A Continuing War_At Home and at Sea, 1803-1804

by John G. Cragg

  One of the fort’s guns must have had a double cartridge of gunpowder used for the second shot for the ball did carry over Impetuous and by pure chance struck the foremast just above the fighting top. It played immediate havoc with all the rigging, and Giles spent the next few minutes issuing orders to get the wreckage cleared up and to jury rig the supports of the other masts. Another cannon ball fired from the fort skipped off the water and slammed into Impetuous just above the water line. In the dark, Giles had come too close to the shore. At least, he would not have to up anchor to move closer to his targets before bombarding the landing craft.

  While he was engaged in dealing with the consequences of the fort’s fire, a heavy rain shower engulfed Impetuous. This did not hinder the continued firing of the broadsides, though it did mean that what success they might have had could only be guessed at.

  As the shower eased off only minutes after it had prevented observation in any direction, a cry came from somewhere near the bow of Impetuous, “Ship ahoy, one point off the larboard bow.” Bearing down on them was a Dutch frigate, a small sixth rate likely of twenty eight guns. Giles had no time to wonder from where the enemy had come nor why no one on Impetuous had seen her earlier. His orders thundered out almost before he had time to formulate them. “Man the bow chasers, load and run out. Use the spring to change our heading to larboard. Bow chasers fire when you bear on the enemy.”

  The words seemed to be hardly out of his mouth when Mr. Hughes’s twenty-four pounders roared out. The larboard one hit the edge of the attacker’s bulwark, sending a cloud of lethal splinters over the foredeck of the approaching frigate. The starboard gun hit the bowsprit of the enemy close to the hull. That spar broke immediately and the foresails all collapsed. The ship turned to starboard as a result of losing her jibs. She proceeded to run alongside Impetuous, larboard side to larboard side with a mighty thump that reverberated through Impetuous when the Dutch ship hit her.

  “Man the larboard guns,” bellowed Giles. “Fire as you bear. Grapple the enemy. Prepare to board.”

  With half of Impetuous’s crew away attacking the redoubt, Giles did not have enough men to man both broadsides, but endless training took over as the crews of the starboard batteries secured their guns, and dashed over to the larboard side in order to immediately fire the guns that Giles had had loaded previously, even though there had seemed to be no danger on that side. Grapnels were thrown as soon as part of the enemy’s bow came next to Impetuous joining the two ships together. With a huge roar of “Boarders away,” Giles led his crew onto the enemy deck followed by not only most of the ship-handlers but also by all the gun crews.

  Giles’s boarding took the Dutch crew completely by surprise. They had not prepared to board before their bowsprit was destroyed, and the change of course and collision with Impetuous had shaken them. Giles’s landing party, all screaming like banshees, quite unnerved the crew who had no chance to grab their cutlasses from their racks. In moments, he was on the enemy quarter- deck accepting the surrender of the Dutch captain. The Dutch officers all gave their parole.

  Giles gave orders to round up the Dutch crew and batten them down in the hold. He told Midshipman Dunsmuir to take command of the capture until the other officers returned from their shore adventures. The lad stood extra tall when given the responsibility, though Giles wondered how the young officer would do if another emergency arose. He had sent the other two midshipmen with the landing parties, presuming that, with Mr. Brooks on Impetuous, he had all the support he needed until the others returned.

  Leaving a strong force of his own seamen to guard the prize and its crew, Giles returned to Impetuous to see how his land attack was progressing. It had taken less than five minutes to capture the Dutch frigate. One look through his telescope revealed that the redoubt was no longer a threat. Even as he watched, he saw members of his crew tip the last of the guns over the parapet. Soon, he could see them returning to their boats, the sailors scrambling down the slope in any old order, the red-coated marines marching as well as they could over the rough ground. As they neared the beach, the magazine of the fort blew up, scattering debris wide and far.

  Most of the landing craft were still rafted together. It appeared that, in their haste to get away from Impetuous’s bombardment, the outer craft had become fouled with their neighbors. Their getting under way seemed also to be hindered by the many craft that had been holed by the bombardment but were still afloat. The raft was still mainly intact. Giles ordered that the bombardment of the landing craft be resumed with as many guns as his depleted crew could man and settled down to await the return of his landing parties. It seemed to take an interminable time for the parties to assemble on the beach and take to their boats, even though Giles could see that the officers were organizing the departure with all reasonable haste. He was saddened to notice that several injured sailors and marines were being carried to the boats of the north-east group.

  The boats shoved off from the beach. A glance at the hour-glass told Giles that in fact the departure had been organized with great efficiency and his ideas of reprimanding the lieutenants for tardiness died when he realized that the slowness had been entirely in his own head. When each of the parties approached the raft of invasion craft, they announced their presence with a fusillade of musket shots. They then boarded some of the outer craft and set them alight before resuming their journey to Impetuous. Soon a pall of smoke rose from the raft, joined by sudden flashes followed by muffled booms as powder kegs on some of the boats blew up. Giles realized that with the destruction by fire added to the effects of his earlier bombardment, he had probably destroyed since dawn more of the pernicious vessels than in all his previous time on the coast. Nevertheless, he might still do more damage with his guns.

