Oct. Surren table. 1805. doubt,) and her only remaining antagonist prepared to take possession. The mainmast of the Redoutable, as it lay upon the Téméraire's poop, forming a bridge der of of easy descent, this was soon accomplished; and, Redou- at about 2h. 20m. P. M., a portion of the british crew, headed by lieutenant John Wallace, second of the Téméraire, stepped on board, and took quiet possession of the gallantly fought Redoutable. About the time that this occurrence happened, having got her head well to the southward, the Téméraire was enabled to fire a few of her foremost guns on the larboard side, clear of the Redoutable's bows, at the french Neptune; whereupon the latter, who also observed the Leviathan approaching, ceased her annoyance and bore away. Da to Vic Before we enter upon the proceedings of any other ship, we will give a brief description of the damage and loss sustained by the Victory and Témémage raire and the two french 74s on board of them. The tory. Victory's mizen topmast, as already stated, was shot away; and her fore and main masts and their yards, bowsprit, jib-boom, main topmast, and cap, and fore and main tops, were badly wounded. All her rigging was cut to pieces, and her spare spars were rendered unfit for use: hull much damaged, particularly in the wales, clamps, and waterways; and some shot had been received between wind and water. Several beams, knees, and riders were injured, and ports and port-timbers knocked off. The starboard cathead was also shot away, and the starboard bower and spare anchor totally disabled. Her loss in men. The loss on board the Victory will show, that the top-cohorns and musketry of the Redoutable had made ample amends for the comparative silence of her great guns. Besides lord Nelson and his secretary, the Victory had one captain of marines, (Charles W. Adair,) one lieutenant, (William Ram,) two midshipmen, (Robert Smith and Alexander Palmer,) the captain's clerk, (Thomas Whipple,) 32 seamen, and 18 marines killed, two lieutenants. (John Pasco Oct. and George Miller Bligh,) two lieutenants of marines, 1805. (Lewis Buckle Reeves and J. G. Peake,) three midshipmen, (William Rivers, George Augustus Westphal, and Richard Bulkeley,) 59 seamen, and nine marines wounded. This was according to the official account; but 27 additional wounded men reported themselves to the surgeon after the returns had been drawn up.* Among this number was included the boatswain, William Willmet; who, although painfully wounded in the thigh, did not quit his quarters. mage The damages of the Téméraire were scarcely less Dathan those of the Victory. The former had her main to Tetopmast, the head of her mizenmast, her fore yard, méand her fore and main topsailyards shot away, her fore and main masts so wounded as to render them unfit to carry sail, and her bowsprit shot through in several places. Her rigging of every sort was cut to pieces, and her starboard cathead and bumpkin were shot away; also the head of her rudder at the water's edge, by the fire of the Redoutable, while rounding the latter's stern. Eight feet of the starboard side of the lower deck abreast of the mainmast was also stove in, and the whole of her quartergalleries on both sides were carried away by the two ships that had run foul of her. men. The Téméraire's loss amounted to one captain Her and one lieutenant of marines, (Simeon Busigny and loss in John Kingston,) her carpenter, (Lewis Oades,) one midshipman, (William Pitts,) 35 seamen, and eight marines killed, and one lieutenant, (James Mould,) one lieutenant of marines, (Samuel J. Payne,) her boatswain, (John Brooks,) one master's mate, (Francis S. Price,) one midshipman, (John Eastman,) 59 seamen, and 12 marines wounded. A part of this heavy loss in killed and wounded arose from the following accident. A stink-pot thrown from the Re- Explo doutable entered the powder-screen on the quarter- board. deck, and caused a destructive explosion upon the * Beatty's Narrative, p. 61. sion on 1805. main deck. Had it not, indeed, been for the preOct. sence of mind of the master at arms, John Toohig, who was quartered in the light-room, the fire would have communicated to the after magazine, and probably have occasioned the loss not only of the Téméraire, but of the ships lashed to her. Damage, &c. to The damages and loss of the Redoutable, jammed Redou- as she had been betwixt two such formidable antatable gonists, might well be severe. The fall of her main Fou- and mizen masts has already been stated: her fore gueux. topmast and bowsprit shared the same fate. Her and rudder was destroyed, and her hull shot through in every direction, above and below water. An 18pounder gun, and a 36-pounder carronade near the stern, had burst, and 20 of her guns, including nine lower-deckers on the side opposite to the Victory, lay dismounted. Out of a crew of 643, the Redoutable had, according to the french official returns, 300 killed and 222 wounded, including nearly the whole of her officers. Neither the damage nor the loss of the Fougueux was by any means so severe as that incurred by the generality of the captured ships. None of her masts had, at this time, actually fallen, although one or more of them had been badly struck, and her loss could not well have exceeded its reputed amount, 40 in killed and wounded, including among the latter her first lieutenant, and among the former her captain. We formerly mentioned that captain Blackwood went on board the Téméraire with the commander in chief's instructions to captain Harvey.