THE CREW OF THE CULLODEN DISTRIBUTED--DICK AND I HAVE TO GO ON BOARD THE
MARS--CRUISE OFF USHANT--FALL IN WITH THE ENEMY--A NARROW ESCAPE--
MASTERLY RETREAT OF ADMIRAL CORNWALLIS--A RUSE DE GUERRE--A SEVERE
STRUGGLE--THE MARS RESCUED BY THE QUEEN CHARLOTTE--RETURN TO ENGLAND--
STATE OF THE SHIPS--MY EXPECTATIONS OF LEAVE DISAPPOINTED--WE ARE
DRAFTED ON BOARD THE GALATEA.
The _Culloden_ having gained a bad name for herself, in consequence of
the late event and her behaviour on the 1st of June, her officers and
crew were distributed among several ships; I, with Dick Hagger and other
men, being sent on board the _Mars_, seventy-four, one of the squadron
under Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Cornwallis, whose flag was
flying on board the _Royal Sovereign_, of one hundred guns. The other
ships were the _Triumph, Sir Erasmus Gower_, the _Brunswick_, and
_Bellerophon_, seventy-fours, the _Phaeton_ and _Pallas_ frigates, and
the _Kingfisher_, an eighteen gun brig.
We sailed at the end of May from Spithead, for a cruise off Ushant. On
the 8th of June we made the land about the Penmarcks on the French
coast, and soon after the _Triumph_ threw out the signal of six sail
east by north.
We immediately gave chase. After some time, one of the frigates, with
the little _Kingfisher_ and the _Triumph_, being considerably ahead,
commenced firing at the enemy, while we were crowding all sail to get up
with them, the admiral having made the signal to close.
Before we had done so, however, the admiral ordered us and the
_Bellerophon_ to chase two French frigates to the south-west, one of
which had a large ship in tow. This, after a short time, they abandoned
to us, and we took possession of her. We stood so close in that the
batteries at Belle Isle opened upon us, and shoaling our water, the
signal for danger was made.
Thereupon Admiral Cornwallis recalled us, and we stood off the land with
the prizes we had taken, and eight others, captured by the frigates,
laden with wine and brandy. A good many small vessels, however, escaped
us by plying to windward under the land, to gain the anchorage in Palais
Roads.
The next day it was calm, so that the enemy could not, even if they had
had a mind to do so, come out and attack us, and in the evening a breeze
springing up, we took the prizes in tow, and stood away for the Channel.
Sighting Scilly, Admiral Cornwallis ordered the _Kingfisher_ to convoy
the prizes into port, while we stood back to the southward and eastward
to look after the French squadron. Several days had passed when the
_Phaeton_, our look-out frigate, made the signal of a French fleet in
sight; but as nothing was said about the enemy being of superior force,
and as she did not haul her wind and return to us, Admiral Cornwallis
must have concluded, as did our captain, that the signal had reference
to the number rather than to the apparent strength of the French ships,
and we accordingly stood on nearer than we should otherwise have done.
It was not indeed until an hour afterwards that we got a sufficiently
clear sight of the French fleet to make out that it consisted of one
very large one-hundred-and-twenty gun ship, eleven seventy-fours, and
the same number of frigates, besides smaller craft. Dick Hagger, who
had been sent aloft, told me that he had counted thirty at least.
"Never mind! If we can't out-sail them, we'll fight them, and show the
mounseers that `hearts of oak are our ships, British tars are our men,'"
he exclaimed with a gay laugh, humming the tune.
All hands on board our ship were in the same humour, and so were the
crews of the rest of the squadron. We knew that we could trust our
stout old admiral, for if he was at times somewhat grumpy, he was as
gallant a man and as good an officer as any in the service. I heard it
said, many years after, that when some of the Government gentlemen
offered to make a lord of him, he declined, saying, "It won't cure the
gout."
The admiral now threw out the signal to the squadron to haul to the wind
on the starboard tack under all sail, and form in line ahead, the
_Brunswick_ leading, and we in the _Mars_ being last. Thus we stood on
for about three hours, when we saw the French fleet on the same tack
separate into two divisions, one of which tacked and stood to the
northward, evidently to take advantage of the land wind, while the other
continued its course to the southward. Of course it was the object of
our admiral to escape if possible; for, fire-eater as he was, he had no
wish to expose his ships to the risk of being surrounded and sunk, as he
knew, well enough might be the case should the French get up with us.
