_Royal Sovereign_. We have been told how Collingwood, in the middle
of the fighting, commended a “black man” for his straight shooting.
Apparently the man was a West Indian. There were no fewer than seventy
foreigners and aliens on board Collingwood’s flagship at Trafalgar,
according to the ship’s books, the list being thus made up: Twenty-four
Americans (hailing for the most part from New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and New Jersey); seven Dutchmen—Dirks and Franz’s and Hendriks
and Rutters—from Friesland, Delft, Maestricht, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam;
one Belgian, from Brussels; three Portuguese from the Azores and Lisbon;
four Prussians and one Pole from Dantzic; two Danes, two Frenchmen, one
Norwegian, one Venetian, one Neapolitan, one Maltese, seven Lascars—two
of them entered as “Jonan” and “Lowannah”—from the East Indies; two
Malays from Batavia, entered as “Soloman” and “Ballee”; one from Bengal,
one from Madras, a third Malay entered as “George”; fifteen West Indians,
from St. Kitts, Barbados, Jamaica, and from Berbice, in British Guiana.
* * * * *
Two interesting letters from the _Royal Sovereign_ may serve to conclude
our narrative. One was from a Hampshire lad, one of those fighting below
at the guns. It runs thus:—
“Honoured Father,—This comes to tell you I am alive and hearty except
three fingers; but that’s not much, it might have been my head. I told
brother Tom I should like to see a greadly [_sic_] battle, and I have
seen one, and we have peppered the Combined rarely; and for the matter of
that, they fought us pretty tightish for French and Spanish. Three of our
mess are killed, and four more of us winged. But to tell you the truth of
it, when the game began, I wished myself at Warnborough with my plough
again; but when they had given us one duster, and I found myself snug
and tight, I ... set to in good earnest, and thought no more about being
killed than if I were at Murrell Green Fair, and I was presently as busy
and as black as a collier. How my fingers got knocked overboard I don’t
know, but off they are, and I never missed them till I wanted them. You
see, by my writing, it was my left hand, so I can write to you and fight
for my King yet. We have taken a rare parcel of ships, but the wind is so
rough we cannot bring them home, else I should roll in money, so we are
busy smashing ’em, and blowing ’em up wholesale.
“Our dear Admiral Nelson is killed! so we have paid pretty sharply for
licking ’em. I never sat eyes on him, for which I am both sorry and glad;
for, to be sure, I should like to have seen him—but then, all the men in
our ship who have seen him are such soft toads, they have done nothing
but blast their eyes, and cry, ever since he was killed. God bless you!
chaps that fought like the devil, sit down and cry like a wench. I am
still in the _Royal Sovereign_, but the Admiral has left her, for she is
like a horse without a bridle, so he is in a frigate that he may be here
and there and everywhere, for he’s as _cute_ as here and there one, and
as bold as a lion, for all he can cry!—I saw his tears with my own eyes,
when the boat hailed and said my lord was dead. So no more at present
from your dutiful son,—SAM.”
A pathetic interest attaches to the other letter. It was written on the
morning of the battle by a midshipman of the _Royal Sovereign_, Mr. John
Aikenhead, who was killed in the action. It was apparently meant for his
parents and family in general:—
“We have just piped to breakfast; thirty-five sail, besides smaller
vessels, are now on our beam, about three miles off. Should I, my dear
parents, fall in defence of my King, let that thought console you. I feel
not the least dread on my spirits. Oh my parents, sisters, brothers, dear
grandfather, grandmother, and aunt, believe me ever yours!
“Accept, perhaps for the last time, your brother’s love; be assured I
feel for my friends, should I die in this glorious action—glorious, no
doubt, it will be. Every British heart pants for glory. Our old Admiral
(Admiral Collingwood) is quite young with the thoughts of it. If I
survive, nothing will give me greater pleasure than embracing my dearest
relations. Do not, in case I fall, grieve—it will be to no purpose. Many
brave fellows will no doubt fall with me on both sides.”
The letter added that the writer had made his will and put it in his
desk. It gave also a statement of the property deposited in his chest,
with £10 savings, added since the will was made. “Do not be surprised,”
says the lad in his letter, “to find £10 more—it is mine.”
“OLD IRONSIDES” AND THE THIRD IN COMMAND
“Britannia Victrix”
The 100-gun three-decker _Britannia_, was the flagship of the third in
command at Trafalgar, Rear-Admiral the Earl of Northesk. In honour of the
part that the _Britannia_ took in the battle Lord Northesk was created
a Knight of the Bath, and was granted by George the Third the right to
place the name “Trafalgar” on his coat-of-arms, with special heraldic
augmentations. Ever since 1805 the supporters of the heraldic shield of
the earls of Northesk have each borne a staff with a Rear-Admiral of the
White’s flag on it bearing the inscription, “Britannia Victrix.”
