The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson Volume I Part 18

"The action in the rear of the fleet was very trifling, till three quarters past eleven o'clock, when it became very warm. Three of the enemy's s.h.i.+ps were engaging them, and two were very near. Le Tonnant, already badly treated, who was nearest the s.h.i.+ps engaged, returned a very brisk fire. About three o'clock in the morning, she was dismasted, and obliged to cut her cables a second time; and, not having any more anchors left, she drove on sh.o.r.e. Le Guillaume Tell, Le Genereux, and Le Timoleon, s.h.i.+fted their births, and anch.o.r.ed farther down, out of gun-shot. These vessels were not much damaged. At half past three o'clock, the action ceased throughout the line. Early in the morning, the frigate La Justice got under weigh, and made several small tacks to keep near the Guillaume Tell; and, at nine o'clock, anch.o.r.ed: an English s.h.i.+p having got under weigh, and making small tacks to prevent her getting away. At six o'clock, two English s.h.i.+ps joined those who had been engaging the rear, and began firing on L'Heureux and Le Mercure, which were aground. The former soon struck, and the latter followed the example, as they could not bring their broadsides to bear on the enemy. At half past seven, the s.h.i.+p's crew of L'Artemise frigate quitted her, and set her on fire: at eight o'clock, she blew up.

The enemy, without doubt, had received great damage in their masts and yards, as they did not get under weigh to attack the remains of the French fleet. The French flag was flying on board four s.h.i.+ps of the line and two frigates. This division made the most of their time; and, at three quarters past eleven, Le Guillaume Tell, Le Genereux, La Diane, and La Justice, got under weigh, and formed in line of battle. The English s.h.i.+p that was under sail stood towards her fleet, fearing that she might be cut off; but, two other enemy's s.h.i.+ps were immediately under weigh to a.s.sist her. At noon, Le Timoleon, which probably was not in a state to put to sea, steered right for the sh.o.r.e, under her fore-sail; and, as soon as she struck the ground, her foremast fell. The French division joined the enemy's s.h.i.+ps, which ranged along their line on opposite tacks, within pistol-shot, and received their broadsides, which it returned: they, then, each continued their route. The division was in sight at sun-set. Nothing remarkable pa.s.sed, during the night of the 2d. The 3d of August, in the morning, the French colours were flying in Le Tonnant and Timoleon. The English admiral sent a flag of truce to the former, to know if she had struck; and, on being answered in the negative, he directed two s.h.i.+ps to go against her.

When they got within gun-shot of her, she struck, it being impossible to defend her any longer. Le Timoleon was aground, too near in for any s.h.i.+p to approach her. In the night of the 2d, they sent the greatest part of their s.h.i.+p's company on sh.o.r.e; and, at noon the next day, they quitted her, and set her on fire.

"Thus ends the journal of the 1st, 2d, and 3d, days of August; which will ever be remembered, with the deepest sorrow, by those Frenchmen who possess good hearts, and by all those true republicans who have survived this melancholy disaster."

To the above anonymous French account, may be added that of the celebrated scientific traveller, soldier, and artist, Monsieur Denon; who was one of the chief Scavans in the Egyptian expedition, and an anxious spectator of the interesting scene. It is to be remarked that, though his description of the battle, like that by which it is preceded, has less want of candour than is commonly found in French narratives of this nature, neither of them is altogether free from the characteristic partiality of that boastful nation. Both of them fail to state the true number of British s.h.i.+ps; but, as frequently happens with those who are not remarkably tenacious of truth, though both make the number greater than it actually was, they do not agree with each other any more than with the fact, and thus mutually aid to produce a conviction of their own want of veracity. Our true force was fifteen sail only.

Denon, in order to gain an accurate view of the expected engagement, hastened to a lofty tower--

"When," says he, "we had reached the tower which commands the monastery, we descried a fleet of twenty sail. To come up, to range themselves in a line, and to attack, were the operations of a minute. The first shot was fired at five o'clock; and, shortly after, our view of the two fleets was intercepted by the smoke.

When night came on, we could distinguish somewhat better; without, however, being able to give an account of what pa.s.sed. The danger to which we were exposed, of falling into the hands of the smallest troop of Bedouins which might come that way, did not draw our attention from an event by which we were so strongly interested.

