The _Arrogant_, Captain Yelverton, having been joined by the
_Magicienne_, Captain Vansittart, proceeded with the _Ruby_ gunboat
along the coast to Kounda Bay, where a large body of Cossack troops were
encamped. The _Ruby_ and the boats of the two ships stood in, and
dislodged the enemy with shells and rockets. In spite of a fire kept up
on them from behind hedges, they landed; but as it was found that the
place contained only private property, it was not injured.
Next morning Captain Yelverton, having driven some soldiers from a
station at the mouth of the Portsoiki river, and destroyed some barracks
and stores, proceeded off Viborg. Here the ships anchored as close as
they could get to the island of Stralsund. An expedition was at once
formed to look into Viborg. It consisted of the _Ruby_, commanded by
Mr Hale, mate, and the boats of the _Arrogant_, commanded by
Lieutenants Haggard and Woolcombe, and those of the _Magicienne_, under
the command of Lieutenants King and Loady; Captains Yelverton and
Vansittart, with Captain Lowdes, R.M., in command of a strong detachment
of marines, going on board the _Ruby_, which steamer towed the boats.
The expedition having opened the bay of Trangsund, a Russian man-of-war
steamer, with two large gunboats in tow, was seen not far off.
This novel and unexpected sight of a Russian man-of-war for once clear
of a stone wall, and to all appearance prepared for a fair and honest
fight, created the greatest enthusiasm among men and officers. The
_Ruby_ at once opened fire on her, and compelled her to retire out of
range, with some damage. The entrance of the Sound being reached,
Viborg was now in sight, and there was a fair prospect of attacking
three large gunboats lying with another steamer under an island about a
mile off, when suddenly an impenetrable barrier was found to have been
thrown across the passage. At the same moment, at about 350 yards off,
a masked battery on the left opened on the _Ruby_ and boats, which they,
however, kept in check by an ably-directed return fire.
The enemy's steamer and gunboats now approached from under the island,
and opened fire on the expedition. As it was impossible to get the
_Ruby_ through the barrier, Captain Yelverton ordered her other boats to
return towards Stralsund,--the enemy's riflemen, who followed along the
banks, being kept off by their fire. Unhappily, an explosion took place
on board the _Arrogant's_ second cutter, by which the midshipman
commanding her, Mr Storey, was killed, and the boat was swamped. In
this condition the boat drifted under the enemy's battery, when a hot
fire was poured into her.
All probably would have been killed or taken prisoners, had not George
Ingouville, one of the _Arrogant's_ crew, though already wounded, of his
own accord jumped overboard, and, taking the painter in hand, towed her
off the shore. Probably his gallant conduct might not have availed to
save the lives of his shipmates, many of whom were by this time wounded,
had not the condition of the cutter been perceived from the _Ruby_.
On this, Lieutenant George Dare Dowell, R.M.A., of the _Magicienne_,
calling out for a volunteer crew, jumped into the _Ruby's_ gig, where he
was joined by Lieutenant Haggard of the _Arrogant_, and together they
pulled off, under a fire which grew hotter and hotter, to the rescue of
the boat and men. Lieutenant Dowell was waiting at the moment on board
the _Ruby_ while his own boat was receiving a supply of rockets. Taking
the stroke oar, he and his three companions pulled on, in spite of the
shower of grape and musketry which the Russians poured on them to
prevent them from accomplishing their object. They succeeded, in spite
of this, in taking in three of the cutter's crew, and were mainly
instrumental in keeping the boat afloat and bringing her off to the
_Ruby_. Two were killed and ten wounded during the whole affair.
Captain Yelverton speaks highly of the conduct of all the officers
engaged, where their cool and determined courage enabled them to handle
most severely, and to keep in check for upwards of an hour, a far
superior force of the enemy. These were perhaps the most creditable
acts of individual gallantry performed at this time in the Baltic. Both
Lieutenant Dowell and George Ingouville received the Victoria Cross.
It would be scarcely interesting or useful to describe the numberless
performances of the boats of the fleets in destroying barracks, stores,
and shipping.
It was a stern though painful necessity which demanded this mode of
proceeding. The object was to show the enemy the power of the Allies to
injure them, and to make them earnestly desire peace, at every cost. In
no instance was private property on shore intentionally injured.
The shipping, however, did not escape; and in the two nights of the 23rd
and 24th of July, the boats of the _Harrier_, Captain Storey, destroyed
in the harbour of Nystad forty-seven vessels, amounting to nearly 20,000
tons.
On the 6th July the first shot was fired at Cronstadt, from a gun slung
on board a timber barge, by Captain Boyd.
The Russians, in return, endeavoured to injure the vessels of the
Allies, and to protect their shores by the employment of infernal
machines, as they were then called. We call their much more certain and
more dangerous successors submarine mines, and regard them as a regular
means of defence. These were intended to explode under water, and some
were fired by voltaic batteries, but invariably failed of going off at
the proper time; others exploded on being struck; but though the
_Merlin_ ran on to one, which went off under her bottom, comparatively
slight damage was done her. The articles in her store-room, directly
over the spot where the machine struck her, were thrown about in every
direction, showing the force of the concussion. Admiral Dundas and
several officers with him had, however, a narrow escape, one of the
machines exploding while they stood around it examining its structure.