As the afternoon wore on the wind grew light, and by eight bells it had
so far died away that it was practically valueless to the boats which
were to convey the naval brigade to the shore. The admiral, however,
would not allow the men to row, being anxious that they should reach the
scene of action fresh and vigorous; at the last moment, therefore, one
of the lieutenants belonging to the "Victory" was sent onboard the
"Requin"--or the "Shark," as she was now almost universally called--with
orders to get under weigh and tow the flotilla down to the cove.
At the same time our signal was made, in obedience to which we went
through the fleet and took on board Lord Hood, Sir Hyde Parker, Vice-
Admiral Hotham, Captain Purvis of the "Princess Royal," Commodore
Linzee, Captain Elphinstone of the "Robust," Captain Nelson of the
"Agamemnon," and some half a dozen other officers who were going on
shore to witness the attack.
By the time that we had embarked all our passengers, the "Shark" was
under weigh and dodging about, waiting for the boats, which were
alongside their respective ships, taking in their proper complement of
men.
When all was ready, the boats shoved off and pulled for the brig, which
was by this time hove-to in readiness for taking them in tow. Admiral
Hood himself marshalled the boats in the order which he wished them to
take; and two stout hawsers being passed out of the brig's stern-ports,
the boats were lashed to them in two divisions, larboard and starboard;
and when everything was arranged to the satisfaction of our chief, he
gave the order for the brig to fill, and away we went.
It took us an hour and a half to reach the cove, the wind being so
light; and in order to remain in company, the little "Mouette's" canvas
had to be reduced to a close-reefed mainsail and small jib, under which
we were still able to sail round the flotilla occasionally, in order
that Lord Hood might see that all was right.
It was just growing dusk when the boats, having cast off from the towing
hawsers, pulled into the cove and grounded on its steep shingly beach.
We anchored the "Mouette" about a cable's length from the beach, landed
our passengers, and watched them fairly out of sight on the San Fiorenzo
road, when Bob and I leaped into our dinghy and were pulled ashore. The
naval brigade was by this time in motion; and, hurrying forward, we soon
found ourselves alongside the "Juno's" contingent, under the command of
the second lieutenant, whose Irish blood was already up, and who greeted
our appearance with a rollicking joke, which would in almost any other
man have been unbecoming the dignity of his rank. But "Paddy" Flinn--or
Micky Flinn, as he was indifferently called by his friends--had a subtle
knack of behaving in an undignified manner, without jeopardising the
respect due to him; for, let his vagaries take what form they would, he
never by any chance descended to the committal of a mean, cowardly, or
ungentlemanly act.
The camp of the land forces was pitched at a distance of about two miles
from the beach; and the march was accomplished in about three-quarters
of an hour, our tars beguiling the way with jokes and yarns of the most
outrageous and improbable character. The strictest discipline was
always maintained on board ship; but on land-expeditions, which would
admit of it, a little more freedom was tacitly permitted.
When we reached the point of rendezvous, we found the troops who were to
share with us the honours of the night already on the ground, and
waiting. The guns of the Cliff Battery were still thundering away far
above us; and the redoubt was replying with apparently undiminished
vigour.
The place of rendezvous was a sort of ravine, situated about midway
between the two opposing batteries; the ground being masked from the
redoubt by one of the precipitous sides of the ravine. At the farther
end, the precipice gradually merged into a steep slope, from the summit
of which rose the hill upon which the redoubt stood; and up these two
steep slopes the storming-party had to go.
By the time that all was ready, night had completely set in. Contrary
to our hopes, it was exquisitely fine, not a single shred of cloud
obscuring the deep blue vault of heaven. The wind had died away to the
faintest zephyr, and the dew was falling so copiously that it promised
soon to wet us to the skin. At a signal, made by the waving of a
lantern, the guns of the Cliff Battery above us suddenly became mute, as
though the artillerymen had given up for the night; and a calm and
tranquil silence ensued, broken only by the gentle rustle of the fitful
breeze through the foliage of some firs which were dotted here and there
along the precipitous sides of the ravine, the chirping of insects, the
occasional twitter of a sleeping bird, or a low murmur here and there in
the serried ranks of armed men which stood awaiting the order to rush
forth to death or victory. The stars flooded the scene with their
subdued and mellow radiance, and, but for the occasional gleam of a
naked weapon, everything was suggestive of restfulness and peace.
