Part 6 (1/2)

A victory would have saved the country, but it would not have afforded such ground for a.s.sured confidence in her future trials. This deliverance was a pledge of protection through the terrible struggle of the next twenty years; when, long disappointed in her hopes, and at length deserted by her last ally, England still maintained her good cause with a firmness more honourable to her character than even the unrivalled triumph she achieved. It remains a pledge, that amidst all dangers she may perform her duty as a Christian country, in full reliance upon G.o.d's blessing: or, should the greatness of her trials confound all human resources, that she may wait, in quietness and confidence, for G.o.d's deliverance.

It was Sir Edward Pellew's fortune, as he had been prominent in the services connected with the sailing of this armament, to mark the return of it by a battle, the only one fought, and equally singular in its circ.u.mstances, and appalling in its result. He put to sea with the _Indefatigable_ and _Amazon_ on the 22nd, and supposing the enemy to have gone to the southward, cruised off Capes Ortugal and Finisterre until the 11th of January. On the 2nd, the _Amazon_ carried away her main-topmast, and on the 11th, the _Indefatigable_ sprung her main-topmast and topsail-yard in a squall, and was obliged to s.h.i.+ft them. Returning towards the Channel, on the 13th of January, at a little past noon, the s.h.i.+ps being about fifty leagues south-west of Ushant, and the wind blowing hard from the westward, with thick weather, a sail was discovered in the north-west. Sail was made in chase, and by four o'clock the stranger, at first supposed to be a frigate, as she had no p.o.o.p, was clearly made out to be a French two-decker.

The enemy's s.h.i.+p, the _Droits de l'Homme_, commanded by Commodore, _ci-devant_ Baron Lacrosse, was one of those which had proceeded to the Shannon, after having been blown out of Bantry Bay. She was the flag-s.h.i.+p of Rear-Admiral Bouvet, but this officer, according to a frequent practice of French admirals, had embarked in a frigate. General Humbert, who commanded one of the expeditions to Ireland in 1798, had taken his pa.s.sage in her. That morning she had arrived within twenty-five leagues of Belleisle, and as the weather appeared threatening, she stood to the southward, fearing to approach nearer to the sh.o.r.e. Early in the afternoon she saw two large s.h.i.+ps at a short distance to windward, probably the _Revolution_ and _Fraternite_, but not waiting to ascertain their character, she made sail from them to the south-east. At half-past three she first discovered on her lee-bow the two frigates, which had observed her three hours before, and were steering a course nearly parallel to her own, to cut her off from the land.

The wind had now increased to a gale, and the sea was fast rising. At half-past four the enemy carried away her fore and main-topmasts in a heavy squall. At three-quarters past five the _Indefatigable_ came up with her, and having shortened sail to close-reefed topsails, poured in a broadside as she crossed her stern. The enemy returned it from some of the upper-deck guns, and by showers of musketry from the troops, of whom there were nearly a thousand on board. So close were the s.h.i.+ps, that some of the _Indefatigable's_ people tore away the enemy's ensign, which became entangled in the mizen rigging. The _Indefatigable_ then tried to pa.s.s ahead and gain a position on the enemy's bow, but the line-of-battle s.h.i.+p avoided this, and attempted, but without success, to lay the frigate on board, actually grazing the _Indefatigable's_ spanker-boom.

The British frigate engaged the line-of-battle s.h.i.+p single-handed for more than an hour, before her consort, which was several miles astern when the action commenced, could get up to a.s.sist her. At length, reaching the enemy, the _Amazon_ poured a broadside into her quarter, and then, with the Commodore, maintained the engagement until about half-past seven, when the _Indefatigable_ found it necessary to repair her rigging, and both frigates shot ahead.

