to
reconnoitre, and one of them, the Alerte, stretched towards the shoal
which lies off Aboukir island, in the hope that one or more of the
English would follow her, and get on shore. But this _ruse de guerre_
was disregarded, and the English fleet stood on.
About half-past five the signal was made to form in line of battle,
ahead and astern of the Admiral, as most convenient. By a little after
six, in spite of some confusion from a new order of sailing, the line
was pretty well formed, and eleven of the ships had rounded the shoal
at the western side of the bay, and, with the wind on the starboard
quarter, were rapidly approaching the French. The Culloden was astern
of the rest; and far astern of the Culloden were the Alexander and
Swiftsure, all three making every effort to get up into line.
At about twenty minutes past six the French hoisted their colors, and
their two van ships, the Guerrier and Conquérant, opened a fire upon
the two leading English ships, the Goliath and Zealous. The guns in
the battery on the island also opened now, and fired also on the other
ships, as they rounded the shoal. They ceased to fire, however, after
the engagement became close, for fear of injuring their own van ships.
Soon the Goliath crossed the bows of the Guerrier, and ranging past
her, let go her stern anchor, and brought up abreast of the small
opening between the Conquérant and Spartiate. As she passed she kept up
a spirited fire upon the two van ships, as well as engaging, from the
other battery, a mortar-brig and a frigate, nearly abeam.
The Zealous, close astern of the Goliath, came in and anchored abreast
the inner or port bow of the Guerrier, the French van ship. The English
Vanguard and Minotaur then making for the starboard side of the enemy’s
line, left the Theseus to follow the Zealous. This she did, passing
between the latter and her opponent, and along past the Goliath,
anchoring directly ahead of the latter, and, within two cables’ length
of the Spartiate’s beam. The Orion, having passed inshore of the
Zealous and Goliath, found herself assailed by the Sérieuse frigate,
anchored inshore. As soon as the Orion’s starboard guns would bear, she
opened on the frigate, and dismasted and sunk her in a few minutes; but
she was in such shoal water that her upper works were dry. Passing on,
the Orion passed the Theseus, and dropped her bower, so that she swung
with her bows towards the Theseus. Then she veered away until between
the Peuple Souvérain and the Franklin, firing into the port bow of the
latter and the port quarter of the former.
The Audacious, having from the outside cut the opening between the
Guerrier and the Conquérant, came to, with a small bower, and opened
upon the Conquérant, at only about forty yards’ distance. In a few
minutes the Audacious swung round the Conquérants bows, and brought up,
head to wind, within about the same distance of her, on the port side.
Nelson had wisely resolved to complete the capture or destruction of
the French van ships before he made any attempt upon those in the rear.
He knew that the latter, from their leeward situation, would be unable
to afford any immediate support to the former.
So, as the first step, the Vanguard anchored abreast of the Spartiate,
within half pistol-shot, on her starboard side. The Minotaur anchored
next ahead of the Vanguard, opposed to the Aquilon; and the Defence,
still on the outer English line, brought up abreast of the Peuple
Souvérain. The Bellerophon and Majestic passed on to close with the
French centre and rear, on the outside.
These eight British and five French ships should be followed by
themselves in their action.
The Guerrier receiving a raking broadside from each English ship which
passed her bows, and a succession of the same from the judiciously
placed Zealous, lost all three masts and bowsprit in a quarter of an
hour, without being able to bring enough guns to bear to seriously
damage any of her antagonists.
The French apparently did not expect any action on the port side,
and were not prepared in that battery. The knowledge that French and
Spanish ships seldom cleared for action on both sides, and also that
the French must have allowed themselves room to swing, in the event
of the wind’s blowing directly on shore, induced the English to pass
between them and the shore, especially as the English ships generally
drew less water, and thus all fear of getting aground was dispelled.
The unfortunate Guerrier, having been completely cut to pieces, and
having most of her crew disabled, was forced to strike.
The Conquérant, besides receiving fire from the ships which ran by her,
had to withstand a portion of the fire of the Theseus, and all that
of the Goliath and the Audacious, the latter, for a time, in a raking
position. At the end of about twelve minutes, being dismasted, and from
her position unable to make a suitable return fire, the Conquérant
hauled down her flag. She struck, indeed, before the Guerrier did.
In doing this the Goliath and Audacious were considerably damaged,
principally in spars and rigging.
