Trafalgar and Beyond: A John Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 3)

by Richard Testrake

  “The boat travels up the river as fast as may be, hopefully escaping the many stops and searches. Once in Paris, a representative of our office there will be walking by on the quay when our boat docks. The letter will be handed over, and the boat will begin its journey downstream as soon as the fish is unloaded. Should the message somehow be compromised in any way, your wife will be removed from her residence, and taken to another place”.

  Phillips nodded, and assured Mister Loeb he would not undertake any ideas on his own.

  The chaise was still waiting, and had him back at the quay in a flash. The gig was not at the quay, but was pulling ‘round the frigate. Waving his hat vigorously attracted the attention of the midshipman commanding, the boat set course for the quay. Mister Midshipman Arness, commanding the gig reported, “Sorry Sir, I thought the men were getting ready to make a rush to get ashore, so I ordered them to go back to the ship and pull around it. Harkins, up forward, was not shy about voicing his opinions about deserting, and what should be done to Royal Navy officers.” Phillips noted more than a few downcast looks from the crew as Harkins hooked on to the starboard mainchains.

  Drummond was at the entry port to give him his honors. After saluting the quarterdeck, Phillips told Drummond to keep the men on deck. After he removed his good coat, he wanted to talk to the men.

  His steward was waiting as he entered his cabin, who immediately took custody of the coat and hat. Phillips protested the last since he had to wear something to appear formidable on deck while dispensing justice.

  Holding up his hand, the steward went to a cabinet and withdrew a many patched old coat, and an equally bedraggled old hat, the victim of many an hour in an open boat. When he stepped out on the deck, he saw some members of the boat crew cringe.

  Peabody, in his duty as ‘Master at Arms’ was there and roared, “Hats off.”

  As the men shuffled their feet and wondered what that fool Harkins had got them into, Phillips stared at them, asking himself if he should let them off, or should he make them notice?”

  Seeing the boat crew’s midshipman Mr. Arness, standing by made up his mind. The boy was only about fifteen, and his authority over his men was being usurped. Now was a good time to rectify that.

  “Men, I understand some of you were thinking about taking ‘French Leave’ from Reindeer and the Royal Navy.” He watched them as they shuffled and muttered among themselves. “There are two ways I can handle this. You are entitled to have your day in court, as it were. That said, I can handle the problem myself. If you prefer to make it official, with a notice in the log, and a court martial, I believe we have enough post captains in the harbor to do such.”

  “Any of you men wishing to have the matter settled at Captain’s Mast, tell me now. Those not willing will be remanded to a court martial before a panel of post captains. Do any of you have anything to say?”

  Phillips watched the men mutter to each other, then two of the party whispered something to Mr. Arness.

  Arness faced his captain and announced, “The men will accept your punishment, Sir.”

  That was an intelligent decision. Had they faced a court martial, it was very possible a couple of senior post captains on the board might convince the other members of the court the boats crew’s escapade might be a precursor of mutiny. The whole boat crew could well be hung.

  “What say you? If any man does not want me to judge you, please speak up.”

  Eventually the men reached their consensus, and agreed to have Phillips judge them.

  Phillips ordered Arness to step forward and speak of the comments he had heard from the boat crew while they were waiting. Then, Mister Drummond was asked to question Phillips as to what he had seen and heard.

  “Captain Phillips, was it your opinion that the men were doing their cheerful and obedient duty during the period while you were boarding the gig?”

  “No, it seemed to me the crew was baiting the midshipman.

  Mister Drummond was excused and Arness was asked to step forward.

  Phillips resumed the inquisitors duty.

  “What about you, Mister Arness, were the men at that time doing their cheerful and obedient duty?”

  The young man shifted around, trying to answer truthfully without actually injuring anyone. Finally Phillips announced. “Mister Arness, I realize your dilemma. My orders instruct me to set sail for the Le Havre blockade as soon as wind and tide permit. Your problem, it appears, is that the Master tells me that is not likely to happen today or perhaps tomorrow. Now, we can stay here on deck until the wind and tide changes, or you can make up your mind and tell us something.”