It had been hoped that we should be able to take the garrison of the
redoubt at least partially by surprise; but the fineness and silence of
the night rendered this impossible; as soon, therefore, as everything
was ready, the party moved forward toward the farther end of the ravine,
the soldiers leading the way, in accordance with the proviso of Major-
General Dundas, who refused to co-operate with the naval brigade upon
any other terms. It took us but a few minutes to reach the end of the
ravine; and directly we were clear and had reached a point where the
first slope became practicable, we were led up it at an easy pace, and
halted just beneath its brow--and consequently under cover--in order
that all hands might recover their wind in readiness for the rush up the
second slope to the redoubt.
I was not, at that period of my life, particularly susceptible to
serious thought or grave reflections; but as I stood on that steep hill-
side in the hush and solemn beauty of the starlit night, and looked upon
that band of silent men, every one of them with the pulses of life
beating quick and strong within him, his frame aglow with health, and
every nerve quivering with intense excitement, the awful thought flashed
through my brain that, with many of them, a few brief seconds only stood
between them and eternity. I wondered to how many of them had the same
idea presented itself; and then came the question, "Does God ever in His
infinite mercy, in such supreme moments as this, inspire similar
reflections in the minds of the doomed ones, in order that they may not
be hurried into His presence wholly unprepared?" It might be so, I
thought; and if that were the case, was it not probable that, coming to
me at such a time, they foreshadowed my own doom, and warned me to
prepare for it while still I had an opportunity? Five minutes hence,
perhaps, and Time would be, for me, no more. The signal to advance--the
breathless rush--the flash and roar of artillery, a sickening crash, a
hideous whirl, in which all nature becomes blotted out, and then--The
Great White Throne.
Was that what lay before me? The oppressive excitement under which I
had been labouring passed away; tears of emotion welled up into my eyes,
and my heart went up to God in a brief, silent, fervent prayer for mercy
and forgiveness; that if I were about to die I might be pardoned for
Christ's sake and received into everlasting life. For a minute or two
the fear of death--or rather, of the eternity beyond death--had been
upon me; but with the conclusion of my hurried prayer the mantle of fear
fell from my shoulders, and a blessed peace--"the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding," as I reverently believed--took its place. I
was supported by a consciousness, or perhaps it was only a belief, that
whatever happened I was safe; and from that moment my only anxiety was
to faithfully do my duty.
At length, sufficient time having been allowed for the men to completely
recover their breath and brace themselves for the final rush up the hill
to the redoubt, the word was given, and we dashed over the brow of the
slope and charged up the steep ascent; and at the same instant the
artillerymen in the Cliff Battery--who had been keenly watching our
movements--reopened with a terrific fire upon the devoted redoubt.
Our men gave a single ringing, soul-stirring cheer, as they sprang into
view, and then were silent, the exertion of pressing up that steep
acclivity leaving them no breath to waste in profitless noise. The
distance to be traversed was not more than 200 yards--no great matter
upon level ground--but the hill rose so abruptly that, after the first
fifty yards, our pace was reduced to something between a walk and a
climb. The French, too, had evidently expected and been on the watch
for us; for we had hardly advanced twenty paces before the parapet of
the redoubt blazed out above us in a long line of fire; a storm of round
shot and grape swept down upon us; great ghastly gaps were mown out of
our ranks, a hideous chorus of shrieks and groans rose above the
thundering roar of the artillery, and long lines of dead and dying men
marked the path of the pitiless shot. The calmness and stillness of
night gave place to a horrible discord of deafening sounds; the earth
beneath our feet shook and vibrated with the ceaseless discharge of
heavy guns; the baleful glare of portfires and fireballs flung down the
hill by the enemy to enable them more clearly to ascertain our position,
and the incessant flash of the cannon, cast a fierce, unearthly light
upon the scene. Again, again, and again came the hissing storm of iron,
each time with more deadly effect; the ground before and around us was
ploughed and gashed by the rushing shot; our men were swept away before
it like withered leaves before a hurricane; the death-cries of cherished
comrades continually pierced the ear; the storming-party was melting
away like snow beneath the scorching breath of that fiery tempest; and
still the remnant struggled on.
