1805. have seen, were shot away, and so was her figure3 Oct head. Her boats and anchors shared the same fate. If the Belleisle's damages were severe, her loss of men was not less so: she had two lieutenants, (Ebenezer Geall and John Woodin,) one midshipman, (George Nind,) 22 seamen, and eight marines killed, one lieutenant, (William Ferrie,) one lieutenant of marines, (John Owen,) her boatswain, (Andrew Gibson,) two master's mates, (William Henry Pearson and William Cutfield,) one midshipman, (Samuel Jago,) one first-class volunteer, (J. T. Hodge,) 67 seamen, and 19 marines wounded. Mars. In her way down astern of the Belleisle, the Mars suffered severely from the heavy raking fire of the ships ahead of her, the San-Juan Nepomuceno, Pluton, Monarca, and Algésiras. As the Mars was directing her course to cut the line between the first two of these ships, the Pluton, who was to-windward of the San-Juan, ranged ahead: whereupon, to avoid being raked by so close an opponent, the Mars hauled up, with the intention to pass on and cut the line ahead of the San-Juan. In attempting this manœuvre, the Mars was followed and engaged by the Pluton. Having by that time had her rigging and sails greatly damaged, the Mars was obliged to come head to wind in order to avoid running on board the Santa-Ana; whereby the Mars lay with her stern exposed to the Monarca and Algésiras. Át this moment, however, the Tonnant came up, and soon found full employment for both of those ships. Meanwhile, as she paid off in her completely unmanageable state, the Mars became also exposed to a heavy fire from the Fougueux, then with her larboard guns engaging the Belleisle, and presently received into her stern a most destructive fire from the Pluton; a fire that almost cleared the poop and quarterdeck of both officers and men. It was at about 1h. 15 m. P. M., while captain Duff was standing at the break of the quarterdeck looking over the side, that a cannon-shot from the Pluton struck him of cap tain Duff. on the breast, knocked off his head, and cast his 1805. body on the gangway. The same shot killed two Oct. seamen, who were standing close behind their captain. The command now devolved upon lieutenant William Hennah. By this time succour was at hand; and, while the Fougueux made off to the northward in the direction of the Téméraire, the Pluton stood away to the south-east to join admiral Gravina.* mage The Mars had her main topmast and spanker- Daboom shot away, and her three lower masts, fore &c. to and main yards, and fore topmast, very badly Mars. wounded her foremast, indeed, was left in so shattered a state that it subsequently fell overboard. The main piece of her rudder was badly wounded, her stern and quarters much cut, and nine of the poop-beams, besides sundry knees, &c.shot to pieces. The ship had also some guns disabled, and had received several shot between wind and water. The loss on board the Mars was proportionably severe : she had her captain, one master's mate, (Alexander Duff,) two midshipmen, (Edward Corbyn and Henry Morgan,) 17 seamen, and eight marine's killed, and two lieutenants, (Edward William Garrett and James Black,) her master, (Thomas Cook,) one captain of marines, (Thomas Norman,) five midshipmen, (John Young, George Guiren, William John Cook, John Jenkins, and Alfred Luckraft,) 44 seamen, and 16 marines wounded. board With respect to the injuries sustained by the Loss on Pluton, the ship is represented to have been unable, Pluton, after the action, to muster more than 400 effective men out of a complement of about 700: consequently, her loss must have been severe. It appears, also, that the Pluton made three feet water an hour from the shot she had received in the hull. Having, as already stated, fired at the ships that Tonwere pressing upon the Mars, the Tonnant steered nant. straight for the farboard bow of the Algésiras, then moving slowly onwards the same as her companions * See second set of figures in diagram at p. 71. Oct. 1805. in the line, and very near to her present leader, the Monarca. As the Tonnant advanced, the Algésiras, having already her main topsail to the mast, backed her mizen topsail, and thus enabled the former, at about 45 minutes past noon, to run close under the spanish ship's stern. Pouring in a raking fire, the Tonnant hauled up, and engaged the Monarca alongside; but, dreading to encounter so large and powerful a ship, the latter fired a few ineffective shot, dropped astern, and struck her colours, although she Surren- afterwards rehoisted them. The Tonnant's people Monar- believed, although they were not certain, that the Monarca struck; but the Spartiate, who, not being engaged until late, had leisure for observation, saw the flag hauled down, and in her log says accordingly: "At 1h. 7m. a spanish two-decker struck to the Tonnant." der of ca. nant Algési ras. Filling her main and mizen