  Arness finally admitted his men had been harassing him, threatening to take the boat ashore so they could run. He had pulled out his dirk, and used the tiller to steer them toward Reindeer. The men, baiting him, then used the oars to steer the boat. As a result, the boat was veering all about the harbor, as if crewed by a gang of drunks. At one time, coming close to HMS Caesar, they were questioned from that ship’s quarterdeck if they needed assistance. Arness said he answered he needed to go close aboard Reindeer. If his crew would not follow orders, then yes, they would need assistance.

  Phillips paused, and stared at the boat’s crew. “Men, we have a problem. It now appears men on another ship may have evidence that bears with this. If I call them as witnesses, then that will bring us back to what type of justice we are talking about. If you think there is no evidence of your possible misdeeds to be found aboard HMS Caesar, then you should ask to me call her captain and have her log produced. On the other hand, if you think there is truth in what Mister Arness has testified, then you would be at grievous risk should you do so. Shall I call on the Caesar’s captain, or shall we just drop that? I am prepared to make my decision in either case.”

  The boat crew was adamant they did not want the log of Caesar read aloud. Phillips announced then he had enough information to make his decision.

  He called Seaman Harkins to come before him. Harkins previously had been trying to remain in the rear of his boat crew. He was obviously very uncomfortable up front. “Seaman Harkins, you are not such a short person. I wonder why you go through such efforts to hang for mutiny? Could you tell us why you want to get your neck stretched?”

  “Nosir, I don’t know how to answer that.”

  “Harkins, you are endangering yourself and those around you with this muttering against those appointed above you. I can assure you, with the evidence we have heard here, any court martial panel of captains would have decided on full culpability. That means, you poor fool, that you would have been found guilty of mutiny. You might have been flogged around the fleet, or merely been run up to the main yardarm. I am told that is a very painful way to exit this world. I realize you believe you are doing no harm. You probably think you are just acting like the idiot you are. But these actions can and will lead to a noose, unless you mend your ways.”

  “Since we decided earlier this was not to be an official punishment, we will just go to the punishment I have determined to be best, which you said you would accept. First of all, for the next month, there will be no grog issue for any of the people in the boat crew. If any of your mates try to assist you with some of their ration, then they will be risking the loss of their ration too. Also, Harkins will be privileged to have the task of cleaning the heads of the ship every morning. Of course, any more grumbling and muttering will take us to a court martial.”

  “Mr. Drummond, the hands are dismissed.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Convoy

  Reindeer went back to the French coast, patrolling there for another few months. She operated right up near the cliffs, successfully evading the dangers of that often lee shore. One night though, during some heavy weather, a huge sea broke right over her stern, effectively ‘pooping’ her. Desperate work by the crew kept her ahead of the next big wave that could very well have rolled her over. It was necessary to bend on all the sail to her fore that she could stand in t
he storm so she could stay in front of the following waves. A gun brig, sent by the commodore, arrived then and relayed orders to report to the flag when it was prudent to do so, By the time they reached the old 64 serving as the flagship, the weather had moderated, and Commodore Ashcroft was able to come aboard. Ashcroft shook his head over the damage to the ship’s timbers, and ordered her back to Portsmouth forthwith. A newly arrived 32 gun frigate would take her place. Her pumps, were working every minute of the trip home until Reindeer reached port.

  Once there, men were sent to barracks onshore, while the officers went on leave. Phillips went back to his home in Essex to wait for the ship. When he arrived there, one note from Sarah was waiting. Shortly before leaving, another arrived. In each, she mentioned she and the children were doing well personally, but missed him. She couldn’t really understand why he couldn’t come to her. She understood about the war, but couldn’t he change sides, and fight for the French? All her friends and neighbors in Paris were telling her what bad people the British government had running it. Phillips cringed when he read that. Surely, he must somehow contrive to keep his wife away from British government officials when she returned.