Next we come to the Spartiate. She sustained, for some time, the fire
of both the Theseus and the Vanguard, with occasional shots from the
quarter guns of the Audacious and the bow guns of the Minotaur. Her
masts were soon shot away, and she surrendered at about the same time
as the Guerrier.
The Aquilon, astern of the Spartiate, had a slanting position in the
line, and made a good fight, raking the Vanguard with dreadful effect,
but was at last overcome by the batteries of the Minotaur. The Vanguard
was very much injured. The unusually powerful broadside of the Minotaur
(she being the only ship in either fleet which had 32-pounders in the
upper battery), aided by the occasional fire of the Theseus, within the
line, soon dismasted the Aquilon, and compelled her surrender. This
occurred about half-past nine.
Next we come to the Peuple Souvérain. She was subjected to the
close and well-sustained fire of the Defence, and occasional raking
broadsides from the Orion, as the latter ship lay on the Peuple
Souvérain’s inner quarter. This ship, having had her fore and main
masts shot away, and being, in other respects, greatly disabled, cut
her cable and dropped out of the French line, anchoring again abreast
of the Orient, and about two cables’ length from her.
The fore-top-mast of the Peuple Souvérain’s opponent, the Defence, fell
over the side just as the French ship had ceased firing and quitted
the line. The Defence then veered away on her cable, and brought up on
the outer or starboard bow of the Franklin. The Defence’s three lower
masts and bowsprit were tottering, in consequence of the fire of the
Peuple Souvérain; and both hull and masts of the Minotaur were very
much damaged by the fire of the Aquilon. But of the eight British ships
whose conduct we have detailed, the Defence was the only one who had
actually had spars to fall. The order in which the five French van
ships surrendered appears to have been thus; 1st. Conquérant; Guerrier
and Spartiate next, and at the same time; then the Aquilon; and lastly,
the Peuple Souvérain.
In order to lessen the confusion of a night attack, and to prevent
the British vessels from firing into each other, every ship had been
directed to hoist at her mizzen-peak four lights horizontally. The
English fleet also went into action with the white, or St. George’s
ensign (at this day used exclusively by the British Navy), the red
cross in the centre of which rendered it easily distinguishable, in
the darkest night, from the tri-colored flag of the French. At about
seven o’clock the lights made their appearance throughout the fleet;
and it was at about the same time that the Bellerophon dropped her
stern anchor so as to bring up abreast, instead of on the bow, of the
French three-decker. In a very few minutes afterwards the English
Majestic brought up abreast of the Tonnant, and soon lost her captain
by that ship’s heavy fire. Subsequently, on this dreadful night, when
the Tonnant cut her cable, to keep clear of the Orient, the Majestic
slipped _her_ cable, to keep clear of the hawse of her consort, the
Heureux. The Majestic then let go her best bower anchor, and again
brought up, head to wind. She now had the Tonnant on her port bow, and
the Heureux on her starboard quarter.
[Illustration: NELSON WOUNDED AT TENERIFFE.]
[Illustration: DUTCH MAN-OF-WAR, 17TH CENTURY.]
The Swiftsure, of the English fleet, having passed the Alexander, when
the latter tacked to avoid Aboukir shoal, now came crowding up. At
about 8 o’clock she anchored by the stern, judiciously placing herself
on the starboard bow of the Orient, and on the starboard quarter of
the Franklin; while, into the port bow of the latter ship, the Leander,
having taking an admirable position in the vacant space left by the
Peuple Souvérain, poured several broadsides which had no response. The
Leander would have been much earlier in action, but for having hove to,
to try to assist the Culloden.
Almost immediately after, the Alexander passed through the wide opening
which the driving of the Tonnant had left, and dropped her bower
anchor, so as to bring her starboard broadside to bear on the port
quarter of the Orient.
Until the Leander took up a position inside of the Orion, the
latter had been firing into the Franklin, and the Minotaur was also
occasionally firing at the Franklin. But after the Peuple Souvérain
quitted the line, the Franklin was engaged almost entirely with the
Defence. The fight was thus going on, most intrepidly on both sides,
when an event occurred which seemed to appall every one, and suspended,
for a time, the hostile operations of the two fleets.
From the moment that the Bellerophon had, with so much more gallantry
than judgment, stationed herself alongside the huge Orient, a heavy
cannonade had been kept up between the two ships. So decidedly was it
to the disadvantage of the English ship, the Bellerophon, that her
mizen, and then her main mast, were cut away, doing much damage in
their fall.
