The weather was so hazy, that the two fleets had approached very closely before they were mutually aware of each other's vicinity. But as soon as the British admiral descried the enemy, he made the signal for action, and bore down on the hostile fleet in two columns. Some confusion, however, took place in consequence of the necessity under which the English squadron lay of tacking before they reached the enemy; and Villeneuve, * Yet, strange to say, our naval historians seem insensible to the vital importance of this junction of the squadrons blockading Rochefort and Ferrol. Mr James observes, "Thus was the blockade of two ports raised, in which at the time were about as many ships ready for sea as the fleet which the blockading squadrons were to go in search of. The policy of this measure does not seen very clear. If the squadron did not, like the Rochefort one, take advantage of because it had received no orders." Is it not the circumstance and sail out, it was only evident, that unless this junction of the blockading squadrons had taken place, the combined fleet would have successively raised with five-and-thirty sail of the line for Brest? 78. Meanwhile Villeneuve returned | frigates.* to Europe as rapidly as adverse winds would permit, and on the 23d June he had reached the latitude of the Azores. Napoleon, who by this time had returned to St Cloud from Italy, despatched orders to the fleet at Rochefort to put to sea and join Admiral Gantheaume off the Lizard Point; or, if he had not made his escape from Brest, to make for Ferrol and join the combined fleet there. He literally counted the days and hours till some intelligence should arrive of the great armament approaching from the West Indies the signal for the completion of all his vast and profound combinations. But meanwhile, one of the brigs despatched by Nelson from Antigua on the 13th June had outstripped the combined fleet, and by the rapidity of its passage fixed the destinies of the world. The Curieux brig, sent on this important errand, arrived at London on the 9th July, having made the passage from Antigua in twenty-five days; and instantly the Admiralty despatched orders to Admiral Stirling, who commanded the squadrons before Rochefort, to raise the blockade of that harbour, join Sir Robert Calder off Ferrol, and cruise with the united force off Cape Finisterre, with a view to intercept the allied squadrons on their homeward passage towards Brest. These orders reached Admiral Stirling on the 13th July. On the 15th he effected his junction with the fleet before Ferrol, and Sir Robert Calder stood out to sea, with fifteen line-of-battle ships, to take his appointed station and wait for the enemy. the blockade of both harbours, and stood on On the Napoleon, whose penetrating eye nothing escaped, viewed in a very different light the concentration of the English blockading 27th July 1805, he wrote in these terms to squadrons at this critical period. the minister of marine :-"The English squadron before Rochefort has disappeared July that the brig Curieux arrived in Engon the 12th July. It was only on the 9th land. The Admiralty could never have decided in twenty-four hours what movements to prescribe to its squadrons. Even if they had, it is not likely their orders could have reached the squadron before Rochefort in three days. I think the blockade must have been raised, therefore, by orders received 15th July that squadron effected its junction before the arrival of the Curieux. On the with that before Ferrol; and on the 16th or It 79. The event soon showed of what vital importance it was that the Curieux had arrived so rapidly in England, and that the Admiralty had so instantaneously acted on the information communicated by Lord Nelson. Hardly had Sir Robert Calder, with his squadron united to that of Admiral Stirling, reached the place assigned for his cruise, about sixty leagues to the westward of Cape Finisterre, when the combined fleet of France and Spain hove in sight, on 22d July, consisting of twenty line-of-sion of the Admiralty, so much beyond what he conceived possible, which proved the salbattle ships, a fifty-gun ship, and seven vation of England.-DUMAS, Xii. 19, 20. perceiving the enemy's intention of cutting off his headmost vessels, and enveloping them by a superior force, skilfully met it by the counter-movement of tacking himself, luffing, and thus meeting the head of the British column by the head of his own. This brought the two fleets into collision in rather a disorderly manner; the Hero, which headed the English line, coming first in contact with the Argonaute, which bore the flag of Admiral Gravina; and when they got into close action, several vessels in both fleets were exposed to the attack of two or three opponents. The superiority of the British, however, was soon apparent, notwithstanding the preponderance of force on the part of the enemy. Before the action had continued four hours, two of the Spanish line-of-battle ships, the St Raphael and Firme, were compelled to strike their colours; while the Windsor Castle, in the English fleet, was also so much injured as to render it necessary to put her in tow of the Dragon. A thick fog, which came on just as the action began, rendered it impossible to see farther than a cable's length from any object in either fleet, and rendered the battle a series of separate engagements between detached vessels, rather than a regular battle. At length