  Then the post came to the village the next day and he found orders from the Portsmouth port admiral to return and prepare the ship for sea. He called his hostler to have the carriage brought around. His chests, already packed, were carefully loaded. His hostler had hired on the best whip in that part of the county, and with the aid of extra horses along the route, he reported to the ship in Portsmouth much sooner than he expected. He had left a sum of money with the master, who had remained with Reindeer. The money had been used to buy paint and gold leaf, and now the frigate was a beauty.

  Lieutenant Rogers, the third officer, was waiting when he came aboard. Rodgers handed him orders from both the port admiral and from the Admiralty itself. He was required to board his carriage again and speed off to London.

  He had expected to be called into Secretary Nepean’s office to hear of some new drama he was to take part in. This did not happen however. An Admiralty official merely wanted his input about the growing numbers of French warships and privateers in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean. After a long discussion, Phillips was asked if he wanted to command one of the ships there that would keep the enemy ships at bay. Embarrassed, Phillips reminded the official, his ship already had a present job in the Channel fleet.

  Mr. Hendricks, grunted and ordered him back to his ship. When he returned, Lieutenant Hornady was at the entry port to greet him. He reported Drummond had been called ashore, and nobody knew when he might be back. Lieutenant Rodgers, the third officer, was also ashore, getting some repairs done to his uniform.

  While in his cabin, going over his stock of stores with his servant, he heard the sentry pound the deck with his musket, calling out, Mr. Hornady, sah!

  Hornady had a note from the admiral, which had just come aboard. Phillips was ordered to go back to shore again. By now, Phillips was feeling like a child’s toy, being pulled hither and yon. After being pulled ashore, and while waiting in the admiral’s anteroom for the Admiral to notice him, Mr. Drummond paused outside the room, and entered. Looking and acting a bit dazed, rather confused in fact, Drummond began by thanking him profusely. It soon developed that Drummond had just been promoted to Commander by the Admiral, and given a ship, the ship-sloop Grackle. Phillips had noticed her in the past, and knew she was a sixteen gun ship, of no particular beauty or speed. “I have to get to my ship soon, Captain. We’re to sail shortly with a convoy.

  “If I get back to the Reindeer before you, Captain Drummond, I will send your kit over to Grackle. Good luck with her.”

  A moment later, Phillips was called in to see the Admiral. “I see you have managed to talk your way out of the Channel Fleet. What was the matter, too boring for you?”

  Distressed, Phillips protested. “Sir, I never asked to be relieved. Mister Hendricks at the Admiralty did ask me if I would like a command in the Eastern Atlantic or Caribbean. I told him that I already had a job in the Channel Fleet.”

  “Well, whoever did this, it appears Reindeer has been released from her duties here, and has been ordered to take a convoy to the Caribbean. The convoy has already left with HMS Ruby. You will catch up with her in the Channel, and, I expect, will be joined by Grackle. I may be able to send some more small stuff after you. For now, you had better get going.

  When Reindeer overhauled ‘Maid of Bristol’ in the channel, Grackle was up against her, some of her men on the merchant’s deck, while at the same time, she was fighting off a small ship-riggded privateer that was trying to take her.. ‘Maid’ had been part of the convoy Reindeer had been assigned to protect, but had been neatly cut out of the convoy the night before by the French corvette. Grackle, managing to get out of Portsmouth hours before Reindeer, had come to the merchant’s aid, but was having heavy weather.

  The corvette was standing off, pounding the sloop with her broadsides. Grackle was armed with 4 and six pounder guns, the corvette with ‘huits’, which were similar to the British nine. With a massively large crew, there might be unfortunate consequences should the privateer get close enough to board. Grackle was probably still flying the British flag only because her gunnery was more accurate than the corvette’s. With the two warships going at each other in an almost insane tempo, it was becoming difficult to see though the cloud of smoke that surrounded the conflict.