At a little past eight, the frigates renewed the action, and placing themselves one on either bow of the _Droits de l'Homme_, raked her alternately. The seventy-four brought her guns to bear upon one or the other of her antagonists as well as she could, and occasionally attempted, but without success, to close. At half-past ten, her mizenmast was shot away, when the frigates changed their position, and attacked her on either quarter. Soon after she began to fire sh.e.l.ls. The gale continued all night, with a very heavy sea, and the violent motion of the s.h.i.+ps made the labour of the crews most excessive. On the main-deck of the _Indefatigable_, the men were often to the middle in water. Some of her guns broke their breechings four times; others drew the ring-bolts, and from some, the charge was obliged to be drawn after loading, in consequence of the water beating into them. But under these most trying circ.u.mstances, the crew did their duty n.o.bly. The _Amazon_, being a smaller s.h.i.+p, experienced still greater difficulties than the _Indefatigable_. She emulated her consort most gallantly, and suffered a greater loss. Her masts and rigging were very much damaged; her mizen-top-mast, gaff, spanker-boom, and main-topsail-yard being entirely shot away; the main and foremast, and the fore and main yards wounded in several places by large shot; many of her shrouds, stays, and back-stays shot away, besides those which had been knotted and stoppered in the action; all her spare cordage was expended in reeving running rigging, and she had three feet water in the hold. The loss of men in both s.h.i.+ps was remarkably small. The _Amazon_ had three killed, and fifteen badly wounded; and the _Indefatigable_, though she had so long fought the seventy-four single-handed, had only her first lieutenant and eighteen men wounded; twelve of them slightly, and the two worst cases from accidents. The lower-deck guns of the enemy were nearer the water than is usual in line of-battle s.h.i.+ps, and in consequence of the heavy sea, she could use them only occasionally. From this cause, as well as from the excellent positions maintained by the frigates, and her crippled state through the latter part of the action, she could make but a very unequal return to their fire. She suffered very much. More than a hundred of her people were killed--a severe loss, yet small compared to what it must have been, from the crowded state of her decks, and the unprecedented length of the action, if the darkness, the heavy gale, and the consequent motion of the s.h.i.+ps, had not made the firing slow, and the aim uncertain.

It was nearly eleven hours from the commencement of the action, when Lieutenant Bell, who was quartered on the forecastle, and who had kept the s.h.i.+p's reckoning through the night, satisfied himself that they were near the French coast, and ordered one or two sailors to keep a good look-out. One of these men thought he saw land, and reported it to his officer; who, perceiving it distinctly, went aft, and told the captain.

Immediately the tacks were hauled on board, and the _Indefatigable_ stood to the southward, after making the night-signal of danger to the _Amazon_, which, with equal prompt.i.tude, wore to the northward. The enemy, who did not yet see the danger, thought they had beaten off the frigates, and poured a broadside into the _Indefatigable_, the most destructive she had yet received. Seven shot struck her hull, the three lower-masts were wounded, and the larboard main-topmast shrouds were all cut away close to the seizings of the eyes at the mast head. It required extraordinary activity and coolness to save the topmast, the loss of which, at that time, would have made that of the s.h.i.+p inevitable. Under the direction of Mr. Gaze, who immediately sprang aloft, the captain of the main-top cut away the top gallant-yard; while Mr. Thompson, acting master, got up the end of a hawser, which he clinched around the mast-head. Thus they saved the main-topmast, and probably prevented the mainmast itself from being sprung. Mr. Gaze, who received a master's warrant a few weeks after, continued with Lord Exmouth to the last day of his command. He was master of the fleet in the Mediterranean, and it was he who carried the _Queen Charlotte_ in such admirable style to her position at Algiers.

None at this time knew how desperate was their situation. The s.h.i.+ps were in the Bay of Audierne, close in with the surf, with the wind blowing a heavy gale dead on the sh.o.r.e, and a tremendous sea rolling in. To beat off the land would have been a difficult and doubtful undertaking for the best and most perfect s.h.i.+p. The _Indefatigable_ had four feet water in the hold, and her safety depended on her wounded spars and damaged rigging bearing the press of sail she was obliged to carry; while the crew, thus summoned to renewed exertion, were already quite worn out with fatigue. The fate of the other s.h.i.+ps was certain; for the _Amazon_ had all her princ.i.p.al sails disabled, and the _Droits de l'Homme_ was unmanageable.

The _Indefatigable_ continued standing to the southward, until the captain of the mizen-top gave the alarm of breakers on the lee-bow. The s.h.i.+p was immediately wore in eighteen fathoms, and she stood to the northward till half-past six, when land was again seen close a-head on the weather-bow, with breakers under the lee. Running again to the southward, she pa.s.sed the _Droits de l'Homme_ lying on her broadside in the surf, at the distance of about a mile, but without the possibility of giving the smallest a.s.sistance. Her own situation, indeed, was almost hopeless; and Sir Edward Pellew himself was deeply affected, when, having done all that seamans.h.i.+p could accomplish, he could only commit to a merciful Providence the lives of his gallant crew, all now depending upon one of the many accidents to the masts and rigging which there was so much reason to apprehend. Happily, the sails stood well; the _Indefatigable_ continued to gain by every tack; and at eleven o'clock, with six feet water in her hold, she pa.s.sed about three-quarters of a mile to windward of the Penmarcks; enabling her officers and men, after a day and night of incessant exertion, at length to rest from their toil, and to bless G.o.d for their deliverance.