At about nine o’clock a fire was observed on board the Orient. To those
on board the Bellerophon it appeared to be on the second deck; while to
those on board the Swiftsure it appeared to be in the French flagship’s
mizzen chains. The origin of the accident has been variously explained.
By some it is said to be due to paint-pots, oil and other combustibles
in the chains. Others decide that it was due to premature ignition of
combustibles arranged by the French to burn the English ships. The
truth will never be known now. At any rate, all of the Swiftsure’s guns
which would bear were directed to fire upon the seat of combustion.
It was soon evident that they were firing with precision--for the
French could not approach the spot. The Bellerophon, much damaged by
her powerful opponent, and fearing fire for herself, now cut her stern
cable, loosed her spirit-sail, and wore clear of the Orient’s guns. The
Orient was keeping up a splendid and uninterrupted fire from the first
deck in particular, even after the upper part of the ship was entirely
involved in flames. Scarcely had the Bellerophon effected her escape
when her foremast fell over her port bow, killing a lieutenant and
several men by its fall. The fact that the Bellerophon could thus drop
clear shows that the French line continued to lay head to the wind,
although many statements to the contrary were made.
At about ten the Orient blew up, with a tremendous explosion, which
seemed, for the time, to paralyze every one, in both fleets. It must
have been an awful sight, of which description would fall short; for
certainly, no vessel of such a size had blown up before, and none so
large has blown up since. The effect produced upon the adjacent ships
was different. The Alexander, Swiftsure and Orion, the three nearest
English ships, had made every preparation for the event which they saw
was inevitable. They closed their ports and hatchways, removed from
their decks all cartridges and combustible material, and had their
firemen ready, with buckets and pumps. The shock of the explosion
shook the ships to their very keelsons, opened their seams, and did
considerable other injury. A flaming mass flew over the Swiftsure.
Some burning fragments fell into her tops, but the wise action of her
commander in not hauling further off probably saved her. A part of the
blazing mass fell on board the Alexander, much further off than the
Swiftsure, and a port-fire set fire to some of the upper sails of the
Alexander, as well as to her jib. The crew extinguished the flames,
after cutting away the jib-boom and other spars. The Alexander then
dropped to a safer distance.
Among the French ships, the Franklin received the greatest share of
burning wreck from the Orient. Her decks were covered with red-hot
pitch, pieces of timber, and burning rope. She caught fire, but they
succeeded in putting it out. The Tonnant, a near neighbor, just before
the explosion, slipped her cable and dropped clear. The Heureux and
Mercure did the same.
After the explosion it was full ten minutes until a gun was fired
again. On both sides there was a sort of paralysis, and a waiting for
what next was to occur. The wind seemed to have been lulled by the
concussion, but then freshened up again, whistled about the rigging of
the ships, ruffled the surface of the water, and aroused, by its cool
breath, the benumbed faculties of the combatants.
The first ship to renew the fire was the much damaged French ship
Franklin. She had only her lower battery, but opened with that, upon
the Defence and Swiftsure; and they returned it, with full effect.
Being surrounded by enemies, the gallant Franklin, fighting until her
main and mizzen masts had gone by the board, and having scarcely a
serviceable gun left, and half her crew dead or wounded, hauled down
her colors.
It was now midnight. The Tonnant was the only French ship which
kept her battery in active play. Her shot annoyed the Swiftsure,
particularly; while the latter, owing to the position of the Alexander,
could make little or no return.
At 3 A.M. the formidable and unremitting fire of the Tonnant shot away
the main and mizzen masts of the Majestic; and shortly after, the
Tonnant herself had all three masts shot away, close to the deck. The
wreck of the masts falling over her battery caused her to cease firing,
but, for all that, she did not strike. Indeed, by veering cable, she
had dropped to leeward of her second position, and there lay, like a
lion at bay.
The Heureux and Mercure having, as stated, withdrawn from the line,
left room for the Tonnant to take a position ahead of the Guillaume
Tell and the two ships in her rear. This she did; and then a second
interval of silence occurred in this awful battle.
Just as day broke, about four o’clock, the fire opened again, between
the Tonnant, Guillaume Tell, Généreux and Timoléon, on the French side,
and the Alexander and the Majestic on the other. This firing soon
brought down the Theseus and Goliath.