After this we twice tacked, and then we saw the French north division
tack to the southward, when the wind shifted to the northward, and this
enabled that division to weather on us, and the south division to lie
well up for our squadron.
The first division now bore east by north about eight or nine miles, and
the south division south-east, distant about ten miles on our larboard
quarter. Night soon came on, and we could not tell but that before it
was over we might have the French ships close aboard, and thundering
away at us, "Well, if they do come," cried Dick, "we'll give them as
good as we take, although we may have three to fight; but what's the
odds if we work our guns three times as fast as they do?"
To our surprise the watch was piped down as usual, for the admiral knew
better than we did, that the enemy could not be up with us until the
morning while the wind held as it then did.
We slept like tops, not troubling our heads much about the battle we
might have to fight before another day was over, but I doubt whether
many of the officers turned in.
The middle watch got their sleep like the first. After that the
hammocks were piped up, and every preparation made for battle. Two of
our ships, the _Bellerophon_ and _Brunswick_, which were always looked
upon as fast sailers, had, somehow or other, got out of trim, and during
the night had to cut away their anchors and launches, and to start a
portion of their water and provisions. The old "Billy Ruffian,"
however, do all they could, would not move along, and they were
compelled to heave overboard her four poop carronades with their
carriages, and a large quantity of shot. Notwithstanding this, and that
they were carrying every stitch of canvas they could set, we and the
other ships had to shorten sail occasionally to keep in line with them.
It may be supposed that we had been keeping a bright look-out for the
French fleet, and when daylight broke we saw it coming up very fast,
formed in three divisions.
The weather division, consisting of three ships of the line, and five
frigates, was nearly abreast of our ships. In the centre division we
counted five ships of the line and four frigates, and in the lee
division four sail of the line, five frigates, two brigs, and two
cutters. These were somewhat fearful odds, but notwithstanding, as far
as I could judge, the hearts of none on board our ship, and we were the
most exposed, quailed for a moment. We had made up our minds to a
desperate fight, but we had confidence in our old admiral, and we knew
that if any man could rescue us, he would do it.
Stripped to the waist, we stood at our quarters, waiting the order to
fire, and resolved to fight to the last. At that moment I did not think
of my wife, or home, or anything else, but just the work we had in hand.
At such times it does not do to think. We all knew that it was our
business to run our guns in as fast as possible and fire when ordered.
We watched the approach of the French ships, eager for the moment when
we should begin the fight.
A seventy-four was the van ship of the weather division, and a frigate
led the centre division. We had had our breakfast and returned to our
guns, when the seventy-four opened her fire upon our ship, the _Mars_.
We immediately hoisted our colours, as did the rest of our squadron, and
returned it with our stern-chasers. Directly afterwards the French
frigate ran up on our larboard and lee quarter, and yawing rapidly,
fired into us. This sort of work continued for nearly half an hour.
Several of our men by that time had been struck down, though none that I
could see were killed, while our standing and running rigging was
already a good deal cut up. We had been blazing away for some time, and
the enemy's shot were coming pretty quickly aboard, when I heard a
crash, and looking up saw that our main-yard was badly wounded. Now for
the first time I began to fear that we should get crippled, and, being
surrounded by the enemy, should be unable to fight our way out from
among them.
Two other ships, the _Triumph_ and _Bellerophon_, were now warmly
engaged, and soon afterwards the remainder of the squadron began firing
their stern or quarter guns as they could bring them to bear on the
enemy. The _Brunswick_, it should be understood, was leading, then came
the _Royal Sovereign_, next the _Bellerophon_ and _Triumph_, we being,
as I before said, the sternmost. We now saw the _Royal Sovereign_
making signals to the two ships to go ahead, while she, shortening sail,
took her station next in line to the _Brunswick_.
We had kept up so hot a fire on the first ship which had attacked us,
that we had at length knocked away her main-topgallant mast and had done
considerable damage to her rigging. To our great satisfaction we saw
her sheer off and drop astern.
"Hurrah! there's one done for," cried Dick Hagger.
"So there is, my boy, but one down another came on," remarked a wag
among the crew of our gun, pointing as he spoke to a French
seventy-four, which, crowding all sail, was approaching to open directly
afterwards a brisk cannonade on our larboard quarter.
"Never mind, lads, we will treat her as we did t'other, and maybe we'll
capture both of them," cried Dick.