She had scarcely bent new topsails and foresail, the others having been shot to pieces, when two large s.h.i.+ps were seen at some distance a-head, crossing her course, and standing in a direction for L'Orient. One of them was at first supposed to be the _Amazon_, of which nothing had been seen since the close of the action, and the extent of whose damages was not at all suspected. The other was considered to be a French frigate, and Sir Edward gave orders to make sail in chase. But the officers represented to him, that the crew, entirely exhausted by the unparalleled length of the action, and by their subsequent labours, were quite incapable of further exertion; that their ammunition was very short, scarcely a cartridge filled, and every wad expended. Had the French frigate been alone, this would have been a subject of much regret; for she was the _Fraternite,_ with the two commanders-in-chief and all the treasure of the expedition on board; but her consort was the 74-gun s.h.i.+p _Revolution_.

The _Amazon_ struck the ground about ten minutes after she ceased firing. Her crew displayed the admirable discipline which British seamen are accustomed to maintain under such circ.u.mstances; more creditable to them, if possible, than the seamans.h.i.+p which saved the _Indefatigable_.

From half past five until nine o'clock, they were employed in making rafts, and not a man was lost, or attempted to leave the s.h.i.+p, except six, who stole away the cutter from the stern, and were drowned. Captain Reynolds and his officers remained by the s.h.i.+p until they had safely landed, first the wounded, and afterwards every man of the crew. Of course they were made prisoners, but they were treated well, and exchanged not many months after.

Conduct like that of the _Amazon's_ people in their hour of extreme danger--and it is nothing more than British seamen commonly display in the same situation--makes an Englishman proud of his country. Nor should it be forgotten, for it exalts the feeling of patriotism and honest pride, that a man-of-war's crew at that time was made up, in part, of the lowest characters in society. What, then, must be the strength and excellence of that moral feeling in England, which can display itself thus n.o.bly where it would be the least expected! The fact conveys an impressive lesson; for if the intelligence, decision, and kindness, which, with few exceptions, characterize our sea-officers, can effect such happy results where they operate on the most unpromising materials, it is clear, that whatever faults the lower cla.s.ses in England display must be attributed, in a great degree, to the neglect or misconduct of those, whose station in society, as it gives the power, imposes the duty to guide them.

The fate of the _Droits de l'Homme_ presents an awful contrast indeed to that of the _Amazon_. She saw the land soon after the frigates hauled off, and after hopeless attempts, first to avoid it, and afterwards to anchor, she struck the ground almost at the same moment as the British frigate. The main-mast went overboard at the second shock: the fore-mast and bowsprit had fallen a few minutes before, in her attempt to keep off the land. When danger was first seen, the crew gave an alarm to the English prisoners below, of whom there were fifty-five, the crew and pa.s.sengers of a letter-of-marque, which the _Droits de l'Homme_ had taken a few days before: ”Poor English, come up quickly; we are all lost!” Presently, the s.h.i.+p struck on a bank of sand, nearly opposite the town of Plouzenec. Cries of dismay were now heard from every part.

Signals of distress were fired, and several of the guns hove overboard.

Many of the people were soon washed away by the waves, which broke incessantly over her. At daylight the sh.o.r.e was seen covered with spectators, but they could afford no a.s.sistance. In the meantime, the stern was beaten in by the sea, and no provisions or water could afterwards be obtained.

At low water an attempt was made to reach the sh.o.r.e, but two boats which were brought alongside drifted away and were dashed to pieces on the rocks. A small raft was constructed to carry a hawser to the sh.o.r.e, by the aid of which it was hoped that preparations might be completed for safely landing the people. A few sailors having embarked on it, the rope was gradually slackened to allow it to drift to land; but some of these people being washed away, the rest became alarmed, cast off the hawser, and saved themselves. After a second unsuccessful attempt with a raft, a petty officer attached a cord to his body and tried to swim on sh.o.r.e; but he was soon exhausted, and would have perished, but that he was hauled back to the s.h.i.+p.

