THE FLEET SAILS FROM BARBADOES ... ANCHORS ON THE SOUTH COAST OF
MARTINIQUE ... CAPTURE OF A BATTERY ... GENERAL GREY LANDS WITH HIS
ARMY ... FLAG OF TRUCE FIRED ON BY THE ENEMY ... THE COMMANDERS IN
CHIEF ATTACK THE ISLAND AT THREE DIFFERENT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME.
On Monday, Feb. 3, 1794, the fleet of men of war, transports,
storeships, &c. sailed from Carlisle Bay, and the next morning land was
seen, which proved to be the island of St. Lucia, bearing west several
leagues. On Wednesday, Feb. 5, we approached the island of Martinique on
the south east coast, off the bay of Maran; two forts, one at Pointe du
Jardin, the other at Pointe de la Borgnesse, which defended the entrance
to that bay, began to fire on our ships as they approached;
notwithstanding which, the Boyne and the rest of the fleet anchored by
four P.M. not far from the battery on Pointe de la Borgnesse, Lieutenant
Bowen having previously run along shore in a small schooner to sound the
depth of water. Our troops were now preparing to land, and had filled
several flat-boats which lay along-side the men of war, when the
battery opened a heavy fire on them, which was quickly answered by the
ships; the troops at the same time pushed in and landed, covered by the
gun-boats: seeing which, and alarmed by some well-directed shot from the
Boyne and Veteran, the enemy fled in disorder from the fort, which our
troops immediately entered, and having hoisted the British colours, were
saluted with three cheers from the fleet. A trench was found in the
battery, communicating with the magazine, in which a train was laid, and
a brand or match laid across it. Happily (by the exertions of the
officers and men) this dastardly plot was prevented taking effect. The
guns were immediately turned upon the enemy in their retreat, and
against the town of St. Anne; but as this was a post of no great
consequence, after they had spiked the guns and broke the carriages, the
troops reimbarked[5].
[5] During the landing of our troops, Lieutenant Bowen, who was in
a gun-boat, perceived a number of the enemy collecting in the woods
near the shore, and being scarce noticed by them, was suffered to
approach without molestation, and having loaded his gun with
langrege, he dealt such destruction among them, that they fled in
all directions. A shot from the battery, which stuck in the
larboard bow of the Boyne, when cut out, proved to be a thirty-four
pounder, and to have been heated, but not sufficiently to do any
mischief by fire.
In the evening the enemy in the battery on Pointe du Jardin burnt the
sugar plantations near them, as we suppose, out of revenge for our
success at Pointe de la Borgnesse; from the dryness of the canes the
fire spread with great rapidity, and did much damage. Near us was the
village of St. Luce, where a two-gun battery, directed by the cure of
St. Luce, seeming disposed to trouble us, the Veteran opened her lower
deckers on it, and soon drove the enemy from thence[6].--On Thursday
morning, Feb. 6, our troops landed at Trois Rivieres, in the bay of St.
Luce, without opposition, to the number of two thousand four hundred and
eighty-four men, under the direction of Lieutenant General Prescott. Sir
Charles Grey and his suite then landed, and the whole army moved off
from the landing-place in two divisions; the first division began to
march about twelve at noon, the second division at five in the
afternoon. Lieutenant Rogers of the Boyne soon after landed at the
cure's battery at St. Luce, and found the two cannon there to be
twenty-four pounders, that had belonged to the Raisonable man of war,
wrecked some time since on this island. They destroyed these guns, and
returned on board without any loss. This evening a gun-boat and
flat-boat with seamen, under the command of Lieutenants Rutherford and
Ogle of the Boyne, and Mr. Johnson, midshipman, attempted to cut out
some vessels in the harbour near Maran, where they were much exposed
both to the great guns and musquetry of the enemy; but they succeeded so
far as to bring off two American schooners; two others saved themselves
by running ashore close under the guns of Fort St. Etienne.