Rolls of fire, incessantly gus.h.i.+ng from the mouths of the cannon, evinced clearly that the combat was dreadful, and supported with an equal obstinacy on both sides. On our return to Rosetta, we climbed on the roofs of the houses; whence, at ten o'clock, we perceived a strong light, which indicated a fire. A few minutes afterwards, we heard a terrible explosion, which was followed by a profound silence. As we had seen a firing kept up, from the left to the right, on the object in flames, we drew a conclusion that it was one of the enemy's s.h.i.+ps, which had been set fire to by our people; and we imputed the silence which ensued, to the retreat of the English: who, as our s.h.i.+ps were moored, were exclusively in possession of the range of the bay; and who, consequently, could persevere in or discontinue the combat, at pleasure. At eleven o'clock, a slow fire was kept up; and, at midnight, the action again became general. It continued till two in the morning. At day-break, I was at the advanced posts; and, ten minutes after, the fleets were once more engaged. At nine o'clock, another s.h.i.+p blew up. At ten, four s.h.i.+ps, the only ones which were not disabled, and which I could distinguish to be French, crouded their sails, and quitted the field of battle; in the possession of which they appeared to be, as they were neither attacked nor followed. Such was the phantom produced by the enthusiasm of hope!

"I took my station at the tower of Ab.u.mandur; whence I counted twenty-five vessels, half of which were shattered wrecks; and the others incapable of manoeuvring to afford them a.s.sistance.

"For three days, we remained in this state of cruel uncertainty. By the help of my spying-gla.s.s, I had made a drawing of this disastrous scene; that I might be enabled the better to ascertain, whether the morrow would be productive of any change.

"In this way we cherished illusion, and spurned at all evidence; till, at length, the pa.s.sage across the bar being cut off; and the communication with Alexandria intercepted, we found that our situation was altered; and that, separated from the mother-country, we were become the inhabitants of a distant colony, where we should be obliged to depend on our own resources for subsistence, till the peace. We learned, that it was L'Orient which blew up at ten o'clock at night, and L'Hercule the following morning; and that the captains of the s.h.i.+ps of the line, Le Guillaume Tell and Genereux--and of the frigates, La Diane and La Justice--perceiving that the rest of the fleet had fallen into the enemy's hands, had taken advantage of a moment of la.s.situde and inaction on the part of the English, to effect their escape. We learned, lastly, that the 1st of August had broken the unity of our forces; and that the destruction of our fleet, by which the l.u.s.tre of our glory was tarnished, had restored to the enemy the empire of the Mediterranean: an empire which had been wrested from them by the matchless exploits of our armies, and which could only have been secured to us by the existence of our s.h.i.+ps of war.

"The sh.o.r.e, to the extent of four leagues, was covered by wrecks, which enabled us to form an estimate of the loss that we had sustained at the battle of Aboukir. To procure a few nails, or a few iron hoops, the wandering Arabs were employed in burning on the beach the masts, gun-cariages, boats, &c. which had been constructed at so vast an expence in our ports."

In both these accounts it is sufficiently manifest, that the French were fully convinced there could be no possibility of denying their defeat, however they might seek to disguise the extent of their disaster. The grand designation of their expensive and numerous armament was thus, at a single blow, completely frustrated: and, instead of finding themselves, flushed with success, in a treacherously subjugated country, with a view of extending their conquest to India; they became, at once, reduced to depend on their own resources for even their subsistence, in a distant land, without any other hope of ever returning home, than what was afforded them by the remote prospect of a peace.

Though Admiral Nelson had written his dispatches for the commander in chief immediately after this glorious victory, he was unable to send Captain Berry, of the Vanguard, in the Leander of fifty guns, to the Earl of St. Vincent, off Cadiz, till the 5th of August.

In a few days after, as if the admiral had foreseen the fate of the Leander, which it will appear he certainly apprehended, he prepared a copy of these dispatches to the Earl of St. Vincent; and transmitted it to Evan Nepean, Esq. Secretary to the Admiralty, by the Honourable Captain Thomas Bladen Capel, in La Mutine brig, to which he had just been appointed on Captain Hardy's promotion to the Vanguard. In these will be seen his own modest and pious account of a victory, perhaps, without parallel, when duly considered in it's completeness and consequences.

"Vanguard, Mouth of the Nile, 7th August 1798.

"SIR,

"Herewith, I have the honour to transmit you a copy of my letter to the Earl of St. Vincent, together with a line of battle of the English and French squadrons; also, a list of the killed and wounded. I have the honour to inform you, that eight of our s.h.i.+ps have already top-gallant yards across, and are ready for any service: the others, with the prizes, will soon be ready for sea.