I did not see there was much chance of that, considering that the whole
French fleet was at hand to support the crippled ships. Had we been
more nearly matched we might have done it.
We were now getting pretty severely mauled. First one and then another
got up under our quarter, and blazed away at us. More men were wounded,
and our fore-topsail yard was badly damaged, in addition to our
main-topsail yard, while we had to cut away the stern galleries the
better to train our guns, run through the after ports. The other
ships--especially the _Triumph_, Sir Erasmus Gower--were keeping up a
tremendous fire from their stern-ports. Notwithstanding this, the
French were getting closer and closer.
Four hours thus passed away. While we were thus engaged, it must be
remembered we were pressing on with all sail, so that we kept ahead of
the enemy. While our sticks stood we had no fear of making our escape,
but we well knew that at any moment a shot might carry away one of our
masts, and then, too probably, our brave chief would have to leave us to
our fate for the sake of the safety of the rest of the squadron, not
that we supposed for an instant that he would do so until compelled by
the most dire necessity. Strange to say, I had not the slightest fear
of being shot, but I did dread the thought of being captured and shut up
in a French prison, to be treated as we heard that English prisoners
were treated by the French Republicans. The wretches who had cut off
the heads of their king and beautiful queen, and had guillotined
thousands of innocent persons, until the very streets of Paris ran with
blood, were not very likely to be over kind to the English they got into
their power. As yet, to be sure, they had not made many prisoners, but
those they had made we heard were treated barbarously.
The expectation of what we should receive should we be defeated did not
make us fight with the less determination. Still, as day wore on, the
French ships in greater numbers crowded up astern, and the chances that
we should escape seemed to diminish. Not a man, however, quitted his
gun. We should have a tremendously hard fight before we were taken--of
that we were certain; and many said, and believed it too, that Sir
Charles would let the ship sink under his feet rather than strike our
flag. Matters seemed getting worse and worse. We saw the _Royal
Sovereign_ throw out signals to us to alter our course to starboard, and
get away from the ships most annoying us.
Immediately afterwards we saw her keep away in our direction,
accompanied by the _Triumph_. We cheered lustily as she opened her
powerful broadside upon the enemy, when we running down were brought
into close order of battle, thus being saved from the mauling we were
getting.
Our two friends did not arrive a moment too soon; for just then four of
the French van ships had borne up, hoping to secure us. On seeing the
approach of a three-decker, they again hauled their wind.
While this work had been going on, the _Phaeton_ frigate, which had been
sent by the admiral in the morning to a distance of some miles, was seen
approaching, making the signal of a strange sail west-north-west, soon
afterwards for four sail, and finally she let fly her topgallant-sheets,
and fired two guns in quick succession, which we all well knew was the
signal for fleet, probably that of Lord Bridport. This cheered up our
hearts, as may be supposed, for we fancied that the tables would soon be
turned, and that instead of being chased, we should be chasing the
Frenchmen, with the prospect of a stand-up fight, ending in the capture
of a part, if not the whole of their fleet.
No one thought at the time that the _Phaeton_ was carrying out a _ruse
de guerre_, which had shortly before been arranged by Admiral
Cornwallis.
In the afternoon, about three o'clock, we saw the _Phaeton_ making
private signals to the supposed fleet; and then using the tabular
signals with which the French were well acquainted, she communicated to
our admiral the fact that the fleet seen were friends.
About an hour and a half afterwards, she signalled that they were ships
of the line. She then hoisted the Dutch ensign, as if replying to a
signal made by the admiral in the distance to Admiral Cornwallis,
ordering him to join company.