“Old Ironsides” was the _Britannia’s_ every-day name in Nelson’s fleet,
due to the fact, it is said, that the _Britannia_ was the oldest
man-of-war in the fighting line of the Navy. The veteran three-decker on
the 21st of October, 1805, had been afloat just forty-three years and two
days. She was our second _Britannia_, and the first three-decker launched
in George the Third’s reign, the launch taking place at Portsmouth
Dockyard on the 19th of October, 1762, in the presence of twenty thousand
spectators, “who all had the pleasure of seeing as fine a launch as ever
was seen.”
Trafalgar was the _Britannia’s_ fifth battle. She had had her first
meeting with the enemy as flagship of the Second in Command in the
“Grand Fleet” under Lord Howe, which achieved the relief of Gibraltar
in 1782—a feat that nowadays perhaps we think little of, but which
was thought enough of at the time for such a personage as Frederick
the Great to write an autograph letter of congratulation on it to the
British Admiral. After that she had taken part at Lord Hood’s occupation
of Toulon, in Admiral Hotham’s two actions off Genoa and off Hyères,
as commander-in-chief’s flagship, and on the 14th of February, 1797,
“Glorious Valentine’s Day,” as flagship of the second in command in the
battle off Cape St. Vincent.[20]
At Trafalgar the _Britannia_ went into action as the fifth or sixth ship
astern of the _Victory_. She had three of the enemy’s ships firing on
her as she ranged forward into the battle under full sail. She broke
the enemy’s line, firing both broadsides as she drove through, after
which she engaged an 80-gun ship and promptly dismasted her opponent. A
little later, we are told, a French officer “was seen to wave a white
handkerchief from the quarter-deck in token of surrender.” Leaving
another of our ships to take possession, the _Britannia_ passed on
forthwith to deal with others of the enemy, and was constantly engaged,
we are told, sometimes with two or three ships of the enemy at once and
fighting on both broadsides.
This is how the _Britannia’s_ log records her part at Trafalgar, in the
dry, matter-of-fact style usual with such documents:—
“12.50. We began to engage three of the enemy’s ships, having opened
their fire upon us while running down. 1.10. Observed the ship we were
engaging on our larboard quarter totally dismasted, continued our course
in order to break through the centre of the enemy’s line, engaging on
both sides in passing between their ships. At 3 passed through the line.
4.30. Hauled to the wind on the larboard tack per signal. 5.30. Ceased
firing. Observed the _Achille_, a French line-of-battle ship, on fire,
which soon after blew up.”
Fortunately the log is not all that we have to rely upon for the story
of the _Britannia’s_ doings at Trafalgar. Some of the officers wrote
down their experiences and impressions, from which we get a remarkably
interesting idea of how things fared on board during the battle. Says, to
begin with, Lieutenant John Barclay in his journal:—
“½ past 12. Vice-Admiral Collingwood, in the _Royal Sovereign_, commenced
the action, by an attack upon the whole of the enemy’s rear, in the most
gallant manner, and without any immediate prospect of support, from being
so far ahead of the lee division. Took in our studding sails. About ¼
before 1, Lord Nelson, after having sustained a most galling fire in
running down, opened both sides of the _Victory_ on the headmost ships
of their centre division. He was close followed up by the _Téméraire_,
_Neptune_, _Conqueror_, _Leviathan_, and this ship, and pushed through
their line about the 14th from the van. Several raking shot called forth
exertions about 10 minutes after our noble chief. Here began the din of
war. It became impossible to trace farther except at intervals, when
the smoke cleared away _a little_. At ¼ past 1 the masts of the ship
we were most particularly engaging (larboard side) fell by the board:
supposed to be the _Bucentaure_, but without any flag observed flying.
Continued edging on slowly, for there was very little wind, and our main
topsail in particular was shot almost entirely from the yard. At 3, got
to leeward of their line and hauled up a little on the larboard tack.
Until ¼ past 4 kept up a heavy fire occasionally on both sides on every
French or Spanish ensign flying near us, when we hauled to the wind on
the larboard tack per signal. ½ past 5, all firing ceased except from the
_Achille_, a very fine French ship—wrapt in flames. The cutters instantly
repaired to her assistance, and saved the crew, soon after which she blew
up with a tremendous explosion.”
