The Story of Nelson 9

The Story of Nelson 9

The delay was simply playing into the hands of the enemy, who occupied

the time in adding to the defences of the town. One can imagine with

what glee Nelson scribbled in his Journal, under date of the 11th

March, “_Romney_ joined me from Lord Hood: brought me letters to say

that General Dundas was going Home, and that he hoped and trusted the

troops would once more move over the Hill.” The crew of the _Agamemnon_

suffered no little privation. “We are absolutely without water,

provisions, or stores of any kind, not a piece of canvas, rope, twine,

or a nail in the Ship; but we cheerfully submit to it all, if it but

turns out for the advantage and credit of our Country.”

 

Dundas was succeeded by General Abraham D’Aubant, an appointment

which gave the Captain of the _Agamemnon_ no satisfaction, for he

also thought it improper to attack Bastia. Not to carry to a finish a

project already begun was considered by Nelson “a National disgrace.”

Hood determined to act contrary to the opinions of his military

colleague. “I am to command the Seamen landed from the Fleet,” Nelson

tells his brother. “I feel for the honour of my Country, and had

rather be beat than not make the attack. If we do not try we never

can be successful. I own I have no fears for the final issue: it will

be conquest, certain we will deserve it.” “When was a place ever yet

taken without an attempt?” he asks Sir William Hamilton. “We must

endeavour to deserve success; it is certainly not in our power to

command it.... My dear Sir, when was before the time that 2,000 British

troops, as good as ever marched, were not thought equal to attack 800

French troops, allowing them to be in strong works? What would the

immortal Wolfe have done? as he did, beat the Enemy, if he perished in

the attempt. Our Irregulars are surely as good as the Enemy’s; and in

numbers we far exceed them. I truly feel sorrow, but I have hope and

confidence that all will end well.” Again, “We are but few, but of the

right sort: our General at San Fiorenzo not giving us one of the five

Regiments he has there lying idle.”

 

On the 4th April 1794 a definite start was made. Some 1400 troops

and sailors, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Villettes and Nelson

respectively, landed at the tower of Miomo, some three miles to the

north of the town. “At noon the Troops encamped about 2,500 yards from

the citadel of Bastia, near a high rock.” The night was employed in

felling trees for the purpose of constructing an abattis, a temporary

defence formed by placing trees with their boughs sharpened to a point

in such a position as to obstruct the enemy and at the same time afford

a certain amount of cover for the riflemen. The getting up of the

guns and ammunition “was performed with an activity and zeal seldom

exceeded.” The French began firing on the night of the 9th and kept it

up until daylight without inflicting injury on a single man, although

the tents were considerably damaged. After sending a flag of truce to

no effect, Hood began the siege in earnest on the 11th. On that day the

frigate _Proselyte_ was set on fire by the enemy’s red-hot shot, and as

her captain could not get her off the shore, he set his ship on fire in

several places and burnt her to the water’s edge so that she might not

fall into the hands of the hated Frenchmen.

 

“Only recollect that a brave man dies but once, a coward all his

life long,” Nelson writes to his wife at the beginning of May, when

fighting was of daily occurrence and many a brave man fell on either

side. His only fear was that D’Aubant might alter his mind and advance

with his troops “when Bastia is about to surrender, and deprive us

of part of our glory.” This is exactly what happened. On the 19th

May the troops from San Fiorenzo were seen marching over the hills.

Three days later, as the result of negotiations begun by the enemy,

the French colours were struck and the Union Jack hoisted, and on the

24th “the most glorious sight that an Englishman can experience,

and which, I believe, none but an Englishman could bring about, was

exhibited;--4,500 men laying down their arms to less than 1,000 British

soldiers, who were serving as Marines.” Nelson gives the number of

British killed at 19, wounded 37, and of the enemy 203 killed, wounded

540, “most of whom are dead.” He himself received “a sharp cut in the

back.” Not until the end of January 1795 did he confess to his wife

that he had information given to him “of the enormous number of Troops

we had to oppose us; but my own honour, Lord Hood’s honour, and the

honour of our Country, must have all been sacrificed, had I mentioned

what I knew; therefore, you will believe, what must have been my

feelings during the whole Siege, when I had often proposals made to me

by men, now rewarded, to write to Lord Hood to raise the Siege.”

 

Calvi, in the north-west of Corsica, was next attacked. “Dragging

cannon up steep mountains, and carrying shot and shells, has been our

constant employment”; “I am very busy, yet own I am in all my glory:

except with you, [Mrs Nelson] I would not be any where but where I am,

for the world”; “Hallowell[14] and myself take, each one, twenty-four

hours of duty at the advanced battery,” are extracts from some of

Nelson’s letters and despatches at this period. On the 12th July 1794

he modestly confesses to Hood that “I got a little hurt this morning:

not much, as you may judge by my writing,” but in his Journal he notes,

“at seven o’clock, I was much bruised in the face and eyes by sand from

the works struck by shot.” The “little hurt” proved far otherwise,

and Nelson subsequently became permanently blind in the right eye.