Soon after these ships arrived, the French frigate Artémise fired
a broadside at the Theseus, and then struck her colors. A boat was
dispatched from the English ship, to take possession; but the frigate
was discovered to be on fire, and soon after blew up. In the meantime
the four French line-of-battle ships, and the two frigates inside of
them, kept dropping to leeward, so as, presently, to be almost out of
gunshot of the English vessels that had anchored to attack them.
At about six o’clock in the morning the Goliath and Theseus got under
way, and, accompanied by the Alexander and Leander, stood towards the
French Mercure and Heureux. These, on quitting the line, had first
anchored within it, and then had run on shore on the southerly side
of the bay. These two ships, after interchanging a few distant shots,
struck their colors.
About an hour before noon the Généreux and Guillaume Tell, with the
frigates Justice and Diane, got under way, and made sail to the
northeast, the absence to leeward of the three English ships which were
in a condition to carry sail giving them an opportunity to get clear.
The Timoléon, being too far to leeward to fetch clear, ran herself on
shore, losing her fore-mast by the shock. The four other French ships
now hauled close, on the port tack, and the Zealous, the only other
English ship in a condition to make sail, stood after them. After
some distant firing, the four French ships stretched on, and escaped.
In this affair the Zealous had one man killed, who had already been
wounded on the day before.
And now to sum up. Of the thirteen French ships-of-the-line, one
had been totally destroyed, with nearly all on board; eight had
surrendered, and two had got clear. Of the two remaining, one, the
Timoléon, was on shore, with her colors flying; the other, the
indomitable Tonnant, having had her second cable cut by the fire of the
Alexander, was lying about two miles away, a mere wreck, but with her
colors flying on the stump of her main-mast.
Things remained in this state until the following morning, the 3d of
August, when the Theseus and Alexander approached the Tonnant, and,
further resistance being utterly hopeless, the gallant French ship
hauled down her colors, replacing them with a flag of truce, and was
taken possession of by a boat from the Theseus.
The principal part of the crew of the Timoléon had, during the night,
escaped on shore, although a few had been taken off in the four vessels
which escaped. Between three and four hundred of those who reached the
shore were murdered by the Bedouins, while a few fought their way to a
French camp. Those who remained by the ship set her on fire, and she
soon after blew up, making the eleventh line-of-battle-ship lost by the
French in the battle of Aboukir, or the Nile.
As for the British ships engaged in this great battle, their damages
were chiefly aloft. The Bellerophon was the only British ship entirely
dismasted, and the Majestic the only one, beside her, which lost a
lower mast. The Alexander and Goliath lost top-masts; but the lower
masts, yards and bowsprits of all the British ships were more or less
damaged. And we must remember, that such damage was almost equivalent
to loss of propellers or boiler in ships of our day.
The Bellerophon’s hull was very much shattered, and many of her guns
broken to pieces. The Vanguard had received very great injury in her
hull, while the Swiftsure had received from the Tonnant shots under
water, which kept four feet of water in her hold during the entire
action, in spite of the pumps. The Theseus was hulled seventy times,
and the Majestic was in nearly as shattered a state as the Bellerophon.
The loss of the English was 218 killed and 678 wounded. Admiral Nelson
was struck by a splinter a little above his right, or blind eye,
causing a piece of skin to hang down over the lid. This was replaced
and sewed up.
The Bellerophon suffered most in killed and wounded, and the Majestic
next.
As regards the captured French ships, the statistics of loss were never
properly given. Five of them were entirely dismasted, and were rendered
unseaworthy as to their hulls.
The Peuple Souvérain and the Franklin, though not entirely dismasted,
were not in much better plight than the others. The Mercure and Heureux
were principally damaged by running on shore, where they lay with their
top-gallant yards across, to all appearance as perfect as when the
action commenced.
As no official account of the French loss was given, the matter was
left open to conjecture. One of the lowest estimates makes the French
loss 2000. It was probably more.
The French commander-in-chief, Admiral Brueys, while upon the Orient’s
poop, received three wounds, one of which was in the head. Soon
afterwards, as he was descending to the quarter-deck, a shot almost cut
him in two. He asked not to be carried below, but to be allowed to die
on deck--which he did, in a few minutes.
Casa Bianca, the captain of the Orient, is said, by some accounts,
to have died by the Admiral’s side; but, by the account most
generally received, he died, with his son, who was only ten years
old, in the great explosion. Captains Thévenard, of the Aquilon, and
Dupetit-Thouars, of the Tonnant, were killed, and six other captains
were dangerously wounded.
