Nelson in Temporary Command
(1799-1800)
“_The great object of the war is_--Down, down with the French.”
NELSON.
King Ferdinand was again on board the _Foudroyant_, holding his Levées
on the quarter-deck, and making himself as affable as was possible to
a man of his morose temperament. Nelson’s infatuation for the welfare
of his Majesty and his kingdom seemed growing. The castle of St Elmo
had fallen, thereby completing the conquest of Naples, but the Admiral
saw fit to order Troubridge to march against Capua, thereby denuding
the fleet of a thousand men, who were to act in concert with four times
that number of troops. This was done after the receipt of a warning
from Keith that it might be necessary to withdraw the squadron for the
protection of Minorca.
“Should such an order come at this moment,” Nelson writes to Earl
Spencer, “it would be a cause for some consideration whether Minorca
is to be risked, or the two Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily? I rather
think my decision would be to risk the former.” In other words,
Nelson placed the interests of an allied Power before those of his
own country, although of course his services to the Sicilies were of
importance to the latter. One cannot help thinking that there is more
than a suspicion of ulterior motives in what was to lead to a flagrant
disobedience of orders. The letter concludes with the most affectionate
references to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, who were assuredly his
evil genii at the moment. According to Nelson they were with him to
his “great comfort,” without them “it would have been impossible I
could have rendered half the service to his Majesty which I have now
done: their heads and their hearts are equally great and good.” Writing
to Keith on the same day--13th July 1799--he refers solely to King
Ferdinand: “It has been and is my study to treat his Majesty with all
the respect due to so great a personage, and I have the pleasure to
believe that my humble endeavours have met with the Royal approbation.”
After penning this communication the Admiral received a despatch from
Keith, dated the 27th June, implicitly requiring him “to send such
Ships as you can possibly spare off the Island of Minorca to wait my
orders.” This he acknowledged by saying that “as soon as the safety of
His Sicilian Majesty’s Kingdoms is secured, I shall not lose one moment
in making the detachment you are pleased to order. At present, under
God’s Providence, the safety of His Sicilian Majesty, and his speedy
restoration to his Kingdom, depends on this Fleet, and the confidence
inspired even by the appearance of our Ships before the City is beyond
all belief; and I have no scruple in declaring my opinion that should
any event draw us from the Kingdom, that if the French remain in any
part of it, disturbances will again arise, for all order having been
completely overturned, it must take a thorough cleansing, and some
little time, to restore tranquillity.” In order to justify his conduct,
Nelson next sent a second note to Earl Spencer. After referring to his
previous letter, which showed that he was prepared for Keith’s order,
he adds, “more than ever is my mind made up, that, at this moment, I
will not part with a single Ship, as I cannot do that without drawing a
hundred and twenty men from each Ship now at the Siege of Capua, where
an Army is gone this day. I am fully aware of the act I have committed;
but, sensible of my loyal intentions, I am prepared for any fate which
may await my disobedience. Capua and Gaeta will soon fall; and the
moment the scoundrels of French are out of this Kingdom, I shall send
eight or nine Ships of the Line to Minorca. I have done what I thought
right; others may think differently; but it will be my consolation
that I have gained a Kingdom, seated a faithful Ally of his Majesty
firmly on his throne, and restored happiness to millions. Do not think,
my dear Lord, that my opinion is formed from the arrangements of any
one. _No_; be it good, or be it bad, it is all my own.” The writer
concludes with an appeal for Earl Spencer’s interest with the Board
of the Admiralty, which was not vouchsafed. His having proceeded to
the Bay of Naples and of the operations against the castle of St Elmo
were approved, but not of the land warfare carried on by the seamen
against Capua. Their Lordships did not see “sufficient reason to
justify your having disobeyed the orders you had received from your
Commanding-Officer, or having left Minorca exposed to the risk of being
attacked, without having any Naval force to protect it.”
On the 19th July, Nelson was handed a second urgent despatch from
Keith, ordering him either to leave Sicily and repair to Minorca with
his whole force or to detach the greater part of his squadron and
place it under Duckworth. Keith’s “repeated information” led him to
believe that the enemy was not making for Sicily or Egypt, as had
been thought probable, but for Ireland. Nelson again refused to obey
his Commander-in-chief. Not until the 22nd inst., when Keith informed
Nelson that the French fleet was off Cape Tres Forcas, did he see fit
to dispatch Duckworth with four vessels to Minorca.
The Frenchmen succeeded in joining their Spanish allies at Cartagena
and arriving safely at Brest, from which port they did not issue
for some months, an event which does not therefore concern us at
the moment. Capua and Gaeta eventually surrendered, the articles of
capitulation being signed by Acton and Nelson on behalf of King
Ferdinand on the 31st July 1799, thus liberating “the Kingdom of Naples
from a band of robbers,” as the Admiral informed Keith.