Signal-Midshipman John Wells, in a letter home, written during the
week following the battle, has this to say of what he went through and
witnessed:
“I am very happy to say that the _Britannia_ was certainly a very
fortunate Ship during the whole time, as we had not above 10 killed and
41 wounded although we were the fourth Ship in Action and the last out
of it, and I doubt not that it will be found that she does honour to all
who belong to her, as our fire was not directed to One particular Ship,
but as soon as one had struck to us we immediately made to others and
at one time had five ships blazing away upon us, but we soon tired them
out. As I told you before, I was stationed at the Signals and Colours in
the time of Action and being on the Quarter Deck I had an opportunity
of seeing the whole of the Sport, which I must own rather daunted me
before the first or second broadside; but after then I think I never
should have been tired of drubing [_sic_] the Jokers, particulary [_sic_]
when my ship mates began to fall arround [_sic_] me, which in the room
of disheartening an Englishman only encourages him, as the sight of his
Country Man’s blood makes his heart burn for revenge.
“I am very sorry to inform you that my worthy friend our signal
Lieutenant was knocked down by a double-headed shot close by my side and
immediately expired, much lamented by his brother Officers and every one
in the Ship; I had several very narrow escapes from the Enemy’s Shot,
but thanks be to the Lord he [_sic_] has still spared me thro’ his great
goodness.
“Too much credit cannot be given to Lord Northesk and Captain Bullen for
their gallant Conduct during the Engagement, indeed it was the case with
every Officer and Man in the Ship. Immediately the Enemy had struck I
went on board one of the French prizes to take possession of her, and
when I got there I may well say I was shocked to see the sight as I
believe there was not less than 3 or 400 Bodies lying about the Decks,
cut and mangled all to pieces, some dying and others Dead. We took the
remainder of the men that were alive on board of our own Ships, at which
they seemed very glad. And from the Information that we can get from
them they really came out of Cadiz with an intention of fighting, not
thinking us to be above 17 sail of the line and them under the command of
Sir Robt. Calder (but he was not with us at all), and that Lord Nelson
was in England sick. So they thought they were an equal match for our 17
with there [_sic_] 37—and in fact made themselves so sure of taking us
into Cadiz that several Private Gentlemen came out of Cadiz as passengers
on purpose to see the Action and have the pleasure of towing us in, but
they were once more deceived in our Wooden Walls. Amongst the prisoners
in our Ship there are 5 or 6 of these Gentlemen of pleasure, and I think
they are in a fair way for seeing an English prison before they return to
Cadiz again.”
Another of the _Britannia’s_ officers, who made use of his opportunities
for seeing what was going on round him, was 2nd Lieutenant L.B. Halloran
of the Royal Marines. He noted this down in his private diary from his
own personal experiences and observations:
“We piped to breakfast at eight o’clock, and the ship being clear and
ready about nine o’clock, we went to quarters. The Fleet then formed in
two lines, standing slowly and steadily, with every sail set, before the
light breeze, with ensigns and colours flying. Our ship, the _Britannia_,
was the third from the _Victory_, which led the Larboard or Lee line;
we were next the _Neptune_, 98 guns. For some time after the men were
at quarters, before the firing began we heard many of them amusing
themselves with nautical jokes, or reciting scraps from a Prologue which
I had spoken at one of our last Dramatic performances. Among the lines
repeatedly quoted the following seemed the favourite:—
We have great guns of Tragedy loaded so well,
If they do but go off, they will certainly tell.
“About 11.30, the _Royal Sovereign_, Admiral Collingwood, which led the
Starboard or Weather line, after sustaining for nearly half an hour
severe firing from the enemy as she approached without returning a
shot, opened her tremendous Broadsides close alongside the _Sta. Anna_,
a Spanish Admiral’s ship. Our people were highly amused, and passed many
jokes on seeing the _Sta. Anna_, almost immediately dismasted and falling
out of line with her colours down. We had not much time to admire the
gallantry of the _Royal Sovereign_ and the ships succeeding her, for it
was our turn to commence, and in passing we poured a most destructive
fire (the guns being double-shotted) into the _Bucentaur_, which ship had
already received the first fire of the _Victory_ and _Neptune_. Her masts
were at once swept away, and her galleries and stern broken to pieces;
her Colours being shot away, some-one waved a white handkerchief from the
remains of the Larboard Gallery in token of Surrender.
“We then encountered the _Santisima Trinidada_, 240 guns [_sic_] on
four decks (the largest ship then known). We passed under stern of this
magnificent Ship, and gave her a Broadside which shattered the rich
display of sculpture, figures, ornaments, and inscriptions with which she
was adorned. I never saw so beautiful a ship. Luffing up alongside her
four-decked side, of a rich lake colour, she had an imposing effect.