Mention must be made of the Culloden, which had run on a reef of rocks,
off the Island of Aboukir, and did not get into the action. Her running
on shore saved the Alexander and Swiftsure--both of which ships did
such good service. Every effort was made, with the assistance of the
Mutine brig, to get the Culloden off. But the swell increased, and she
lost her rudder, and began to leak badly. Next day she came off, much
damaged, and with seven feet of water in her hold, but was eventually
saved, by good seamanship.
In this great action the number of line-of-battle-ships was the same on
both sides; but the weight of metal, the gross tonnage, and number of
men were on the side of the French. The French ships were conquered in
detail, by a masterly and bold manœuvre of Nelson’s. Had the unengaged
French ships got under way, they would have no doubt captured the
Culloden, prevented the two other English ships from entering the bay,
and, possibly, turned the tide of battle.
The great disaster which befell the huge three-decker, the Orient, no
doubt gave a decided turn of the action in favor of the English.
With respect to the behavior of the French, nothing could be more
gallant than the defence made by each of the six van-ships; by the
Orient, in the centre, and by the Tonnant, in the rear. The Heureux
and Mercure appear to have been justified in quitting the line, by the
great danger of fire ahead of them--however precipitate in running
themselves on shore. No instance of personal misconduct was ever
reported, in either fleet.
The engagement and its consequences ruined the French hopes of
receiving the reinforcement of troops destined for Egypt; it left the
Porte free to declare war against them; it rekindled the war with
the German States; it opened the Mediterranean to the Russians, and
occasioned the loss of Italy and the Adriatic possessions, which had
been won by Bonaparte in his great campaigns. Finally, it put the
English at ease concerning India, while the Egyptians became more
inimical, and the French there, isolated as they were, were put upon a
strictly defensive policy.
On the morning of the 14th of August, after an incredible deal of labor
in refitting the ships, the prizes, rigged with jury-masts and weakly
manned, proceeded to the westward, except the Heureux, the Mercure
and the Guerrier, which were in too bad a state to be refitted, and
which were burned. A fleet was left, under Captain Hood, to cruise off
Alexandria. Nelson, himself, in the Vanguard, with two other ships,
went to Naples, which he had better never have seen, for events there
occurred which have always more or less tarnished his fame.
The English public had all summer been reproaching Rear-Admiral Sir
Horatio Nelson for his _tardiness_ in finding the French fleet, and the
news of his great action (owing to the capture of the Leander, which
had been sent with the news) did not reach England until the 2d of
October, and then the English people thought they could not do enough
to make amends for their complaints against the brightest ornament of
their favorite service. On October 6th Nelson was made a peer, with the
title of Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of Burnham Thorpe, in the County
of Norfolk. Thanks of Parliament, of course, followed, and a pension of
£2000 per annum, to him and his two next heirs male, was granted by the
Parliament of England, and £1000 from that of Ireland. Gold medals were
presented to Lord Nelson and his captains, and the first lieutenants of
all the ships were promoted to commanders. In regard to the Culloden,
which ran on shore, and, of course, was not engaged, Nelson wrote:
“I sincerely hope it is not intended to exclude the first lieutenant
of the Culloden; for heaven’s sake, for my sake, if it be so, get it
altered.”
Strictly speaking, only the captains _engaged_ were to have medals, but
the King himself expressly authorized Lord Spencer to present one to
Captain Trowbridge, of the Culloden. Nelson wrote to Earl St. Vincent
concerning this officer: “The eminent services of our friend deserve
the very highest rewards. I have experienced the ability and activity
of his mind and body. It was Trowbridge who equipped the squadron so
soon at Syracuse; it was Trowbridge who exerted himself for me after
the action; it was Trowbridge who saved the Culloden, when none that I
know in the service would have attempted it; it is Trowbridge whom I
have left as myself at Naples; he is, as a friend and as an officer, a
_non-pareil_.”
The East India Company presented Lord Nelson with £10,000, and
Liverpool, London and many other cities voted him rewards. The Sultan
presented him with a diamond aigrette and robe of honor; and instituted
a new Order, that of the Crescent, and made Nelson the first knight
companion of it, while many other foreign powers presented tokens of
respect for his talents and bravery. The finest of the French prizes
which the captors succeeded in getting home was the Franklin. Her name
was changed to Canopus, the ancient name of Aboukir.
The following is Nelson’s official letter to Lord St. Vincent,
announcing the victory. It is the letter which was captured in the
Leander, on her way to the westward, by the Généreux.