topsails, the Algésiras now evinced an intention to cross the stern of the Tonnant, who, by this time, had had her fore topmast Ton- and main yard shot away; but the Tonnant, putting runs on her helm hal-a-port, ran the Algésiras on board, board and defeated the manœuvre. The bowsprit and anchors of the Algésiras getting entangled with the main rigging of the Tonnant, the two ships were held fast together, greatly, on account of their relative positions, to the advantage of the Tonnant. Monar- It was, doubtless, while the Tonnant's attention was Carts thus occupied, that the Monarca, being left to herself, and having suffered comparatively little in the action, rehoisted her colours. hoists her co lours. While thus fast to the Algésiras on her starboard side, the Tonnant fired her larboard aftermost guns athwart the hawse of the Mars at the Pluton lying upon the latter's larboard bow, and her larboard foremost guns at the San-Juan Nepomuceno lying upon her own bow. Meanwhile the Mars, until she and the Pluton dropped astern, fired several welldirected shot into the larboard quarter of the Algésiras. The position of the Tonnant and ships around her at this time, which was about 1 h. 35 m. P. M., we have endeavoured to illustrate by the fol- 1805. lowing diagram. Oct. Tyler At about 1 h. 40 m. P. м. captain Tyler received a Capt. severe wound, and was obliged to be taken below. woundThe command of the Tonnant thereupon devolved ed. upon lieutenant John Bedford. In the mean time an animated cannonade was kept up between the two ships; by which the Algésiras soon lost her foremast, and the Tonnant her main and mizen topmasts. The Algésiras made a serious attempt to board; but the marines of the Tonnant maintained so steady and well-directed a fire, that the french crew did not succeed, except in the case of one man, who contrived to enter one of the Tonnant's maindeck ports, and whose life, to the credit of those who took him, was spared. At about 2h. 15 m. P. M., just as her main and mizen masts were about to share the fate of her foremast, the Algésiras, after a very gallant defence, struck her colours; and lieutenant Charles AlgéBennett, with lieutenant of marines Arthur Ball, and about 48 men, stepped on board and took possession of her. In another quarter of an hour the San-Juan hailed that she surrendered; and lieutenant Benjamin Clement was sent in the jollyboat, with two hands, to take possession. The boat, being damaged by shot, swamped, before she reached a quarter of the way. The two men could swim, but not the lieutenant. While the latter was clinging to the boat, a shot struck her and knocked off her quarter. The boat then turned bottom upwards; and lieutenant Clement held fast by the boat's fall until Surren der of siras. 1805. one of his two companions, a black man, Macnamara Oct. by name, swam to the Tonnant, and returned with a rope that lead out of the ship's stern port. By this means a brave young officer, who had been in two or three of the general actions of the preceding war, was saved to his country. Da mage, &c. to nant. Among the damages sustained by the Tonnant in: the hull, was a bad wound in the rudder, a portion of Ton- the head of which was shot away; and a great part of her starboard quarter-piece, with the rails and gallery, was carried away by the Algésiras when the vessels got foul. The loss on board the Tonnant amounted to one midshipman, (William Brown,) 16 seamen, and nine marines killed, her captain, (severely,) boatswain, (Richard Little,) the captain's clerk, (William Allen,) one master's mate, (Henry Also to Ready,) 30 seamen, and 16 marines wounded. The Algé Algésiras had upwards of 200 men killed and siras. tages lord direc wounded, including several officers, and among the mortally wounded, the brave and highly respected rear-admiral Magon, who had previously been wounded in two places, but would not quit the deck. After having captured the Algésiras and disengaged herself from her prize, the Tonnant fired several shot at the squadron of M. Dumanoir passing to-windward; but, having no boat left, could not send again to take possession of the San-Juan. That spanish ship, however, was shortly afterwards engaged and secured by the Dreadnought. Advan- In consequence of the novel mode of attack arising adopted by the commander in chief, each british from ship, as she bore up in line ahead, was obliged to Nel- follow in the wake of her leader until close upon the son's enemy's line: her commander, then, acting up to tions to lord Nelson's instructions, as contained in the mehis cap-morandum at a previous page, that no captain could do very wrong who placed his ship alongside that of an enemy, attached himself to the first Frenchman or Spaniard that crossed his path. Most of the captains had also received, on the morning of the action, lord Nelson's verbal directions, transmitted tains. |