At length that fearful breathless climb was nearly over. We were so
near the redoubt that the muzzles of the guns could no longer be
depressed sufficiently for the shot to take effect; the artillerymen,
therefore, left their cannon and joined the grenadiers in throwing down
hand-grenades upon us, or in pouring in a ceaseless musketry-fire. The
guns in the Cliff Battery also became silent, in dread of striking
friends as well as foes. A few yards more, and we were close enough to
distinguish the stern, bronzed features of the defenders clustering
thick in the breach to bar our entrance, the musketry flashes gleaming
on their glistening eyeballs, and flickering on their levelled bayonet-
points. My recent runs on shore, and the exercise of climbing up and
down the Cliff rock seemed to have given me an advantage over the rest;
for there was by this time no one in front of me. Two individuals there
were, however, close at hand, in one of whom I recognised the skipper,
the other being Major-General Dundas. They were evidently racing for
the breach, and the skipper was getting the worst of it, being
thoroughly blown. We were all three pretty evenly in line, but the
soldier had chosen his road with the greater judgment. At last the
skipper, too exhausted to keep upright any longer, put his sword between
his teeth and went down on his hands and knees. I saw at once the
nature of the rivalry, it was a struggle which should reach the breach
first, the army or the navy; and I knew Captain Hood would rather lose a
hundred pounds than be beaten.
Like them, I was dreadfully exhausted, the fatigue I experienced being
so great that it amounted to positive pain; the muscles of my legs in
particular ached and quivered violently with the exertions I had been
making. Still, I was not nearly so bad as the other two, being
decidedly strong and vigorous for my age, and I determined that the
skipper should be gratified if it lay in my power; so I scrambled to his
side and held out my hand to him shouting,--
"Let me give you a tow, sir; and we'll be in before the red-coat yet."
He grasped my hand without a word, rose to his feet, and together we
strained and pressed upward. A couple of yards still lay between us and
the hedge of bayonets which guarded the breach. The bullets flew about
us thick as hail; one passing through my hat, another shredding away
half the bullion from the skipper's starboard epaulette, two more
actually passing through my jacket and razing the skin; yet by a miracle
we escaped unwounded.
One more desperate effort, and we staggered up the loose _debris_ and
into the breach, a clear yard ahead of our rival; and then, shoulder to
shoulder, we stood and tried to recover our breath as best we could,
defending ourselves meanwhile from the innumerable cuts and thrusts
which were aimed at us. The next to arrive was, of course, Major-
General Dundas; then came Mr Flinn, closely followed by the captain of
the "Juno's" main-top; then five or six soldiers; and, thus
strengthened, we pressed forward, foot by foot, the Frenchmen
obstinately contesting every inch of the way, until we had fairly
penetrated to the interior of the redoubt, when--a path being thus
cleared for those who came behind--the relics of the storming-party
surged in and rushed upon the enemy with such resistless impetuosity
that some of the garrison threw down their arms and surrendered; while
the rest broke and fled in direst confusion.
A feeble cheer announced our success, which was immediately answered by
a ringing "three times three--and one cheer more, for the storming-
party," from the occupants of the Cliff Battery away aloft in the cool
night-air.
Poor little Bobby Summers came panting in with the ruck, after all was
over; and the first use he made of his breath, after he had recovered it
sufficiently to speak, was to abuse me in unmeasured terms for what he
was pleased to term my "meanness," in leaving him to struggle up the
hill unaided.
All hands remained on shore that night, to make everything secure, and
to guard against the possibility of an attempt to retake the redoubt;
the storming-party being quickly reinforced by a strong detachment from
the camp, which had been held in readiness to march in as soon as the
redoubt should be carried.
Then came the sickening task of collecting the dead and wounded,
arranging the former for burial, and attending to the wants of the
latter and making them as comfortable as possible under the
circumstances. But I will not go into the details of this accompaniment
to the "pomp and circumstance of war," lest I should unnecessarily
harrow the feelings of my readers; suffice it to say that our task was
not accomplished until long after sun-rise; while that of the naval and
military surgeons of course lasted for weeks.
The fall of the Convention Redoubt left the town of San Fiorenzo at our
mercy, and accordingly, when next day our troops marched into the town,
it was found that the French had evacuated it, and had retired to
Bastia.