“VANGUARD, off the Mouth of the Nile,
“August 3d, 1798.
“MY LORD:--Almighty God has blessed his Majesty’s arms, in the late
battle, by a great victory over the fleet of the enemy, whom I attacked
at sunset on the 1st of August, off the mouth of the Nile.
“The enemy were moored in a strong line-of-battle for defending the
entrance of the Bay (of shoals), flanked by numerous gunboats, four
frigates, and a battery of guns and mortars on an island in their van,
etc.
“The ships of the enemy, all but their two rear ships, are nearly
dismasted, and those two, with two frigates, I am sorry to say, made
their escape; nor was it in my power to prevent it, etc.
“Captain Berry will present you with the flag of the second in command,
that of the commander-in-chief being burned in L’Orient, etc.”
As personal remarks and details by eye-witnesses of celebrated actions
are always of interest, we may, at the risk of being prolix, add some
extracts from a private letter of Sir Samuel Hood to Lord Bridport, and
terminate the account by a report from a French officer who was present.
Sir Samuel Hood says, “After completing our water at Syracuse, in
Sicily, we sailed from thence on the 24th of July, and arrived a second
time off Alexandria, on the 31st, where we found many more ships than
were there before; amongst which were six with pendants, and appearing
large, so that we were convinced the French fleet had been there. I
immediately kept well to the eastward of the Admiral, to see if I could
discover the enemy at Bequir (Aboukir).
“About one o’clock the man at the mast-head called down, and said he
saw a ship, and in a few minutes after announced a fleet, at anchor.
I sent a glass up, and eighteen large ships were clearly ascertained,
thirteen or fourteen of which appeared to be of the line; which I made
known by signal to the Admiral, who instantly pressed sail up, and
made the signal to prepare for battle. The wind being to the N. N. W.
and sometimes more northerly, we were obliged to haul to the wind. The
Alexander and Swiftsure, which were to leeward, were called in, and the
Culloden ordered to cast off the prize which she had in tow, as she was
somewhat astern.
“As we advanced towards the enemy we plainly made out 13
sail-of-the-line, 4 frigates, with several small armed vessels, all at
anchor in the road of Bequir, or Aboukir, very close in, and in order
of battle. The Admiral then made the signal to anchor, and for battle,
and to attack the _van_ and _centre_ of the enemy; and soon after for
the line ahead, as most convenient.”
“As we got pretty nearly abreast of the shoal at the entrance, being
within hail of the Admiral, he asked me if I thought we were far enough
to the eastward to bear up clear of the shoal. I told him I was in
eleven fathoms; that I had no chart of the bay, but if he would allow
me, would bear up and sound with the lead, to which I would be very
attentive, and carry him as close as I could with safety. He said he
would be much obliged to me. I immediately bore away, rounded the
shoal, the Goliath keeping upon my lee bow, until I found we were
advancing too far from the Admiral, and then shortened sail, and soon
found the Admiral was waiting to speak to a boat.
“Soon after he made the signal to proceed, the Goliath leading, and as
we approached the enemy shortened sail gradually, the Admiral allowing
the Orion and others to pass ahead of the Vanguard.
“The van-ship of the enemy being in five fathoms, I expected the
Goliath and Zealous to stick fast on the shoal every moment, and did
not imagine we should attempt to pass within her, as the van, with
mortars, etc., from the island, fired regularly upon us.
“Captain Foley intended anchoring abreast of the van-ship, but his
sheet anchor, the cable being out of the stern port, not dropping the
moment he wished it, he brought up abreast of the second ship, having
given the first one his fire. I saw immediately he had failed of his
intention; cut away the Zealous’ sheet anchor, and came to in the exact
situation Captain Foley meant to have taken.
“The enemy’s van-ship having her bow toward the Zealous (which had
received very little damage, notwithstanding we received the fire
of the whole van, island, etc., as we came in), I directed a heavy
discharge into her bow within musket-shot, a little after six. Her
foremast went by the board in a few minutes, just as the sun was
closing with the horizon; upon which the squadron gave three cheers, it
happening before the next ship astern of me had fired a shot, and only
the Goliath and Zealous had been engaged, and in ten minutes more her
main and mizzen masts went (at this moment also went the main-mast of
the second ship, closely engaged by the Goliath and Audacious); but I
could not get her to strike for three hours after, although I hailed
her several times, seeing she was totally cut up, and only firing a
stern chase, at intervals, at the Goliath and Audacious.