Shortly afterwards she shortened sail, then wore, and stood back towards
us. We had been all day retreating, most of the time warmly engaged
with our overpowering enemy, when soon after 6 p.m. the French ships
suddenly ceased firing; and shortly afterwards, their admirals making
signals to them, they shortened sail and stood to the eastward. By
sunset they were nearly hull down in the north-east, while we sailed on,
rejoicing in having escaped from as dangerous a position as squadron was
ever placed in. I don't know if I have succeeded in explaining the
position of our ships sufficiently well to be understood by shore-going
persons. So close were the French ships upon us, that had they not
given up the chase when they did, it would have been scarcely possible
for us and the _Triumph_, which, if she had not suffered as much as we
had, was too much cut up to have afforded us any assistance, to have
effected our escape. I am very certain that our old admiral would not
have deserted us, nor was it likely that the other two ships would have
done so. We should all, therefore, after a desperate fight, either have
gone down, been blown up, or captured. As it was, our brave admiral's
masterly retreat excited general admiration. Every seaman on board was
well able to judge of our danger, and of the way in which we had been
rescued. Had he not so gallantly bore up to save us in the _Mars_, our
ship must inevitably have been taken. He might, as some officers would
have done, have left us to our fate, for the sake of preserving the rest
of the squadron; but he had no notion of doing anything of the sort, and
gallantly determined that if he could help it, not a single one of his
squadron should fall into the hands of the enemy. In his despatch,
giving an account of the transaction, he spoke in the handsomest way of
the behaviour of the officers and ships' companies engaged, saying very
little of the manner in which he had come to our rescue. He and all of
us got the thanks of both Houses of Parliament for what had been done,
and all will acknowledge that he richly deserved them. As soon as we
lost sight of the French fleet, we steered a course for Plymouth, to
carry the intelligence that it was at sea. From the way the stern of
our ship had been knocked about, we were compelled to remain for some
time at Hamoaze to refit, and were therefore unable to sail with the
fleet under Lord Bridport, which went out to look for the French fleet
from which we had effected our escape. He came up with the enemy off
Isle-groix; and after a tough fight, in which a good many officers and
men were killed and wounded, three French ships were captured. One of
them was the _Alexander_, but she was so knocked about by the _Queen
Charlotte_, that she was worth little. The two others, the _Tigre_ and
_Formidable_, were fine new seventy-fours. The former was allowed to
retain her name, but we already having a _Formidable_ in the service,
her name was changed to the _Belle Isle_, near which the action was
fought.
We and the _Triumph_ were at once ordered up to Hamoaze to get our
damages repaired. We were much injured aloft, and when I looked at the
stern of our ship, she had the appearance of having received a dreadful
pounding. The _Triumph_ had suffered still more, as from her position
in the line she had to keep up the heaviest stern fire. In order to
train her guns, the stern galleries, bulk-heads, and every part of the
stern of the ward-room, except the timbers, had been cut away, and it
was said that from her three stern batteries--namely, her first deck,
her second deck, and quarter-deck--she had expended in single shots five
thousand pounds of powder.
I now hoped that I might be able to get leave in sufficient time to
reach Southsea, and spend a few days with my wife, and I resolved to
make bold and ask for it as soon as I could see the commander.
Meantime, the moment I was off duty I hurried below and began a letter
to my wife. While thus engaged, all hands were piped on deck.
"What can it be for?" exclaimed Dick. "We are not going to sea, I
suppose, in this state?"
On reaching the deck, we found numerous boats alongside, and besides
them also several lieutenants not belonging to our ship. As soon as we
were mustered, our commander addressed us. He said that as the _Mars_
would be some time refitting, the Admiralty had ordered part of our crew
to be drafted on board a line-of-battle ship and two frigates requiring
hands, the _Thunderer, Arethusa_, and _Galatea_. He did not ask for
volunteers, but said that those whose names were called over must get
their bags at once and go off in the boats waiting alongside to receive
them. I don't know what my shipmates felt, but I hoped earnestly that I
should not be among those selected. I listened almost breathlessly as
the names were called over, and as they did so, the men were sent down
for their bags. A hundred and fifty or more had been chosen, about two
hundred were wanted. At last, what was my dismay on hearing my own name
called! It was vain, I knew, to expostulate; I had to submit. Before
going below, I stopped to speak to Hagger. Taking out the almost
finished letter, I begged him to add a postscript, saying how I had been
sent off, but that I trusted I might return before long. Scarcely were
the words out of my mouth when his name was called.
"It can't be helped, Will," he said; "bear up, lad, I'm thankful I'm
going with you. You must try and finish your letter, and send it off
when we get aboard the ship we're ordered to join."
I made no reply, my heart was too full to speak. I wanted to do my
duty, but this disappointment was almost more than I could bear.
"Move on, be smart now, lads!" I heard one of the officers sing out,
"there's not a moment to lose."
Dick and I hurried below, shouldered our bags and returned on deck, when
we found that we were both to go on board the _Galatea_ frigate,
commanded by Captain Keats. The boats immediately shoved off, and away
we pulled down the Sound.