At the moment he attached little or no importance to the injury:

“Hallowell and myself are both well, except my being half blinded by

these fellows, who have given me a smart slap in the face, for which I

am their _debtor_, but hope not to be so long”; “My right eye is cut

entirely down; but the Surgeons flatter me I shall not entirely lose

my sight of that eye. At present I can distinguish light from dark,

but no object: it confined me one day, when, thank God, I was enabled

to attend to my duty. I feel the want of it; but, such is the chance

of War, it was within a hair’s breadth of taking off my head.” To Mrs

Nelson he tones down the news considerably: “Except a very slight

scratch towards my right eye, I have received no hurt whatever: so you

see I am not the worse for Campaigning: but I cannot say I have any

wish to go on with it. This day [4th August 1794] I have been four

months landed, except a few days when we were after the French Fleet,

and I feel almost qualified to pass my examination as a besieging

General.”

 

Nelson not unnaturally felt himself slighted when his name did not

appear in the list of wounded. However, he consoled himself by saying,

“Never mind, I’ll have a _Gazette_ of my own.”

 

As the result of negotiations between the enemy and General Stuart, the

commander of the 1500 soldiers who had taken part in the siege, the

French garrison marched out with the honours of war on the 10th August,

a proceeding not at all in keeping with Nelson’s ideas. However, it was

not for him to decide, and he had the satisfaction of knowing that he

had materially assisted in the conquest of Corsica. He was specially

delighted with the thought that in future the enemy’s navy would

be deprived of the pine, tar, pitch, and hemp which the island had

formerly sent to Toulon.

 

[Illustration: 1765-1911

 

Comparison of the “Victory” with the “Hercules”

 

=Photo Stephen Cribb, Southsea=]

 

Nelson now looked forward to reaching the quiet waters of Spithead

before the end of the year. In this he was disappointed. Hood returned

to Toulon, where French naval preparations were going on apace, and

Nelson was sent with the _Agamemnon_ to Leghorn in order that his

ship might refit and his men have a little rest after their arduous

exertions in Corsica. On his own showing, he was “the best in health,

but every other Officer is scarcely able to crawl.” When ready for

further service Nelson joined the admiral off Toulon, from whence he

proceeded to Genoa “to keep peace and harmony” with that Republic by

enforcing its neutrality. This mission was not of long duration, and on

the last day of September 1794 he was directed to proceed off Gourjean

and place himself under the orders of Vice-Admiral Hotham, Hood’s

successor as Commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean.

 

At this stage of our story it may not be unfitting to study the

accompanying table,[15] which reveals at a glance the active list

of ships, exclusive of harbour and stationary vessels, troop and

storeships, ships building, etc., in the British Navy, at the beginning

of the Great War and in 1805:

 

Year. Sail-of- Total of Total Total Naval Seamen and

the-line. Vessels. tonnage. Supplies Marines employed.

granted.

 

1793 113 304 295,409 £4,003,984 45,000

1805 116 534 407,814 £15,035,630 120,000

 

When we come to compare the Navy of Nelson’s day with that of our

own, the result is astounding. The estimates for 1910-11 amount to

£40,603,700. Of this sum, £13,279,830 is for ships either under

construction or about to be laid down. There are 95 battleships and

first-class cruisers afloat or building, and there is a total strength

of 710 vessels, including torpedo gunboats, destroyers, torpedo boats,

and submarines.[16] The entire _personnel_, exclusive of the reserves,

numbers 131,000.

 

The accompanying illustration gives an exact idea of the enormous

difference in size between the _Victory_ and the _Hercules_. The

former, launched in 1765, has a gross tonnage of 2,164; the latter--at

the time of writing, the largest British battleship afloat--has a

displacement of 20,250 tons, over nine times that of the _Victory_.

Nelson’s flagship is still afloat, but who can tell when the _Hercules_

will be obsolete? Progress demands many and costly victims.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER V

 

“I wish to be an Admiral”

 

(1795-96)

 

“_A brave man runs no more risk than a coward_”

 

NELSON.

 

 

The French fleet at Toulon mustered fifteen ships; Hotham had fourteen

at his disposal, including one Neapolitan sail-of-the-line. On the

8th March 1795 it was known that the enemy was at sea with the

object of retaking Corsica, but it was not until the morning of the

13th, that the Admiral flew the signal for a general chase. While

this was proceeding the _Ça-Ira_ (84) collided with the _Victorie_,

which precluded her from keeping up with her consorts. Seizing his

opportunity, the captain of the British frigate _Inconstant_ (36)

pounced down upon the huge battleship and immediately brought her to

action. A French frigate, the _Vestale_, then went to the assistance of

the _Ça-Ira_, and took her in tow. Considerable damage had been done

on board the _Inconstant_ owing to the double fire to which she was

subjected. Nelson, keenly alert to the slightest advantage, got abreast

of the two Frenchmen, and continued to wage a gallant fight for nearly

two hours until called off by Hotham because of the near approach

of several of the enemy’s ships. The action was thereby rendered

indecisive. Nelson describes the _Ça-Ira_ as “absolutely large enough

to take _Agamemnon_ in her hold. I never saw such a ship before.”