“At last, being tired of killing men in this way, I sent a lieutenant
on board, who was allowed, as I had instructed him, to hoist a light
and haul it down, as a sign of her submission. From the time her
foremast went, the men had been driven from her upper decks by our
canister-shot and musketry, and I assure your Lordship that, _from her
bow to the gangway, the ports on her main deck were entirely in one_;
and the gunwale in that part entirely cut away, which caused two of her
main deck beams to fall upon her guns, and she is so terribly mauled
that we cannot move her without great detention and expense, so that
I imagine the Admiral will destroy her. In doing this execution I am
happy to say that the Zealous had only seven men wounded and not one
killed.
“The Bellerophon, unfortunately alongside the Orient, was in two hours
totally dismasted, and, in consequence, cut her cable and went off
before the ship took fire; but she was most gallantly replaced by the
Alexander and Swiftsure, our worthy friends. She (the gallant Sir
Samuel means L’Orient, but he does not say so) soon after took fire and
blew up.
“The Alexander and Swiftsure, having been sent to look into Alexandria,
was the cause of their being so late in the action. Poor Trowbridge,
in trying to make the shortest way to the enemy, being too far astern,
struck upon a reef; his ship is since got off with the loss of her
rudder and some damage to her bottom, so that he had no share in the
glorious victory. I believe, had not the Culloden struck, the Alexander
and Swiftsure, in the dark, would probably have got into her situation,
so that the accident may be fortunate, as she was a buoy to them.
“On the blowing up of L’Orient a part of the wreck fell on board of,
and set fire to the jib and fore-top-mast-stay-sail of, the Alexander,
but the great exertion of her officers and people soon got it under,
with the loss of some men. Captain Westcott was killed by a musket-ball
early in the action, but his loss was not felt, as the first
lieutenant, Cuthbert, fought the Majestic most gallantly during the
remainder of the action. The Bellerophon and that ship have suffered
much. In the morning, the Theseus, Goliath, Audacious and Zealous were
ordered into the rear, having sustained but little damage; but as I
was going down, the Admiral made my signal to chase the Diane frigate,
which was under sail and attempting to escape. She, however, returned
and closed with the ships of the enemy that had not submitted, and I
was called in and ordered to go to the assistance of the Bellerophon,
who lay at anchor on the other side of the bay; but in going to her,
I perceived the Guillaume Tell, of 80 guns, and the Généreux, of 74,
the Diane and Justice, of 40, pressing to make their escape, being the
only ships not disabled, and immediately directed the Zealous to be
kept close upon the wind, in the hope I should be able to bring them
to action and disable them, so as to allow assistance to come to me,
or so far cripple them as to prevent their working out of the bay. I
weathered them within musket-shot and obliged them to keep away to
avoid being raked; and although I did them a great deal of damage, they
were so well prepared as to cut away every brace and bowline, with
topmast and standing rigging. I meant to have boarded the rear frigate,
but could not get the ship round for a short space of time, and whilst
I was trying to do it, I was called in by signal, seeing I should get
disabled, without having it in my power to stop so superior a force.
The Admiral was very handsome in his acknowledgments for my zealous
attempt” (we suppose the gallant Sir Samuel intended no pun here, but
he made a very good one), “as well as for my gallant conduct. I told
him I only did my duty, and although the ship was very much cut in her
sails and rigging, having forty cannon-shot through her main-sail, I
had lost but one man killed and none materially wounded.
“The Audacious was sent to the Bellerophon in my room, and I am now
quite to rights. Ben Hallowell has written to your Lordship, so has our
brave Admiral, who, I am sorry to say, is again wounded, but is doing
well; the wound is in his head, not dangerous, but very troublesome.
Some of our ships have suffered much. Your Lordship, as well as the
whole world, will believe and think this the most glorious victory that
ever was gained, and it will certainly prove the ruin of the French
army.
“A courier has been taken, charged with despatches from Bonaparte and
the other Generals, for France. * *
“Amongst the French letters * * is one from young Beauharnais, B’s
step-son, who is with him, to his mother; in which he says Bonaparte
is very much distressed, owing to some disputes with Tallien and
others, and particularly with Berthier, which he did not expect. These
are favorable events, and will make our victory the more important.”
To give an idea of the important events we have been speaking of from
the point of view of the losing side, we give an account of the action
written by the Adjutant of the French fleet, while a prisoner on board
the Alexander.