darkness separated the combatants; and the British fleet, carrying with them their prizes, lay-to for the night to repair their injuries, and prepare for a renewal of the action on the following day. 80. The loss sustained by the British was very small, amounting only to thirty-nine killed, and one hundred and fifty-nine wounded; that of the French and Spaniards to four hundred and seventy-six; and no ship, except the Windsor Castle, was seriously damaged on the English side. Neither fleet showed any decided inclination to renew the action on the following day. At noon the combined fleet approached to within a league and a half of the British, who were drawn up in order of battle; but Villeneuve made signal to haul to the wind on the same tack as the British-that is, to decline the engagement for the present-as soon as he saw that the English fleet stood firm: and night again separated the hostile squadrons. On the day after, Sir Robert Calder stood away with his prizes towards the north, justly discerning, in the danger arising from the probable junction of Villeneuve with the Rochefort and Ferrol squadrons, the first of which was known to have put to sea, a sufficient reason for falling back upon the support of the Channel fleet or that of Lord Nelson; and Villeneuve, finding the passage clear, stood towards Spain, and, after leaving three sail of the line in bad order at Vigo, entered Ferrol on the 2d August. 81. Of the importance of this, perhaps the most momentous action ever fought by the navy of England, no further proof is required than is furnished by the conduct of Napoleon, narrated by the unimpeachable authority of Count Daru, his private secretary, and the very eminent author of the History of Venice. On the day in which intelligence was received from the English papers of the arrival of Villeneuve at Ferrol, Daru was called by the Emperor into his cabinet. The scene which followed must be given in his own words: "Daru found him transported with rage; walking up and down the room with hurried steps, and only breaking a stern silence by broken exclamations. 'What a navy-what sacrifices for nothing!—what an admiral! All hope is gone. That Villeneuve, instead of entering the Channel, has taken refuge in Ferrol! It is all over; he will be blockaded there. Daru, sit down and write.' The fact was, that on that morning the Emperor had received intelligence of the arrival of Villeneuve in that Spanish harbour: he at once saw that the English expedition was blown up, the immense expenditure of the flotilla lost for a long time, perhaps for ever! Then, in the transports of a fury which would have entirely overturned the judgment of any other man, he adopted one of the boldest resolutions, and traced the plans of one of the most admirable achievements that any conqueror ever conceived.. Without a moment's hesitation, or even stopping to consider, he dictated at once, the plan of the campaign of Austerlitz; the simultaneous departure of all the corps from Hanover and Holland to the south and the west of France; their order of march, duration, their lines of conveyance, and points of rendezvous; the surprises and hostile attacks which they might experience, the divers movements of the enemy. Everything was foreseen: victory was rendered secure on every supposition. Such was the justice and vast foresight of that plan, that over a base of departure two hundred leagues in extent, and a line of operations three hundred leagues in length, the stations assigned were reached according to this original plan, place by place, day by day, to Munich. Beyond that capital, the periods only underwent a slight alteration; but the places pointed out were all reached, and the plan as originally conceived carried into complete execution." of the 22d July, the gallant officer who, with a force so far inferior, had achieved so much success, was the victim of the most unmerited obloquy. The first intelligence of the defeat of the combined fleet by so inconsiderable an armament was received over all England with the utmost transports of joy; and the public expectation was wound up to the very highest pitch by an expression in the admiral's despatches, which pointed to an intention of renewing the battle on the following day, and the statement everywhere made by the officer who brought the intelligence, that a renewal would certainly take place.* When, therefore, it was discovered that the hostile fleets had not again met, that the British admiral had stood to the northward, rather avoiding than seeking an *The public discontent, which terminated degree owing to the unfortunate suppression so cruelly for Sir Robert Calder, was in a great of part of his despatches in the accounts published by the Admiralty. The passage pub are now in sight to windward: and when I have secured the captured ships, and put the squadron to rights, I shall endeavour to avail myself of any further opportunity that may offer to give you a further account of these combined squadrons." The suppressed paragraph was this:-" At the same time, it will behove me to be on my guard against the believe that they have sent off one or two of combined squadrons in Ferrol, as I am led to their crippled ships last night for that port; therefore, possibly I may find it necessary to make a junction with you immediately off 82. Nothing can portray the charac-lished was in these words: The enemy ter of Napoleon and the importance of Sir Robert