  The boats of the landing expedition began to approach Impetuous, those from the south- west coming first. Lieutenant Milton reported crisply. His force had got into place well before dawn, successfully feeling their way up the slope until they were just outside the redoubt. They had been aided by lights from the fort and from the rafted invasion craft. No, there was no indication that they had been spotted by the guardians of the fortification. Just as it was starting to become lighter, they heard a good deal of chatter and scurrying around from the fort and in a few moments it’s guns opened fire – on Impetuous, they presumed. Almost immediately, they heard musket fire from the far side of the fort and shouting. Lieutenant Milton decided to attack at once. His men swarmed over the parapet and quickly captured the guards. They then swept over the guns leaving previously selected groups to secure each cannon while the remainder moved on to the next one. After they had captured the last gun, they came upon enemy soldiers lined up along the parapet. They appeared to be firing at the ground near the fort, presumably aiming at some of the attackers whom Giles had sent against the redoubt. Lieutenant Macauley’s marines were arriving at the same time from the right so the two groups quickly captured the defenders along the parapet and returned to the guns. They spiked the cannon and then levered them over the parapet. When that task was complete, Midshipman Stewart took a group of men who laid slow match* to blow up the magazine after the forces had withdrawn. His success was evident, marked still by a wisp of smoke from where the building had been.

  Giles dispatched Mr. Milton to relieve Midshipman Dunsmuir on their new capture. He turned to Lieutenant Macauley.

  “What happened to Lieutenant Kirkpatrick?”

  “He was killed, sir, by musket fire from the fort.”

  “I see. A pity. But why did he get killed?”

  “Mr. Kirkpatrick insisted on keeping our groups separate and assigned Mr. Correll to accompany me. He seemed to think that we would not be able to complete our task without naval oversight.”

  “Yes?”

  “I can only suppose that Mr. Kirkpatrick mistook the guns firing from the fort to be the guns of Impetuous. When they fired, he leaped to his feet waving his sword and screaming, “Attack, attack.” This drew
the attention of the guards on the parapet, who had not spotted us until then, and Lieutenant Kirkpatrick was killed by musket fire. Since that group was already discovered, I led my marines to the edge of the parapet and attacked, from the side, the group firing at Lieutenant Kirkpatrick’s men. The minute Lieutenant Kirkpatrick was shot, I sent Midshipman Dunsmuir to try to keep the rest of his force under cover until the attention of those on the parapet was distracted. While I was dealing with the defenders, Lieutenant Milton arrived and we completed the capture of the Fort.”

  “I wonder what in the world Lieutenant Kirkpatrick was thinking of. My orders, as you know, were to approach the redoubt as silently as possible while the defenders were distracted by Impetuous’s fire. Jumping around yelling ‘Attack’ hardly corresponds to my orders.”

  “I don’t know, sir. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but Mr. Kirkpatrick often did not seem to pay attention when orders were given to a group and had to be told again by one of us what had been said. Maybe he misunderstood your orders.”

  “What other casualties were there?”

  “One man was killed, and two were injured. One of them, Howes, sir, got a musket bullet in the leg. I am afraid it may be broken. I had him taken to the surgeon as soon as we boarded Impetuous.”

  “Very good. Did you examine Lieutenant Kirkpatrick’s body?”

  “Yes, sir. He was shot several times in the front. None in the rear.”

  “Thank heavens. I was worried.”

  “That’s why I examined the body, sir. He was stupid, but it wasn’t one of our people who brought him down.”

  “Very good, Mr. Macauley. Now Mr. Milton could use some marines to secure our prize.”

  Mr. Evans, the carpenter, was the next to demand Giles’s attention. “Sir, I found a good spar to replace the fore topmast, and was able to save the rest of the fittings for the foremast. It is now finished, though it will not bear as much pressure as the original. We should replace it when next we are in port. The damage from the collision from the frigate is not serious, though it will take planks that we do not carry to repair the damage properly. The ball that hit us from the fort is more serious. It stove in* one of the strakes*, and revealed that the wood was rotten. I have fixed it temporarily, but it will take a dockyard to do it properly.”

  “Very good, Mr. Evans. Now see what you can do about the prize, which has lost its bowsprit.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  “Mr. Carrell,” Giles summoned the midshipman who had been waiting patiently for orders since he had come on board Impetuous.

  “Sir?”

  “Lieutenant Macauley tells me you did very well when Lieutenant Kirkpatrick was killed.”

  “I tried to do my best, sir.”

  “And a good best it was. You are now acting lieutenant. Third, of course.”

  “Thank you, sir”

  “You are also nearly nineteen, as I recall.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I want you to take the lieutenant’s examination, as soon as can be arranged, so that your appointment can be made permanent.”

  “Thank you, sir. Sir, I don’t have enough sea-time to be made a lieutenant yet.”

  “We’ll see what can be done about that. How much time are you short?”

  “Five months, sir.”