“We proceeded, and now got into the middle of the Action, where the
denseness of the smoke, the noise and din of Battle, were so great as
to leave little time for observation. Nearly about this time, between
one and two o’clock, a shot struck the muzzle of the gun at which I was
stationed (the aftermost gun on the larboard side of the lower deck),
and killed or wounded every one there stationed, myself and Midshipman
Tompkins only excepted. The shot was a very large one, and split into a
number of pieces, each of which took its victim. We threw the mangled
body of John Jolley, a marine, out of the stern port, his stomach being
shot away; the other sufferers we left to be examined. The gun itself was
split, and our second lieutenant, Roskruge, who came down at that moment
with some orders, advised me to leave the Gun as useless. He had scarcely
left us, when he was brought down senseless with a severe wound in his
head: he breathed, but continued senseless until nine o’clock, when he
died.
“The Battle continued until five o’clock. Seeing no signal from the
_Victory_, and also missing Admiral Collingwood’s flag, we were in much
uneasiness on Board. The scene presented a strange contrast to the
morning; twenty-one or twenty-two sail of the Enemy’s Line, Prizes and
dismasted, one (_L’Achille_) burning furiously, which soon after blew up,
the sky lowering in the distance, a heavy sea rising, and an awful kind
of pause succeeding the crash of falling yards and masts and the roar of
the guns.
“Having sent a boat to the _Victory_, we ascertained the death of Lord
Nelson, our Commander-in-Chief.
“With hearts fraught with blended feelings of sorrow and of triumph, we
set about putting the ship to rights. The evening was fine, though a
storm seemed to be coming up, and around us as the darkness closed in
the scattered and forlorn wrecks lay floating in disorder, while the
conqueror’s ships were repairing damages, shifting prisoners, or making
sail. It was a scene of desolation, helpless prizes and dismantled
victors rolling heavily, as the sea began to roughen with the breeze....
“The whole night was occupied in receiving prisoners, and preparing for
stormy weather, which was coming on.”
This is from the letter that a seaman on board the _Britannia_, James
West, an A.B., wrote to his parents at Newhaven in Sussex:—
“I am sorry to inform you that I am wounded in the left shoulder, and
that William Hillman was killed at the same time: the shot that killed
him and three others wounded me and five more. Another of my messmates,
Thomas Crosby, was also killed; they both went to their guns like men,
and died close to me. Crosby was shot in three places. Pray inform their
poor friends of their death, and remind them that they died at the same
time as Nelson, and in the moment of glorious victory. Remember me to
all my relations and friends; tell them I am wounded at last, but that I
do not much mind it, for I had my satisfaction of my enemies, as I never
fired my gun in pain I was sure to hit them; I killed and wounded them
in plenty. Should have written you sooner, but the pain in my shoulder
would not let me.”
During the week following Trafalgar the _Britannia_ received 381 French
prisoners on board: 48 from _L’Aigle_, a captured seventy-four; 140 from
the recaptured _Berwick_, a former British seventy-four; the rest from
the captured _Intrépide_, another seventy-four. The names of all the
prisoners are carefully entered in the _Britannia’s_ books, and among
them appears the name of a Turk, mentioned also by Lieutenant Halloran as
being received on board—Abdalla Fadalla, a prisoner from the _Intrépide_.
* * * * *
According to the ship’s books these were the officers, in addition to
Lord Northesk, serving on board the _Britannia_ at Trafalgar:—
Captain—Charles Bullen.
Lieutenants—Arthur Atchison; Francis Roskruge (killed); John Houlton
Marshall; Charles Anthony; Richard Lasham; William Blight; John Barclay;
James Lindsay.
Marine Officers.—Captain—Alexander Watson. Lieutenants—William Jackson;
L. B. J. Halloran; John Cooke.
Master—Stephen Trounce (wounded).
Surgeon—Allen Cornfoot.
Purser—James Hiatt.
Chaplain—Rev. Lawrence H. Halloran.
Gunner—Michael Aylward.
Boatswain—(not joined).
Carpenter—John Simpson.
Master’s Mates and Midshipmen—John Adamson; Thos. Goble; James Sudbury;
Silvester Austin; James Rattray; Henry Canham; Em. Blight; John Lang;
William Snell; John W. Pritchard; William Grant (wounded); Francis D.