  Neither ship saw the Reindeer ghosting up. When Phillips asked Mr. Hornady to have the ship cleared for action, he wondered how that would work out. Many, or most of Reindeer’s original crew had been drafted to other ships during her stay in port, and the present crew was a matter of conjecture.

  There had been little time to work the ship up since leaving port. Apparently though, a large portion of the new crew had been thorough seamen, able to jump into any situation. As he looked about the deck, he did see a few guns with a surplus man standing beside, and a few more with a similar deficit. These problems were the result of a defective watch and stations bill, easily corrected. Mister Mainwaring, an intelligent looking midshipman, was standing beside him as a messenger. Pointing out the problem, Mainwaring was sent to deal with it. About the time the privateer noticed the frigate, and tried to sheer off, Reindeer’s guns were run out.

  Not ‘Navy fashion’ Phillips judged, but well enough for a newly manned ship. As the corvette separated from the Grackle, Captain Phillips warned the new first officer to be ready to fire.“I want no shots going into Grackle”, he warned Hornady.

  At the command, “You may fire when your guns bear.” every portside gun on the Reindeer exploded. The two ships were at long gunshot range, and Phillips doubted many of the balls would reach their target, but at least it had the effect of driving the two former combatants apart. Grackle had pulled slightly ahead of the corvette by now, and was beginning to pound her port bow with her small four and six pound balls. The corvette, probably having trouble manning both broadsides with trained gunners, was firing slowly, and doing little damage. Her sides were crowded with would be boarders; however Phillips judged these to be ill-trained people, whose main purpose aboard ship was to scramble aboard an enemy and kill or disable all they were able.

  Reindeer had come up on the corvette’s starboard quarter, and was hammering the smaller ship with grape from her larger guns. The corvette had sustained dozens of casualties, and streaks of blood were coming from her scuppers. Both ships had sustained plenty of battle damage. The corvette had lost its bowsprit and jib boom, and then the fore topmast had come down. With a tangle of canvas and rigging covering her forward guns, a fire started in that mess when one of her guns fired. Unable to deal with the fire while Grackle and Reindeer were both pumping ball and grape into her, she gave up and lowered the tricolor.

  Drummond’s ship had plenty of damage, herself. Grackle had her mizzen leaning precariously to starboard. Shrouds on that side had parted, and the mast itself was damaged. Dr
ummond had managed to get all sail off the mast before it started to fall. With Reindeer in command of the situation, Grackle fell back and began putting herself in order.

  Phillips decided he must send an officer and a few men to the damaged Grackle to assist in her repairs. He hated to do that, with the departure of Drummond; he was already short one officer. Of course, he still had three lieutenants, which was all the ship was rated for. He ordered Mister Rodgers, the former third across to the Grackle, along with a dozen seamen to assist. Another dozen Marines were sent over to the corvette to guard prisoners, along with Mister Mainwaring and the Royal Marine officer, Lieutenant Andrews. They went across in the launch with a pair of swivel guns. Another party of seamen and a bosun’s mate also boarded the corvette to see what could be done to see about the repairs needed for the prize.

  Reindeer closed Grackle so the captains could communicate through speaking horns. Drummond, aboard Grackle, reported he had already sent a master’s mate and a few seamen to the ‘Maid’. The Maid was damaged, but it was thought she could make a British port well enough. The corvette was a different story. In the final moments of her battle, she had sustained serious damage, from her two foes. At one point she had been ‘raked’, the Grackle had laid across her bow, and sent her broadside down the length of her hull, smashing and tearing at everything in the way.

  It was decided to send her off, along with Grackle, and the ‘Maid’, to the Plymouth dockyard. Phillips debated whether he should strip Grackle of any of her crew to graft onto the corvette, but decided against that idea. After all, she might encounter other enemies. He went aboard the ‘Bonne Chance’ to examine her condition himself. He saw the Marines had already mounted the pair of swivels so they pointed right at the hatches. Any attempt by the French to swarm their people up from below decks to gain the quarterdeck would cost much blood.