Beginning with the advance of the English fleet, he says, “The Alert
then began to put the Admiral’s orders into execution, namely, to stand
towards the enemy until nearly within gunshot, and then to manœuvre and
endeavor to draw them towards the outer shoal, lying off the island;
but the English Admiral no doubt had experienced pilots on board, as he
did not pay any attention to the brig’s track, but allowed her to go
away, hauling well round all danger.
“At five o’clock the enemy came to the wind in succession; the manœuvre
convinced us that they intended attacking us that evening. The Admiral
got the top-gallant yards across, but soon after made the signal that
he intended engaging the enemy at anchor; convinced, no doubt, that he
had not seamen enough to engage under sail. * * * *
“After this signal each ship ought to have sent a stream cable to the
ship astern of her, and to have made a hawser fast to the cable, about
twenty fathoms in the water, and passed to the bow on the opposite side
to that expected to be engaged, as a spring. This was not generally
executed. Orders were then given to let go another bower anchor, and
the broadsides of the ships were brought to bear upon the enemy, having
the ships’ heads S. east from the Island Bequir, forming a line about
1300 fathoms, northwest and southeast, each with an anchor out S. S.
east. * * * *
“All the (French) van were attacked on both sides by the enemy, who
ranged close along our line; they had each an anchor out astern, which
facilitated their motions and enabled them to place themselves in a
most advantageous position. * * * *
“At nine o’clock the ships in the van slackened their fire, and soon
after it totally ceased, and with infinite sorrow we supposed they
had surrendered. They were dismasted soon after the action began, and
so damaged, it is to be presumed, they could not hold out against an
enemy so superior by an advantageous position, in placing several ships
against one. * * * *
“At ten o’clock the main and mizzen masts of the ship (on board of
which the officer who writes the account was--the flag-ship of Admiral
Blanquet) were lost, and all the guns on the main deck were dismounted.
At half-past ten this ship had to cut her cables to avoid the fire of
her consort, L’Orient. The English ship that was on L’Orient’s port
quarter, as soon as she had done firing upon her, brought her broadside
to bear upon the Tonnant’s bow, and kept up a very heavy raking fire.
“The Mercure and Heureux conceived that they ought likewise to cut
their cables; and this manœuvre created so much confusion amongst
the rear ships that they fired into each other, and did considerable
damage; the Tonnant anchored ahead of the Guillaume Tell; the Généreux
and Timoléon got ashore, etc. * * * *
“The Adjutant General, Montard, although badly wounded, swam to the
ship nearest L’Orient, which proved to be English. Commodore Casa
Bianca and his son, only ten years of age, who during the action gave
proofs of bravery and intelligence far beyond his age, were not so
fortunate. They were in the water, upon the wreck of the Orient’s
masts, neither being able to swim, and seeking each other, until the
ship blew up and put an end to their hopes and fears.
“The explosion was dreadful, and spread fire to a considerable
distance. The decks of the Franklin were covered with red-hot pitch,
oakum, rope, and pieces of timber, and she was on fire for the fourth
time, but luckily got it under.
“Immediately after the tremendous explosion the action everywhere
ceased, and was succeeded by a most profound silence. * * * * It was a
quarter of an hour before the ships’ crews recovered from the stupor
they were thrown into.
“Towards eleven o’clock the Franklin, anxious to preserve the trust
confided to her, re-commenced the action with a few of the lower-deck
guns; all the rest were dismounted. Two-thirds of the ship’s company
were killed, and those who remained most fatigued. She was surrounded
by the enemy’s ships, who mowed down the men at every broadside.
At half-past eleven, having only three lower-deck guns which could
defend the honor of the flag, it became necessary to put an end to
so disproportionate a struggle, and Citizen Martinel, _Capitaine de
Frégate_, ordered the colors to be struck.”
* * * * *
Of the French officers in command at the Nile, one Admiral and two
Captains were killed, and Rear-Admiral Blanquet and seven Captains were
wounded. They were all taken on board the Vanguard, and hospitably
entertained by Nelson.
The following anecdote of them is said to be true. While on the passage
to Naples, in the Vanguard, they were, as usual, dining with Nelson.
One of the French captains had lost his nose, another an eye, and
another most of his teeth, by a musket ball. During the dinner, Nelson,
half blind from his wound, and not thinking what he was about, offered
the latter a case of toothpicks, and, on discovering his error, became
excessively confused, and in his confusion handed his snuff-box to the
captain on his right, _who had lost his nose_.