Calder's victory more strongly than this passage. He well knew how imminent affairs were in his rear; that Russia was advancing, Austria arming; and that, unless a stroke was speedily struck on the Thames, the weight of Europe must be encountered on the Danube. It was to anticipate this danger, to dissolve the confederacy by a stroke at its heart, and conquer, not only England, but Russia and Austria, on the British shores, that all his measures were calculated; and they were arranged so nicely, that there was barely time to carry the war into the enemy's vitals to anticipate his being assailed in his own. Finding this first project defeated by the result of Sir Robert Calder's action, he instantly took his line; adopted the secondary set of operations when he no longer could attempt the first; and prepared to carry the thunder of his arms to the banks of the Danube, when he was frustrated in his design of terminating the war in the British capital. conse 83. While such immense quences were resulting from the action shant with the whole squadron." Had this paragraph been published after the former, it would have revealed the real situation of the British admiral, lying with fourteen ships bined squadron of eighteen, hourly expectof the line fit for action, in presence of a coming a junction with two others, one of fifteen, and the other of five line-of-battle ships. In these circumstances, no one can doubt that to retire towards the Channel fleet was the duty which the safety of England, with which he was charged, imperatively imposed on the British admiral. It is the most pleasing duty of the historian thus to aid in rescuing from unmerited obloquy the memory of a gallaut and meritorious officer; and it is the greatest consolation, next to the inward rewards of conscience, of suffering virtue, when borne know that the time will come when its chadown by the torrent of popular obloquy, to racter will be reinstated in the eyes of posterity, and that deserved censure be cast upon the haste and severity of present opinion, which in the end seldom fails to attend deeds of injustice. 84. The consequence was, that, after having continued a short time longer in the command of the fleet, Sir Robert was compelled to retire and demand a court - martial, which, on the 26th December, severely reprimanded him for not having done his utmost to renew the engagement on the 23d and 24th July; though the sentence admitted that his conduct had not been owing either to cowardice or disaffection. Thus, at the very time that a public outcry, excited by the vehemence of party ambition, was chasing from the helm of the Admiralty the statesman whose admirable arrangements had prepared for the British navy the triumph of Trafalgar, the fury of ignorant zeal affixed a stigma on the admiral whose gallant victory had defeated the greatest and best arranged project ever conceived by Napoleon for our destruction, and finally rescued his country from the perils of Gallic invasion. Such, in its first and hasty fits, is public opinion! History would indeed be useless, if the justice of posterity did not often reverse its iniquitous decrees.+ 85. Meanwhile Nelson, having taken in water and other necessary supplies *The accounts, published by Napoleon, in the name of Villeneuve, of the action, were entirely fabricated by the Emperor himself. In his despatch to the minister of marine of 11th August, after noticing the accounts in the English newspapers which claimed the victory, Napoleon said, "The arrival of Villeneuve at Corunna will overturn all their gasconades, and in the eyes of Europe will give us the victory; that is no small matter. Instantly write out a narrative of the action, and send it to M. Maret. Here is my idea of what it should be;" and then follows the fabricated account.-DUMAS, xii. 348; Pièces Just. Let us hear what the French writers say at Tetuan, stood for Ceuta on the 24th July and having heard nothing of the combined fleet, proceeded to Cape St Vincent, rather cruising in quest of intelligence than following any fixed course. He then traversed the Bay of Biscay, and approached the north of Ireland; and finding the enemy had not been heard of there, joined Admiral Cornwallis off Ushant on the 15th August. No news had been obtained of the enemy; and on the same evening he received orders to proceed with the Victory and Superb to Portsmouth, where he arrived on the 17th, and at length heard of the action of 22d July, and entry of Villeneuve into Ferrol. He was hailed with unbounded demonstrations of gratitude and joy in England; the public having followed with intense anxiety his indefatigable and almost fabulous adventures in search of the enemy, and deservedly awarded that consideration to heroic efforts in discharge of duty which is so often the reward only of splendid or dazzling achievements. 86. Napoleon's hopes of accomplishing the objects of his ambition were somewhat revived upon finding that Nelson had not joined Sir Robert Calder's squadron, and that the fleet in Ferrol was still immensely superior to that of the enemy. Accordingly he resumed his designs of invasion; on the 12th August transmitted orders to Villeneuve, through the minister of marine, to sail without loss of time from Ferrol, and pursue his route towards Brest, where Gantheaume was prepared to join him at a moment's warning; and in two days afterwards he wrote a second letter, in still more of this proceeding :-" Admiral Calder," says Dupin, "with an inferior force, meets the Franco-Spanish fleet; in the chase of it he brings on a partial engagement, and captures two ships. He is tried and reprimanded, because it is believed that, had he renewed the action, he would have obtained a more decisive victory. What would they have done with Calder in England, if he had commanded the superior fleet, and had lost two ships in avoiding an engagement which presented so favourable a chance to skill and valour?"