Part 1 (1/2)

Military Mee Carleton

by Daniel Defoe

TO THE READER

_The Author of these Meuish himself in martial Affairs, otherwise he could not have seen such Variety of Actions both by Sea and Land After the last Dutch War he went into Flanders, where he not only serv'd under the Coe, whilst he was Generalissin'd King of Great Britain Most of the considerable Passages and Events, which happened during that time, are contained in the foriment in which he serv'd as Captain was order'd to eo thither, chang'd with an half-pay Captain; and being recommended to the Earl of Peterborow by the late Lord Cutts, ith him upon that noble Expedition into Spain_

_When the Forces under his Lordshi+p's Coe of that Place was thought by several iineers, but that the Besieged were as nue of that brave Earl sure was resolv'd upon_

_Our Author having obtain'd, by his long Service, so at that critical Tiave hi an Eye-Witness of his Lordshi+p's Actions; and consequentlythem forth in these his Memoirs_

_It may not be perhaps improper to mention that the Author of these Memoirs was born at Ewelme in Oxfordshi+re, descended from an ancient and an honourable Family The Lord Dudley Carleton, who died Secretary of State to King Charles I was his Great Uncle; and in_ _the san his Father was Envoy at the Court of Madrid, whilst his Uncle, Sir Dudley Carleton, was Embassador to the States of Holland, Men in those Days respected both for their Abilities and Loyalty_

MEMOIRS

OF AN

_English Officer, &c_

In the year one Thousand six Hundred seventy two, War being proclai nobility and Gentry, as a Blemish, not to attend the Duke of _York_ aboard the Fleet, as then declared Admiral With e, enter'd my self a Voluntier on board the _London_, coe_, Vice-Admiral of the _Red_

The Fleet set Sail fro of _May_, in order to join the _French_ Fleet, then at Anchor in St

_hellen's Road_, under the Con we had a very narrow Escape: For _De Ruyter_, the Ad Notice of our Intentions, waited to have intercepted us at the Mouth of the River, but by the assistance of a great Fog we pass'd _Dover_ before he are of it; and thus heonly one slish_ and _French_, we sailed directly towards the _Dutch_ Coast, where we soon got sight of their Fleet; a Sand called the _Galloper_ lying between The _Dutch_ seeard the _Charles_ Man of War had been lost on those Sands the War before; and that our shi+ps drawing ht be render'd very disadvantageous; it was resolv'd in a Council of War to avoid co to a Battle for the present, and to sail direftly for _Solebay_, which was accordingly put in Execution

We had not been in _Solebay_ above four or five Days, when _De Ruyter_, hearing of it,in order to surprize us; and he had certainly had his Aih they , that we could see their Fleetwhich, our Adh to form their shi+ps into a Line of Battle, so as to be ready to receive the Ene of the 28th of _May_, being _Tuesday_ in _Whitson Week_, e firstthe Blue Squadron, under the Coe with Admiral _Van Ghent_, who commanded the _Amsterdaeneral Engageht, and with equal Fury on all Sides, the _French_ excepted, who appeared stationed there rather as Spectators than Parties; and as unwilling to be toothelish_ Aded about Four in the Afternoon to remove himself a third Time into the _London_, where he re Nevertheless, on his Entrance upon the _London_, which was the shi+p I was in, and on our Hoisting the Standard, _De Ruyter_ and his Squadron seem'd to double their Fire upon her, as if they resolv'd to blow her out of the Water Notwithstanding all which, the Duke of _York_ remain'd all the time upon Quarter Deck, and as the Bullets plentifully whizz'd around hie, they follow us still_ I am very sensible later Times have not been over favourable in their Sentiments of that unfortunate Prince's Valour, yet I cannot o a Matter of Fact, of which , That if Intrepidity, and Undauntedness, e, no Man in the Fleet better deserv'd the title of Couragious, or behav'd hilish_ lost the _Royal James_, commanded by the Earl of _Sandwich_, which about Twelve (after the strenuous Endeavours of her Sailors to disengage her from two _Dutch_ Fire shi+ps plac'd on her, one athwart her Hawsers, the other on her Star-board Side) took Fire, blew up, and perish'd; and with her a great st the rest the Earl hi whoe from _Harwich_ to the _Brill_, a Year or two after, the Master of the Pacquet Boat toldin one particular Part of the Sea, he order'd his Boat toa Corpse, the Sailors would have return'd it to the Sea, as the Corpse of a _Dutch Man_; but keeping it in his Boat, it proved to be that of the Earl of _Sandwich_ There was found about him between twenty and thirty Guineas, so which to his Lady, she kept the Watch, but rewarded their Honesty with all the Gold and Silver

This was the only shi+p the _English_ lost in this long Engageh the _Katherine_ was taken, and her Commander, Sir _John Chicheley_,the Opportunity they had watch'd for, seiz'd all the _Dutch_ Sailors, who had been put in upon theether with all the _Dutch Men_ Prisoners; for which, as they deserv'd, they ell rewarded This is the sarave_ (afterwards Duke of _Buckinghaht, and has caus'd to be painted in his House in St _James's Park_

I must not omit one very remarkable Occurrence which happened in this shi+p, There was a Gentleenerally known by the Na of the Fight, a considerable Wound, which the great Confusion, during the Battle, would not give them leave to inquire into; so he was carried out of the Way, and disposed of in the Hold

They had sos aboard, which the Sailor, under whose Care they were, had neglected to feed; these Hogs, hungry as they were, found out, and fell upon the wounded Person, and between dead and alive eat hiht was over, and the shi+p retaken, as before, was all that could be found of hi, less to be accounted for, happen'd to a Gentleman Voluntier as aboard the sae, in the vulgar Notion of it, his Sword never having fail'd hi all his Land-mettle, it was observ'd of him at Sea, that when ever the Bullets whizz'd over his Head, or any way incommoded his Ears, he immediately quitted the Deck, and ran down into the Hold At first he was gently reproach'd; but after an to be despis'd; sensible of which, as a Testimonial of his Valour, he made it his Request to be ty'd to the Main Mast But had it been granted him, I cannot see any title he could have pleaded fro away can i less, than that he would have still continued these Signs of Cowardice, if he had not been prevented There is a Bravery of Mind which I fansy few of those Gentlee cannot proceed froh_ finely calls _the Art_ or _Philosophy of Quarrel_ No! It must be the Issue of Principle, and can have no other Basis than a steady Tenet of Religion This will appear ive themselves leave cooly to consider, and answer me this Question, Why he that had ran so many Risques at his Sword's Point, should be so shamefully intimidated at the Whiz of a Cannon Ball?

_The Nalish Gentleement_

Commissioner cox, Captain of the _Royal Prince_, under the Command of the Admiral; and Mr _Travanian_, Gentleby_, Captain of the _Henry_, second Son to the Earl of _Bristol_; Sir _Fletchvile Hollis_, Captain of the _Cae_, who lost one of his Arms in the War before, and his Life in this; Captain _Saddleton_, of the _Dartmouth_; the Lord _Maidstone_, Son to the Earl of _Winchelsea_, a Voluntier on board the _Charles_, commanded by Sir _John Harman_, Vice-Admiral of the Red