In an event of this importance, I have thought it right to send Captain Capel, with a copy of my letter to the commander in chief, overland; which, I hope, their lords.h.i.+ps will approve: and I beg leave to refer them to Captain Capel, who is a most excellent officer, and fully able to give every information; and I beg leave to recommend him to their lords.h.i.+ps notice.

"I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,

"Horatio Nelson.

"P.S. The island I have taken possession of; and brought off the two thirteen-inch mortars, with all the bra.s.s guns, and destroyed the iron ones."

"Evan Nepean, Esq."

His celebrated letter to the Earl of St. Vincent was in the following words--

"Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, 3d August 1798.

"MY LORD,

"Almighty G.o.d has blessed his majesty's arms, in the late battle, by a great victory over the fleet of the enemy; whom I attacked, at sun-set on the 1st of August, off the mouth of the Nile. The enemy were moored in a strong line of battle, for defending the entrance of this bay (of shoals;) flanked by numerous gun-boats, four frigates, and a battery of guns and mortars on an island in their van: but nothing could withstand the squadron your lords.h.i.+p did me the honour to place under my command. Their high state of discipline is well known to you; and, with the judgment of the captains, together with their valour, and that of the officers and men of every description, it was absolutely irresistible. Could any thing from my pen add to the characters of the captains, I would write it with pleasure; but, that is impossible. I have to regret the loss of Captain Westcott, of the Majestic, who was killed early in the action; but the s.h.i.+p was continued to be so well fought by her first-lieutenant, Mr. Cuthbert, that I have given him an order to command her till your lords.h.i.+p's pleasure is known. The s.h.i.+ps of the enemy, all but their two rear s.h.i.+ps, are nearly dismasted; and these two, with two frigates, I am sorry to say, made their escape: nor was it, I a.s.sure you, in my power to prevent them. Captain Hood most handsomely endeavoured to do it; but I had no s.h.i.+p in a condition to support the Zealous, and I was obliged to call her in.

The support and a.s.sistance I have received from Captain Berry cannot be sufficiently expressed. I was wounded in the head, and obliged to be carried off the deck; but, the service suffered no loss by that event. Captain Berry was fully equal to the important service then going on; and, to him, I must beg leave to refer you, for every information relative to this victory. He will present you with the flag of the second in command, that of the commander in chief being burnt in L'Orient. Herewith, I transmit you lists of the killed and wounded; and, the lines of battle of ourselves and the French.

"I have the honour to be, my lord, your lords.h.i.+p's most obedient servant,

"Horatio Nelson."

"To Admiral the Earl of St. Vincent, Commander in Chief, &c. off Cadiz."

BRITISH LINE OF BATTLE.

s.h.i.+ps. Captains. Guns. Men.

1. Culloden Thomas Troubridge 74 590 2. Theseus Ralph Willet Miller 74 590 3. Alexander Alexander John Ball 74 590 4. Vanguard {Rear-Adm. Sir H. Nelson, K.B.} {Edward Berry } 74 595 5. Minotaur Thomas Louis 74 640 6. Leander Thomas Boulden Thompson 50 343 7. Swiftsure Benjamin Hallowell 74 590 8. Audacious Davidge Gould 74 590 9. Defence John Peyton 74 590 10. Zealous Samuel Hood 74 590 11. Orion Sir James Saumarez 74 590 12. Goliath Thomas Foley 74 590 13. Majestic George B. Westcott 74 590 14. Bellerophon Henry D'E. Darby 74 590

BRIG.

15. La Mutine Thomas Hardy

Horatio Nelson.

Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, 3d August 1798.

FRENCH LINE OF BATTLE.

How disposed s.h.i.+ps. Commanders. Guns. Men. of.

1. Le Guerrier 74 700 Taken.

2. Le Conquerant 74 700 Taken.

3. Le Spartiate 74 700 Taken.

4. L'Aquilon 74 700 Taken.

5. Le Souverain Peuple 74 700 Taken.

6. Le Franklin {Blanquet, 1st Contre } { Admiral } 80 800 Taken.

7. L'Orient {Admiral Brueys, } {Commander in Chief }120 1010 Burnt.

8. Le Tonnant 80 800 Taken.

9. L'Heureux 74 700 Taken.

10. Le Timoleon 74 700 Burnt.

11. Le Mercure 74 700 Taken.

12. Le Guillaume Tell {Villeneave, 2d Contre} { Admiral } 80 800 Escaped.

13. Le Genereux 74 300 Escaped.

FRIGATES.

14. La Diane 48 300 Escaped.

15. La Justice 44 300 Escaped.