-DUPIN's Voyages dans la Grande Bretagne, ii. 17. t Despatch instantly," wrote Napoleon, on the 12th August to M. Decrès, "a mes pressing terms, absolutely enjoining | and with his little squadron gallantly the immediate sailing of the combined maintained the blockade of a harbour fleet.* Sir Robert Calder had by this where five-and-thirty hostile line-oftime effected a junction with Admiral battle ships were now assembled. Cornwallis off Brest, so that the sea was open to his adventure. On the 17th August, however, he was again detached, with twenty ships of the line, to cruise off Cape Finisterre. On the 11th, the combined fleet, amounting to twenty-nine sail of the line, having left several vessels behind them in a state not fit for service, stood out to sea, and at first took a north-westerly direction; but having received accounts at sea from a Danish vessel that a British fleet of twenty-five ships of the line (Sir Robert Calder's) was approaching, Villeneuve tacked about and made sail for Cadiz, where he arrived on the 21st, the very day on which he was expected at Brest. Admiral Collingwood, with four sail of the line, who lay before the former port, was obliged to retire on the approach of so overwhelming a force; but no sooner had the enemy entered than he resumed his station, senger to Ferrol. Make Villeneuve acquainted with the news received from London. Tell him I hope that he is continuing his mission, and that it would be too dishonourable for the imperial squadrons to permit a skirmish of a few hours and an engagement with fourteen vessels to render abortive such great projects-that the enemy's squadron has suffered much-and that, on his own admission, his losses have not been very serious." And on the 14th August:-" With thirty vessels my admirals should learn not to fear fourand-twenty English; if they are not equal to such an encounter, we may at once renounce all hopes of a marine. I have more confidence in my naval forces; had I not, it would ruin their courage. If Villeneuve remains the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th, at Ferrol, I will not complain; but if he remains an hour longer with a favourable wind, and only twenty-four line-of-battle ships before him -I require a man of superior character. The little energy of my admirals throws away all the chances of fortune, and ruins all the prospects of the campaign."-DUMAS, xii. 59, 67. 87. Not anticipating such a departure on the part of the combined fleet from the prescribed operations, Napoleon, on the 22d August, wrote both to Villeneuve and Gantheaume in the most pressing terms to stand out to sea, unite their forces, and make straight for Boulogne, where he was in readiness to receive them. His words are very remarkable, and singularly characteristic of the solemn feelings with which he was animated on the eve of this, the most important event of his life. In obedience to the orders he received, Gantheaume, on the 21st of August, stood out of Brest harbour with one-and-twenty ships of the line, and drew up in order of battle in Bertheaume roads. Admiral Cornwallis, whose squadron, after the large detachment under Calder, amounted only to fourteen, immediately moved in to attack them, and a distant cannonade ensued between the two fleets. But the French, who had no intention to engage in a general affair before the arrival of the combined fleet, did not venture out of the protection of their batteries, and the day passed over without any general action. In vain every eye was turned to the south, in the hopes of descrying the long-wished-for reinforcement-in vain Gantheaume counted the hours for the arrival of Villeneuve with thirty ships of the line, He wrote to Villeneuve on 22d August: -" Vice-admiral, I hope you have reached Brest. Go, and with my united fleets enter the Channel. England is ours! We are all ready; everything is on board. Show for twenty-four hours, and all is accomplished.— NAPOLEON." To Gantheaume he wrote on the same day, "I have already given you to understand by telegraph that my wish is, that you do not allow Villeneuve to lose a "I hope Villeneuve will not allow him- single day, in order to take advantage of the self to be blockaded by a squadron smaller superiority which my fifty ships of the line than his own. Assist and push on the Ad-give me. Get to sea immediately, and enter miral as much as possible. Arrange with him about the troops you have ready, and send me a statement of their position. We are ready everywhere: and showing ourselves for twenty-four hours will suffice."-Napoleon au General Lauriston, aide-de-camp de Villeneuve, 14th Aug. 1805. THIERS, v. 448. the Channel with all your force. I rely upon your ability, firmness, and character, in a crisis so important. Depart, and come here. We shall avenge six centuries of insult and disgrace. Never have my soldiers by sea and land risked their lives for so grand a purpose."-THIERS, Consulat et l'Empire, v. 454. |