So far this portion of the narrative has been necessarily confined
to cold, matter-of-fact details. Mention must now be made of the
celebrations held on the first anniversary of the battle of the
Nile. Well might Nelson be fêted on such an occasion; he had served
their Sicilian Majesties all too faithfully. He thus describes the
picturesque scene for the benefit of his wife:--
“Thank God all goes well in Italy, and the Kingdom of Naples is
liberated from thieves and murderers. But still, it has so overthrown
the fabric of a regular Government, that much time and great care are
necessary to keep the Country quiet. The 1st of August was celebrated
here with as much respect as our situation would admit. The King
dined with me; and, when His Majesty drank my health, a Royal salute
of twenty-one guns was fired from all his Sicilian Majesty’s Ships
of War, and from all the Castles. In the evening there was a general
illumination. Amongst other representations, a large Vessel was fitted
out like a Roman galley; on its oars were fixed lamps, and in the
centre was erected a rostral column with my name: at the stern were
elevated two angels supporting my picture. In short, my dear Fanny,
the beauty of the whole is beyond my powers of description. More than
2000 variegated lamps were suspended round the Vessel. An orchestra
was fitted up, and filled with the very best musicians and singers.
The piece of music was in a great measure to celebrate my praise,
describing their previous distress, ‘but Nelson came, the invincible
Nelson, and they were preserved, and again made happy.’ This must
not make you think me vain; no, far, very far from it, I relate it
more from gratitude than vanity. I return to Palermo with the King
to-morrow.”[43]
It was characteristic of Nelson’s fond regard for his father that when
King Ferdinand created him Duke of Bronté, which he believed would
mean an increase of some £3000 a year to his income, he taxed the
estate to the extent of £500 per annum on behalf of the Rev. Edmund
Nelson as “a mark of gratitude to the best of parents.”
Keith being on the look-out for the forty ships of the allied
fleets--for Bruix had been joined by the Spanish fleet at Cartagena
as previously mentioned--the chief command devolved upon Nelson.
Unfortunately Keith was unable to come up with the enemy, who entered
Brest without being brought to battle. He then returned to England.
Nelson hoped that the Lords of the Admiralty would make his temporary
command permanent. Why they failed to do so is not quite clear. Keith
was sent back, and resumed command in the following January. The
situation was a most difficult one for Nelson, especially as the King
of the Two Sicilies invariably showed the white feather when Nelson
wished to conduct him to Naples: “nothing can move him.” The Admiral’s
health was still unsatisfactory. “I am almost blind, and truly very
unwell.” He was worried because the naval force had been withdrawn
from the coast of Italy, worried about the siege of Malta, and worried
by the stupidity of his Russian and Turkish allies. But he maintained
a bold front, and never let the respective commanders know what he
thought of them. Instead, he wrote the most reassuring messages to
everybody, knowing and appreciating full well the value of optimism.
In September 1799, we find his squadron disposed at six different
points, namely off Alexandria and the coast of Egypt, under Sir Sidney
Smith; off Malta, under the Portuguese Rear-Admiral the Marquis de
Niza; at Palermo; on the coast of Naples and the Roman coast, under
Troubridge; on the north coast of Italy; and blockading Cadiz and
protecting the Straits of Gibraltar, Minorca, etc., which is sufficient
to show that his task was an arduous one. He endeavoured to stir up
enthusiasm in the land forces on behalf of Malta, Civita Vecchia,
and Rome. To Sir James Erskine, at Port Mahon, he wrote with all the
eloquence he could command to incite him to effort: “The field of glory
is a large one, and was never more open to any one than at this moment
to you. Rome would throw open her gates and receive you as a deliverer;
and the Pope[44] would owe his restoration to the Papal Chair to an
_heretic_. This is the first great object, as it would not only be the
complete deliverance of Italy, but restore peace and tranquillity to
the torn-to-pieces Kingdom of Naples.... The next great object is the
reduction of Malta, and in any other moment than the present, it would
be a most important one.... To return to the first object, I can take
upon me to say, that our King would be much gratified that _Britain_
not _Austria_ should re-instate the Pope. You are at perfect liberty to
say this from me; for the world sees the ambition of Austria, and her
eagle wants to extend her wings from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean.
I will not say more, but that I will support you to the utmost of my
abilities.” Succour did not come from Erskine but from a division of
troops sent by the veteran Russian commander Suwarrow, and, on the
1st October, Nelson was able to inform the Admiralty of the terms
entered into with the French by Troubridge for the evacuation of Rome
and Civita Vecchia, “on which event I sincerely congratulate their
Lordships.”
On the 15th of the same month Nelson sent the “Sketch of my Life,”
already remarked upon,[45] to Mr John McArthur of the “Naval
Chronicle,” in which he says that when the terms of capitulation were
signed on board the _Culloden_, “a prophecy, made to me on my arrival
at Naples, was fulfilled, viz., ‘_that I should take Rome with my
Ships_.’”
