XXIV. 1798. CHAP. colours on different parts of the rigging, had every man at the first six guns on the forecastle killed or wounded in a few minutes, and they were three times swept off before the action closed. The Bellerophon dropt her stern anchor close under the bow of the L'Orient, and notwithstanding the immense disproportion of force, continued to engage her firstrate antagonist till her own masts had all gone overboard, and every officer was either killed or wounded, when she drifted away with the tide, overwhelmed, but not subdued, a glorious monument of unconquerable valour. As she floated along, she came close to the Swiftsure, which was coming into action, and not having the lights at the mizen-peak, which Nelson had ordered as a signal by which his own ships might distinguish each other, she was at first mistaken for an enemy. Fortunately, Captain Hallowell, who commanded that vessel, had the presence of mind to order his men not to fire, and thus a catastrophe was prevented which might have proved fatal to both of these ships. The station of the Bellerophon in combating the L'Orient was now taken by the Swiftsure, which opened at once a steady fire on the quarter of the Franklin and the bows of the French admiral, while the Alexander anchored on his larboard quarter, and, with the Leander, completed the destruction of their gigantic opponent.' 1 South. i. 230, 232. Ann. Reg. 1798, 145. James, ii. 240, 248. Jom. xi. 417, 418. ent blows up. It was now dark, but both fleets were illuminated, The L'Ori- by the incessant discharge of above 2000 pieces of cannon, and the volumes of flame and smoke that rolled away from the bay gave it the appearance as if a terrific volcano had suddenly burst forth in the midst of the sea. Victory, however, soon declared for the British; before nine, three ships of the line had struck, and two were dismasted; and the flames XXIV. 1798. were seen bursting forth from the L'Orient, as she CHAP. still continued, with unabated energy, her heroic defence. They spread with frightful rapidity, the fire of the Swiftsure was directed with such fatal precision to the burning part, that all attempts to extinguish it proved ineffectual; and the masts and rigging were soon wrapped in flames, which threw a prodigious light over the heavens, and rendered the situation of every ship in both fleets distinctly visible. The sight redoubled the ardour of the British seamen, by exhibiting the shattered condition and lowered colours of so many of their enemies, and loud cheers from the whole fleet announced every successive flag that was struck. As the fire approached the magazine of the L'Orient, many officers and men jumped overboard, and were picked up by the English boats; others were dragged into the port-holes of the nearest British ships, who for that purpose suspended their firing; but the greater part of the crew, with heroic bravery, stood to their guns to the last, and continued to fire from the lower deck. At ten o'clock she blew up, with an explosion so tremendous, that nothing in ancient or modern war was ever equal to it. Every ship in the hostile fleets was shook to its centre; the firing by universal consent ceased on both sides, and the tremendous explosion was followed by a silence still more awful, interrupted only, after the lapse of some minutes, by the splash of the shattered masts and yards falling into the water from the vast height to which they had been thrown. The British ships in the vicinity, with admirable coolness, had made preparations to avoid the conflagration; all the shrouds and sails were thoroughly wetted, and sailors stationed with buckets of water to extinguish any burning XXIV. CHAP fragments which might fall upon their decks. By these means, although large burning masses fell on the Swiftsure and Alexander, they were extinguish1 South. i. ed without doing any serious damage.' 1798. 236, 238. James, ii. Ann. Reg. Miot, Ex ped. en Gautheames, Conf. v. Glorious victory in which it terminates. After a pause of ten minutes, the firing recom246, 249. menced, and continued without intermission till after 1798, 146. midnight, when it gradually grew slacker, from the shattered condition of the French ships and the exhaustion of the British sailors, numbers of whom fell asleep beside their guns, the instant a momentary cessation of loading took place. At daybreak the 436, 441. magnitude of the victory was apparent; not a vestige of the L'Orient was to be seen; the frigate La Serieuse was sunk, and the whole French line, with the exception of the Guillaume Tell and Genereux, had struck their colours. These ships having been little engaged in the action, cut their cables, and stood out to sea, followed by the two frigates: they were gallantly pursued by the Zealous, which was rapidly gaining on them; but as there was no other ship of the line in a condition to support her, she was recalled, and these ships escaped. Had the Culloden not struck on the shoal, and the frigates belonging to the squadron been present, not one of the enemy's fleet would have escaped to convey the mournful tidings to France. 