  “I see. If I can’t get the age requirement waived, you will still be able to drop the “acting” in five months. That will cost you five months’ seniority, I am afraid. Anyway, you had better start studying for the examination and make sure all your papers are in order.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  Giles turned to see how his guns were doing. The raft of invasion craft had pretty much broken up. The few that were still navigable had succeeded in getting out of range. The rest were sinking or in the last stages of being burned. “Cease firing,” he ordered the gun crews. They gladly swabbed their cannon for a final time, lowered the gun ports and bowsed them up to the bulwarks, fastening them tight so that there was no danger of their breaking free.

  For the first time in what seemed like ages, Giles had no pressing business to attend to. He decided to check on the progress being made in repairing the prize, what was she called? – Oh, yes, Medea. Odd name for a warship.

  He found Mr. Milton on the quarterdeck, apparently idle since Mr. Evans and Mr. Shearer, the bosun, seemed to have the jury rigging under control.

  “The carpenter and the bosun tell me, sir, that they will be finished in less than an hour.”

  “Very good. We will take the prize back to the fleet and let the Admiral decide what to do with her. You will be in command.”

  “Aye, aye, sir. There is one other thing, sir.”

  “Yes?”

  “The prisoners. They have already found one way to escape from the hold. Fortunately, Mr. Stewart realized what was happening and we were able to contain them again. I was thinking, however, that maybe we should just put them ashore.”

  “Why is that, other than that they are very inconvenient?”

  “They are Dutch, sir, and probably none too happy to be fighting for Bonaparte. If we take them with us, they will end up in a prison hulk, awaiting exchange. That is not likely to happen quickly, since the Dutch have not been capturing many British sailors. I think it will simply be a drain on the treasury keeping them prisoner.”

  “What about the officers, would you put them ashore too?”

  “That is a rather different matter, sir.”

  “Why?”

  “Captain van Teckle – that is their captain’s name – Captain van Teckle, asked if I thought that they could refuse to be exchanged if that was their desire. I think that he and at least some of his officers are serving Bonaparte under duress, and they fear reprisals against themselves if they are returned to the Batavian Republic – that is what they call Holland now, sir.”

  “Yes, yes, I know. Get on with it, Mr. Milton.”

  “Well, sir. They feel that they and their families might be safer if they remained prisoners in England. Captain van Teckle even indicated that he might be willing to join us.”

  “I see. Well, I will dare the wrath of the Admiralty if this is not what their Lordships want. It would be convenient just to land the Dutch sailors and take the officers to Admiral Gardiner. We’ll keep their boats—boats always come in useful. We can use all our boats, Mr. Milton, and theirs to get the prisoners ashore quickly. Use the marines to guard them until we are rid of them. Of course, we will not release the petty officers. They are, after all, the real core of a navy.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  “And send this Captain van Teckle over to me in a few minutes. I shall be in my cabin.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  The Dutch captain was an older man, possibly over forty, with a wind-beaten face and iron gray hair.

  “Captain, I congratulate you,” he greeted Giles in perfect, though accented, English. “I expected to catch you by surprise, but you surprised us with how quickly you adjusted and overwhelmed us.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Mr. Milton tells me that you do not want to be returned to the French or the Batavian republic.”

  “That is correct. We only serve under duress, because Bonaparte rules the Batavian Republic, as he calls my country, and there would have been severe repercussions for our families if I, and my officers, had not served. Now that I have lost my ship, the repercussions are likely to be the same whether I am exchanged or not. The same is true for my officers. Some of us may want to serve in the English navy, if you will have us.”

  “You suggested setting your crew ashore. Won’t they just return to fight us?”

  “Most will not. They will just disappear into Flanders and are unlikely to be discovered. They have no great wish to serve in the Batavian Republic’s navy.”

  “Very well, we will set them ashore – all except the petty officers. Whether you can stay in England or must await exchange will be up to higher authorities than me, but I ca
n at least encourage them to let you stay with us. I trust you will join me for dinner.”

  “Gladly, sir, though Lieutenant Milton mentioned that he was intending to invite us to the, what did he call it? -- the wardroom? – for dinner. He mentioned that he would be inviting you also.”

  “In that case, Captain, I shall look forward to seeing you in the wardroom.”

  Giles turned to writing his report on the day’s activities. They would likely find the fleet on the morrow and his report would be needed. He was interrupted by the information that the needed repairs were finished. He decided to let Lieutenant Correll command Medea with a small crew. Giles consulted Mr. Brooks about the right course to steer in order to find the fleet and made sure that the master’s mate who was to sail with Mr. Correll was told how to find the fleet in case Medea became separated from Impetuous in the night. Then he gave the order for the anchor to be raised and they were under way. He was interrupted again by Mr. Milton who came to invite him to celebrate the victory in the wardroom. Giles finished the report just before it was time to join his officers and their guests.

  The wardroom celebration was a boisterous event, for all of Impetuous’s officers had come through peril safely and the death of Lieutenant Kirkpatrick did not dim their spirits at all. He was surprised how happily the Dutch officers took part in the celebrations, though that was explained by a rather drunken explanation from Medea’s first lieutenant that they were relieved not be fighting any more for the man whom they all regarded as the oppressor of their country.