“Thus,” he concludes, “may be exemplified by my Life that perseverance
in my profession will most probably meet its reward. Without having any
inheritance, or being fortunate in prize money, I have received all
the honours of my profession, been created a Peer of Great Britain, and
I may say to thee, reader:
“‘_Go thou and do likewise._’”
Nelson’s enthusiasm in the matter of Italy was due partly to the
magnificent series of victories which the armies of the coalition had
won. Alessandria and Mantua had fallen, Moreau had retreated near Novi,
and Tortona had surrendered. So far everything seemed to be pitched
in a major key, but the minor element entered when the Russians were
sent into Switzerland instead of being allowed to finish their task
in Italy. Masséna won the battle of Zurich, thereby severing the
communications between the Austro-Russian forces in Switzerland and in
Italy. In October the intrepid Suwarrow, crossing the Alps, withdrew
his forces to Bavaria for the purpose of taking up winter quarters,
declining to further expose his worn-out troops.
In the same month another and more important event happened, which was
to be far-reaching in its results. On the 9th of that month Napoleon,
having been fortunate enough to escape the vigilance of British
cruisers during his long and tedious voyage from Alexandria, landed
in France. Nelson did not hear the news until the 24th, when he told
Sir Sidney Smith, “I have just got a report that appears to have some
foundation, that Buonaparte has passed Corsica in a Bombard, steering
for France. No Crusader ever returned with more humility--contrast
his going in _L’Orient_, &c., &c.” Nelson was not on intimate terms
with Smith, and was therefore not likely to relieve his mind “against
French villany” as he did to Earl Spencer: “The great object of the war
is--_Down, down with the French!_” “If I could have any Cruisers,” he
said in another letter, “as was my plan, off Cape Bon, in Africa, and
between Corsica and Toulon, Mr Buonaparte could not probably have got
to France; but if it bring on a confusion at Paris, I hope it will be
for the best.” “I have regretted sincerely the escape of Buonaparte”;
he tells the Earl of Elgin, British ambassador at Constantinople; “but
those Ships which were destined by me for the two places where he would
certainly have been intercepted, were, from the Admiralty thinking,
doubtless, that the Russians would do something at sea, obliged to be
at Malta, and other services which I thought the Russian Admiral would
have assisted me in--therefore, no blame lays at my door.” Again, “Our
news here is of a civil war in France--Buonaparte against Barras. May
God increase their confusion.”
While Sir Sidney Smith had been eminently successful at the siege of
Acre, which made Napoleon miss his “destiny” and precluded him from
changing “the face of the world,” as he himself stated, the defeat of
the Turks after their disembarkation at Aboukir in July considerably
altered the condition of affairs. Smith and the Turkish Government
were for allowing the French to return to their native country, an
arrangement not at all in accord with Nelson’s wishes. “I own my hope
yet is,” he confesses to the Earl of Elgin, “that the Sublime Porte
will never permit a single Frenchman to quit Egypt; and I own myself
wicked enough to wish them all to die in that Country they chose to
invade. We have scoundrels of French enough in Europe without them....
I again take the liberty of repeating that it is contrary to my
opinion, allowing a single Frenchman from Egypt to return during the
war to France. It would [be a] paper I never would subscribe to; but I
submit to the better judgment of men.” To Spencer Smith, Secretary of
Embassy, Constantinople, he says much the same thing: “I cannot bring
myself to believe they would entirely quit Egypt; and, if they would, I
never would consent to one of them returning to the Continent of Europe
during the war. I wish them to _perish_ in Egypt, and give a great
lesson to the world of the justice of the ALMIGHTY.” “I would have kept
up a more constant communication with Egypt;” he tells Keith on the
7th January 1800, “but I have never had the benefit of small Vessels.”
When the Admiral heard of the Convention of El Arish, concluded by
Smith and Kléber--Napoleon’s successor in Egypt--Nelson was furious.
By its terms the army and its munitions were to be allowed to return
to France. Had Nelson been Commander-in-chief, he would have refused
“to ratify any consent or approbation of Sir Sidney Smith,” and would
never “for a moment have forgot my text--that at all risks of giving
offence, _not one Frenchman should be allowed to quit Egypt_.” Keith
showed a firm hand when the intelligence reached him. He would consent
to “no Capitulation with the French Army in Egypt, except as prisoners
of war,” and he insisted on the abandoning of all ships and munitions.
Moreover, no troops were to return until they were exchanged. In due
course the British Government consented to the terms which had been
made, although it disapproved of Sir Sidney Smith’s high-handed policy.
On Kléber being informed of the conditions imposed on him by Keith,
he refused to entertain them. Hostilities were renewed before the
receipt of the Order from England confirming the capitulation, and the
negotiations came to nothing.