* After quitting the latter, captain Blackwood proceeded to the Leviathan, and informed captain Bayntun that lord Nelson had consented that his ship should precede the Victory in going into action. From her station astern of the Conqueror, the Leviathan immediately crowded all sail to reach the enviable post assigned her; but, owing to the late hour (about 11 h. 30 m.) at which the message was delivered, the * See p. 47. Leviathan did not get farther ahead than just abreast 1805. of the Conqueror, before the Victory was beginning Oct. to suffer from the enemy's fire. Nep The necessity of shortening sail for awhile, to facilitate the endeavours of the Leviathan to pass ahead to her newly-allotted station, and the almost calm state of the weather after the firing had lasted English a short time, made it 1h. 45 m. P. M. before the tune. english Neptune became closely engaged. At this time, having with all her endeavours been unable to go ahead, the Leviathan had resumed her station in the line, and was close in the wake of the Neptune, and a short distance ahead of the Conqueror. Hauling up towards the nearest ship, the english Neptune soon found herself close under the stern of the Bucentaure. The broadside of the Neptune, as she passed on in this direction, shot away the Bucentaure's main and mizen masts nearly by the board, and doubtless killed or wounded a great many of her crew. The Leviathan poured in Leviaher fire within 30 yards of the french ship's stern, and than. the Conqueror soon afterwards did the same. Con queror. Bucen The Conqueror then hauled up on the lee quarter and beam of the Bucentaure, and shot away her foremast. In a few minutes afterwards the ship of the commander in chief of the combined fleet, whose fate had been previously sealed by the Victory's tre- Surrenmendous broadside, hauled down her colours, and was der of taken possession of by the Conqueror. The officer taure. in charge of the boat was captain James Atcherley, of the marines, who had with him but five hands, a corporal and two privates of his corps, and two seamen. On the captain's stepping upon the Bucentaure's quarterdeck, M. Villeneuve and his two captains presented their swords; but, conceiving that it more properly belonged to captain Pellew to disarm officers of their rank, captain Atcherley declined the honour of receiving them. Having secured the magazine and put the key in his pocket, and placed two of his men as sentries, one at each cabin-door, captain Atcherley, accompanied by the french admiral and his two cap 1805. tains, pulled off, with his three remaining hands, and at Oct. length boarded, not the Conqueror, who had proceeded in chase, but the Mars, her sister-ship; where, on account of some mistake about the nature of the message sent by lieutenant Hennah, the acting commander of the Mars, to captain Hardy, the french officers were ordered to remain. Nep tune dis Hauling up, after having raked the Bucentaure,* the Neptune soon found herself in a similar position masts astern of the Santisima-Trinidad, whose main and sima- mizen masts came down with a tremendous crash, just Trini- as the Leviathan was in the act of seconding a fire Santi dad. Dan situa which her leader had so successfully opened. The english Neptune then luffed up alongside the Santisima-Trinidad to-leeward, while the Conqueror, with her starboard guns, kept up a distant fire upon her to-windward. At about 2 h. 30 m. P.M. the foremast of the spanish four-decker shared the fate of her main and mizen masts, and she lay an unmanageable wreck upon the water. At this moment the Neptune had her attention suddenly called off by the movement that was making in the combined van, some of the ships of which, on bearing up, raked her, and caused the principal part of the damage and loss which she sustained in the action. The Africa 64, having had the misfortune to lose gerous sight of her fleet in the night, was, when the firing tion of commenced, broad upon the Victory's larboard beam, Africa. and nearly abreast of the van ship of the combined line. Seeing her danger, lord Nelson ordered the Africa's signal to be thrown out, to make all possible sail. The intention of this signal appears to have been misunderstood; and, instead of using means to run his ship out of danger, captain Digby set every sail he could spread to hasten her into it. Passing along, and exchanging broadsides in succession with, the ships of the combined van, the Africa, with much less injury done to her than might have been expected, bore down ahead of the Santisima-Trinidad. Meeting no return to her fire, and seeing no * See diagram at p. 62. |