On the second day, at low water, an English captain and eight other prisoners launched a small boat, and landed safely. Their success restored confidence to the mult.i.tude, proving, as it did, how easily all might be saved, if proper means were quietly adopted. But discipline and order were wanting; and attempts made without judgment, and without concert, ended in the loss of all who made them.

Peris.h.i.+ng with cold, and thirst, and hunger--for the s.h.i.+p, her stern now broken away, no longer afforded shelter from the waves, and they had tasted nothing since she struck--the unhappy crew saw a third day arise upon their miseries. Still the gale continued, and there was no prospect of relief from the sh.o.r.e. It was now determined to construct a large raft, and first to send away the surviving wounded, with the women and children, in a boat which remained. But as soon as she was brought alongside, there was a general rush, and about a hundred and twenty threw themselves into her. Their weight carried down the boat; next moment an enormous wave broke upon them, and when the sea became smoother, their corpses were seen floating all around. An officer, Adjutant General Renier, attempted to swim on sh.o.r.e, hoping that a knowledge of their condition might enable the spectators to devise some means for their deliverance. He plunged into the sea and was lost.

”Already nearly nine hundred had perished,” says Lieutenant Pipon, an officer of the 63rd regiment, who was on board a prisoner, and who afterwards published the dreadful story.[7] ”when the fourth night came with renewed terrors. Weak, distracted, and wanting everything, we envied the fate of those whose lifeless corpses no longer needed sustenance. The sense of hunger was already lost, but a parching thirst consumed our vitals. Recourse was had to wine and salt water, which only increased the want. Half a hogshead of vinegar floated up, and each had half a wine-gla.s.sful. This gave a momentary relief, yet soon left us again in the same state of dreadful thirst. Almost at the last gasp, every one was dying with misery: the s.h.i.+p, which was now one third shattered away from the stern, scarcely afforded a grasp to hold by, to the exhausted and helpless survivors. The fourth day brought with it a more serene sky, and the sea seemed to subside; but to behold, from fore and aft, the dying in all directions, was a sight too shocking for the feeling mind to endure. Almost lost to a sense of humanity, we no longer looked with pity on those who were the speedy fore-runners of our own fate, and a consultation took place to sacrifice some one to be food for the remainder. The die was going to be cast, when the welcome sight of a man-of-war brig renewed our hopes. A cutter speedily followed, and both anch.o.r.ed at a short distance from the wreck. They then sent their boats to us, and by means of large rafts, about a hundred and fifty of near four hundred who attempted it, were saved by the brig that evening.

Three hundred and eighty were left to endure another night's misery, when, dreadful to relate, above one-half were found dead next morning.”

Commodore Lacrosse, General Humbert, and three British infantry officers, prisoners, remained in the wreck till the fifth morning; and all survived: so great is the influence of moral power to sustain through extreme hards.h.i.+ps. The prisoners were treated with the utmost kindness, and in consideration of their sufferings, and the help they had afforded in saving many lives, a cartel was fitted out by order of the French Government to send them home, without ransom or exchange.

They arrived at Plymouth on the 7th of March following.

The Admiralty awarded head-money to the frigates for the destruction of the _Droits de l'Homme_. As there were no means of knowing her complement with certainty, Sir Edward wrote to Commodore Lacrosse to request the information, telling him it was the practice of his Government to award a certain sum for every man belonging to an enemy's armed vessel taken, or destroyed. The Commodore answered, that the _Droits de l'Homme_ had been neither taken nor destroyed, but that the s.h.i.+ps had fought like three dogs till they all fell over the cliff together. Her crew, with the troops, he said, was sixteen hundred men.

The gallant captain of the _Amazon_, one of the earliest and closest friends of Sir Edward Pellew, perished at length by a not less distressing s.h.i.+pwreck. At the end of 1811, being then a rear-admiral, he was returning from the Baltic in the _St. George_, a s.h.i.+p not calculated to remain so late on such a station. After having received much damage in a former gale, she was wrecked on Christmas-day, as well as the _Defence_, which attended her to afford a.s.sistance; and only eighteen men were saved from the two line-of-battle s.h.i.+ps. Rear-Admiral Reynolds and his captain remained at their post till they sunk under the inclemency of a northern winter; when, stretched on the quarter-deck, and hand in hand, they were frozen to death together.

FOOTNOTE:

[7] Naval Chronicle, vol. viii. p. 467.