Lauzun; William Geikie; Josh. Thorndyke; John Coulthred; Andrew Parry;
Charles Thornbury; James L. Peyton; John Brumfield; George Hurst;
George Morey; Charles Pitt; James Robinson; Radford G. Meech; Richard
Molesworth; Charles Wilson; John Bidgood; John Lawrence; William Pinet;
Richard B. Bowden; Benjamin Sheppard; William Pyne.
Surgeon’s Mates—John Evans; John Owen Martin.
Clerk—Richard Whichelo.
First-class Volunteers—James R. Sulivan; Bowkum Tomkyns; Josh. Bailey.
A glance at the composition of the ship’s company of the _Britannia_,
according to the muster book, shows that the foreigners among the seamen
on board numbered 53 in all. Of that total 18 were Americans, 11 Germans,
6 Danes, 4 Frenchmen, 1 Swede, 4 Dutchmen, 1 East Indian, 2 Africans,
2 Italians, and 4 from the West Indies. Ireland contributed 189 seamen
ratings (the total number of seamen on board the _Britannia_, as mustered
by the ship’s books on Sunday morning, the day before the battle, was
599); Scotland, 42; Wales, 25; the Isle of Man, 6; the Channel Islands,
5; and the Scilly Isles, Shetland, and Skye, 1 each. The full total of
all ranks and ratings on board the _Britannia_ at Trafalgar, as mustered
on the 20th of October, numbered 31 officers, 599 seamen ratings (petty
officers, able seamen, ordinary seamen, and landmen), 28 boys, 126
marines, 5 supernumeraries, and 8 “widows’ men,” making 797 in all.
The ship’s official complement as a first rate was 837, so that the
_Britannia_ was really 40 men short in the action.
* * * * *
One incidental fact that we learn from the _Britannia_ may be added. It
throws a useful sidelight on life and ways at sea in the navy of Nelson’s
day, dealing as it does with the relations that existed between officers
and men on board while waiting off Cadiz for the expected battle. It
proves for one thing also that Lord Northesk’s flagship quite deserved
the designation of a “happy ship.” This was their favourite way of
passing the time off duty, according to Lieutenant Halloran’s journal.
“August 22nd. Heard that enemy had gone into Cadiz. We steered direct for
that port. Here we remained blockading the place until the arrival of
Lord Nelson in the _Victory_. During this time the officers and ship’s
company amused themselves with dramatic performances. Our first drama,
acted in the Admiral’s cabin, was as appears in the following playbill:—
This evening, September 4th, 1805, will be performed a drama
called
‘LORD HASTINGS.’
DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, Mr. Hurst.
EARL OF DERBY, Mr. Martin, assistant surgeon.
RATCLIFFE, Mr. Rattray.
CATESBY, Mr. Thorndyke, midshipman.
HASTINGS, Lieut. Halloran.
After which will be performed a drama called
‘THE TRIUMPH OF FRIENDSHIP; OR, DAMON AND PYTHIAS.’
DIONYSIUS, Mr. Hurst.
GELON, Lieut. Halloran.
PALNURIUS, Mr. Austen.
ARGUS, Mr. Rattray.
DAMON, Mr. Martin.
PYTHIAS, Mr. Thorndyke.
Doors to be opened at 6.30. To begin at 7.
“Wednesday, September 4th. Off Cadiz. The ship’s company also performed
two or three plays on the main deck, one of them called ‘Miss in her
Teens’: very well done.
“Thursday, September 12th. We acted another play, called _The Siege
of Colchester_, in which Rattray, Wilson, Bowden, and I took part.
Between the acts I recited the romance of _Alonzo and Imogene_. On this
occasion, the Admiral’s fore-cabin being found too small to hold stage
and audience both, the fore bulk-head of the cabin was taken down, and
the cabin itself turned into a stage, leaving the two side doors for
the stage exits, and the cabin open to the main deck. The stage being
decorated with colours, festoons, wings, etc., with front lights, had a
very pretty effect. The main deck, fitted up with seats, made a capacious
theatre, and all the officers and ship’s company attended. All the future
performances will be represented in the same manner.
“September 27th. Another party of the officers, under Lieut. Blight’s
direction, performed (with the addition of some good scenery, painted
by Mr. Adams, master’s mate) _The Mock Doctor_. Characters taken by
Messrs. Pitt, Laurence, Johnstone, Geikie, Martin, and Peyton, with
Masters Lauzun and Snell as Dorcas and Charlotte. The ship’s company,
whose theatre was amidships, near the main mast on the main deck, also
performed _The Tragedy of Pizarro_ and at the end of the first act was
recited _The Soliloquy of Dick the Apprentice_.