[6] The Generous Friends transport, laden with officers' baggage,
&c. dragged her anchor on the night of the 5th, struck against a
rock at the entrance of the bay, and was wrecked. Fortunately,
however, the hands on board and the baggage were saved.
On Feb. 7th the Admiral sent (with a flag of truce) Lieutenant Miln of
the Boyne, accompanied by Lieutenant James of the fifteenth regiment,
and the Chaplain of the Boyne, with a letter for the municipality or
governor of Maran. As they approached the town they perceived hostile
preparations making in the fort of St. Etienne; but, in hopes of
preventing a flag of truce being insulted, Mr. Miln boarded one of the
American ships that had been run aground the day before, intending, in
case the captain of it was on board, to take him in his company. Being
now within half gun-shot of the fort, the enemy began to fire on the
boat, notwithstanding the flag of truce, and continued to do so,
although Mr. Miln endeavoured to proceed towards the shore: but the
enemy seeming determined to oppose his landing, and several of their
shot falling close by the boat, he at length judged it most prudent to
return. As he passed Pointe du Bourgnesse he perceived some negroes near
the fort, and sent the two gentlemen who accompanied him armed, to
endeavour to cut off their retreat, and to give them the papers which
were to have been delivered to the commander at Maran; but the negroes,
on perceiving them land, immediately made off towards the town: they
however found a wounded man, whose leg had been broken by a cannon ball,
with whom they left the papers, adding a note to express their surprise
and indignation at a flag of truce being fired on[7].
[7] The French have since said that they fired on the boat because
it had a white flag hoisted: this was a most ridiculous objection;
for, though with them a mark of aristocracy, it has ever been
acknowledged by all nations as a signal of peace and cessation from
hostilities. However, we found it necessary afterwards to comply
with their wishes; and whenever a boat was sent from either party
on a truce, they carried the flag of the opposite party in the bow
of the boat, and their own colours abaft.
In the afternoon Mr. Miln went with the gun-boats against Maran, to form
a diversion in favour of Lieutenants Rutherford and Rogers, who had
landed with two companies of seamen to carry fresh provisions to Sir
Charles Grey's army. This had the desired effect, as soon after a large
body of troops came down from the hills to the town and fort, which
might otherwise have fallen in with the seamen on their march.
The next day, Feb. 8, the Admiral sent another flag of truce by the same
officer to the town of St. Anne. He took with him an American captain of
a ship, in addition to his former complement; and having been so roughly
handled the day before, he also ordered a gun-boat to attend. St. Anne's
was entirely deserted. The American then proceeded a mile up the country
to the house of a planter, who had left it; but finding his mulatto
mistress there, he left the papers with her, to forward to the
commanding officer at Maran. On this estate the American told us he saw
three hundred slaves, and every thing in perfect order; from whence we
judged the owner of it had been a friend to the revolution, the houses
and plantations of the royalists being universally destroyed. The enemy
now entirely evacuated this part of the country, to throw themselves
into Fort Bourbon; and in their retreat burnt several fine plantations,
and murdered many slaves of the royalists with circumstances of the most
horrid cruelty.
I should have mentioned that, on our approach to this island, the
Commanders in Chief dispatched General Dundas with Commodore Thompson to
the attack of Trinite, and another division under the command of Colonel
Sir Charles Gordon, assisted by Captain Rogers of the Quebec, to Case de
Navirre; while Sir Charles Grey, assisted by Lieutenant General
Prescott, and under cover of the Boyne, &c. made good his landing at
Trois Rivieres: thus, by making three attacks upon distant parts of the
island at the same time, the force and attention of the enemy was
divided; and by that spirited conduct, which animated all parties, more
particularly by the unanimity which prevailed between the army and navy,
they all happily succeeded. And here I must beg leave to observe, that
where the commanders are united in friendship, and equally inspired with
an earnest desire to serve their king and country, their example will
always have such influence on the conduct of those under their command,
that the same friendly intercourse will be sure to subsist between the
subordinate ranks of the two services; and, from the Commanders in Chief
to the private soldier and sailor, they will join hand and heart, and
form a phalanx that nothing can withstand.