2 James, 249, 251. South. i. 238, 240. Ann. Reg. 1798, 146, 147. Nelson. Early in the battle, Admiral Nelson received a Wound of severe wound on the head, from a piece of Langridge shot. Captain Berry caught him in his arms as he was falling. Nelson, and all around him, thought, from the great effusion of blood, that he was killed. When he was carried to the cockpit, the surgeon quitted the seaman, whose wounds he was dressing, to attend to the admiral. “No,” said Nelson; "I will take my turn with my brave fellows." Nor would he suffer his wound to be examined till every man, who had previously been brought down, was properly attended to. Fully believing that the wound was mortal, and that he was about to die, as he had ever desired, in the moment of victory, he called for the chaplain, and desired him to deliver what he conceived to be his dying remembrance to Lady Nelson; and seizing a pen, contrived to write a few words, marking his devout sense of the success which had already been obtained. When the surgeon came in due time to inspect the wound-for no entreaties could prevail on him to let it be examined sooner-the most anxious silence prevailed; and the joy of the wounded men, and of the whole crew, when they found the injury was only superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure than the unexpected assurance that his own life was in no danger. When the cry rose that the L'Orient was on fire, he contrived to make CHAP. XXV. 1798. his way, alone and unassisted, to the quarterdeck, 1 South, i. where he instantly gave orders that boats should be 234, 235, despatched to the relief of the enemy.' 236. squadron. Nor were heroic deeds confined to the British squadron. Most of the captains of the French fleet Heroic deeds were killed or wounded, and they all fought with the in the French enthusiastic courage which is characteristic of their nation. The captain of the Tonnant, Petit Thouars, when both his legs were carried away by a cannon ball, refused to quit the quarterdeck, and made his crew swear not to strike their colours as long as they had a man capable of standing to their guns. Admiral Brueys died the death of the brave on his quarterdeck, exhorting his men to continue the combat to the last extremity. Casa Bianca, captain of the L'Orient, fell mortally wounded, when the flames were XXIV. 1798. CHAP. devouring that splendid vessel; his son, a boy of ten years of age, was combating beside him when he was struck, and embracing his father, resolutely refused to quit the vessel though a gun-boat was come alongside to bring him off. He contrived to bind his dying parent to the mast, which had fallen into the sea, and floated off with the precious charge; he was seen after the explosion by some of the British squadron, who made the utmost efforts to save his life; but in the agitation of the waves following that dreadful event, both were swallowed up, and seen no more.1 * 151, 152. James, ii. 236, 237. Such was the battle of the Nile, for which he who Great results gained it felt that victory was too feeble a word; he of the vic- called it conquest. Of thirteen ships of the line, nine tory. were taken and two burnt; of four frigates, one was sunk and one burnt. The British loss was 895 in killed and wounded; they had to lament the death of only one commander, Captain Westcolt, a brave and able officer. Of the French, 5225 perished, and 3105 were taken and sent on shore, including the wound * Napoleon addressed the following noble letter to Madame Brueys on her husband's death: "Your husband has been killed by a cannonball while combating on his quarterdeck. He died without suffering; the death the most easy and the most envied by the brave. I feel warmly for your grief. The moment which separates us from the object which we love is terrible; we feel isolated on the earth; we almost experience the convulsions of the last agony; the faculties of the soul are annihilated; its connexion with the earth is preserved only across a veil which distorts every thing. We feel in such a situation, that there is nothing which yet binds us to life; that it were far better to die; but when after such first and unavoidable throes, we press our children to our hearts, tears, and more tender sentiments arise; life becomes bearable for their sakes. Yes, madame, they will open the fountains of your heart; you will watch their childhood; educate their youth; you will speak to them of their father, of your present grief, and of the loss which they and the Republic have sustained in his death. After having resumed the interest in life by the chord of maternal love, you will perhaps feel some consolation from the friendship and warm interest which I shall ever take in the widow of my friend."- Corresp. Conf. v., 383. |