This, the most important town in the island, and, at the period of my
story, also the most strongly fortified--whatever it may be at the
present day--is about six miles from San Fiorenzo; and is situated on
the eastern or opposite side of the long narrow peninsula which forms
the northern extremity of Corsica. It was against it that, in Lord
Hood's opinion, our next operations ought to be directed.
His views, however, and those of Major-General Dundas were widely
divergent as to the practicability of the proposed scheme; the latter
being of opinion that we had neither strength nor means sufficient to
effect the reduction of so strongly fortified a place as Bastia; while
Lord Hood, on the other hand, was sanguine of success. This difference
of opinion between the heads of the forces led to a protracted and
vexatious delay, during which we of the fleet busied ourselves
successfully in raising the French thirty-eight-gun frigate, "Minerve,"
which her crew had sunk in San Fiorenzo harbour. This ship was
afterwards added to our navy under the name of the "San Fiorenzo."
I must not omit to mention that, a few days after the taking of the
Convention Redoubt, Captain Hood publicly thanked me, on the "Juno's"
quarter-deck, for the assistance I had rendered him on that memorable
night; and the story also reaching the admiral's ears, I had the
gratification of being warmly commended by that great chief, as well as
of finding that my name had been prominently mentioned in his despatches
home. Several other officers also thanked me for supporting the
reputation of the navy, Captain Nelson being especially eulogistic--for
him--on the subject. So that, altogether, I received a far greater
share of credit than it seemed to me so simple a matter merited.
At length, meeting after meeting having taken place between Lord Hood
and Major-General Dundas, without those officers being able to agree
upon the question of investing Bastia, something very like a rupture
took place; the admiral declaring that so confident was he of success,
that, since General Dundas would not co-operate with him, he would
undertake alone the task of reducing the place with the seamen and
marines belonging to the fleet.
This resolution once arrived at, Lord Hood forthwith set about the work
of carrying it out with his accustomed energy. An old twenty-eight-gun
frigate, called the "Proselyte," was specially fitted up as a floating
battery, and, with the rest of the fleet, taken round to Bastia roads.
The marines were then landed, and, aided by a strong contingent of
bluejackets, who were placed under the command of Captain Horatio
Nelson, at once set to work to throw up a chain of sod batteries,
completely investing the town on the land side.
So much precious time had been wasted in discussing the _pros and cons_
of this matter, that, notwithstanding our utmost exertions, it was not
until the second week of April, 1794, that our batteries were finished,
the guns mounted, and everything ready for the projected attack. The
evening of the 10th, however, saw our preparations completed; and on the
morning of the 11th the "Proselyte" was moved inshore and moored in a
convenient position for battering the seaward defences of the town.
The attack immediately afterwards commenced; the "Proselyte" and the
shore batteries opening fire simultaneously. The French replied with
the utmost spirit, their guns being admirably served, especially those
which played upon the "Proselyte;" and it soon became evident that that
unfortunate craft was getting decidedly the worst of it. She was the
only ship engaged, the admiral having early come to the conclusion that
it would be madness to expose his fleet, unprotected, to the fire of the
heavy metal mounted in the French defences; we therefore--the few of us,
that is, who were not detailed for duty on shore--had nothing to do for
the time being but watch the fun.
The action had been in progress but a short time, when we observed that
the "Proselyte" was swinging round; and on looking at her more
attentively, with the aid of our telescopes, we discovered that some of
her moorings had been shot away. Her remaining cables soon brought her
up again; but not until she had drifted into a frightfully exposed
position. The fire of the French batteries was immediately concentrated
upon the devoted craft with increased energy; and presently little jets
of greyish smoke, issuing here and there from her sides, showed that the
enemy was effectively firing red-hot shot.
About ten minutes afterwards a little string of balls was seen soaring
aloft to her mast-head. The balls burst apart, and four signal flags
fluttered in the breeze.
I raised my telescope to my eye and read out the numbers to Mr
Annesley, who was busy turning over the leaves of the signal-book.
He ran his finger hastily along the column of figures, and read out to
the skipper, who was looking over his shoulder,--
"Ship on fire--send assistance."
"Now, Mr Chester, keep your eye on the admiral, and see what he says,"
remarked the skipper.
As he spoke I saw a signal going aloft on board the "Victory," and
managed to get it into the field of my telescope just as the flags burst
abroad at the mast-head.