Category: Biographies

Personal Narrative of Events, From 1799 to 1815

Malta--Dreadful Accident by the Explosion of a Magazine in the Town, on the Bermola side--Nearly get into a Scrape about Breaking Quarantine--Kind Answer of the gallant Admiral Sir Sidney Smith to the Complaint--Rejoin the _Melpomene_--Mutiny in Fribourg’s Regiment--Cruise in...

Chapters

1. CHAPTER I. PAGE

2. CHAPTER II.

3. CHAPTER III.

4. CHAPTER IV.

5. CHAPTER V.

6. CHAPTER VI.

7. CHAPTER VII.

8. CHAPTER IX.

Malta--Dreadful Accident by the Explosion of a Magazine in the Town, on the Bermola side--Nearly get into a Scrape about Breaking Quarantine--Kind Answer of the gallant Admiral...

9. CHAPTER X.

10. CHAPTER XI.

11. CHAPTER XII.

12. CHAPTER XIII.

13. CHAPTER XIV.

14. CHAPTER XV.

15. CHAPTER XVI.

Operations in South Carolina--Capture of Cumberland Island and the Fort of Point-à-Petre--An Affair with the American Riflemen in the Woods--An Abattis--Anecdotes of the 2nd Wes...

16. CHAPTER I.

My father[A] and uncle both served their king and country in the American war of independence; the former was with Lord Cornwallis’s army when it surrendered at York to the Amer...

17. CHAPTER II.

Our first cruise was with the channel fleet off Brest, and to me, a boy of ten years old, it appeared a great feat, blocking up a superior French one in their own harbour, and o...

18. CHAPTER III.

In November, 1800, we sailed for Gibraltar. I was much pleased to see the celebrated rock, so well defended by the gallant Elliot in 1782, and to read, on the spot, Colonel Drin...

19. CHAPTER IV.

I fortunately remained in the Mediterranean during the whole of the short peace, which helped on my mid’s time, in the _Renown_ (74), with Captain John C. White[E], a smart offi...

20. CHAPTER V.

Whilst off Naples official notice reached us of the declaration of war against France, and we proceeded immediately off Toulon, where, in the course of a short time, Lord Nelson...

21. CHAPTER VI.

“The man who pants not for his country’s fame Is lost to virtue and the sense of shame; For here the common parent of us all, Bears every claim of those whom dear we call-- Our...

22. CHAPTER VII.

Ten days after the action, I was appointed acting lieutenant of the _Melpomene_ (38), Captain Peter Parker. The weather having moderated, we sailed in company with the _Orion_ (...

23. CHAPTER VIII.

After the repairs were made good, which took nearly two months, we sailed for Messina, and found there some transports waiting for a convoy to take a reinforcement of troops, wi...

24. CHAPTER IX.

Malta--Dreadful accident by the Explosion of a Magazine in the town, on the Bermola side--Nearly get into a scrape about breaking quarantine--Kind answer of the gallant Admiral...

25. CHAPTER X.

We had a long passage out, running far to the southward, and crossing the tropic of Cancer before we hauled to the westward for the islands of Bermuda. In a squall we carried aw...

26. CHAPTER XI.

Having but little to do, I passed much time in examining the beautifully situated, but dirty town of Lisbon. If it were not for the scavenger dogs which prowl about and take “po...

27. CHAPTER XII.

I spent the remainder of the year in the Tagus, making, when duty permitted, excursions up that river to some of the small islands, near Alhandra, where we used to find snipe, q...

28. CHAPTER XIII.

On the 13th of June I sailed in H.M. Ship _Brune_ for Cadiz, at that time besieged by Marshal Soult. I waited on Admiral Legg, and our ambassador (Sir Henry Willesley), and deli...

29. CHAPTER XIV.

Towards the end of May, 1813, embarking 300 men of the 67th Regiment, under Colonel Prevost, an officer who had distinguished himself at the battle of Barrosa, we sailed with th...

30. CHAPTER XV.

The ship having undergone the necessary repairs, which was very heavy work during the severe winter of 1813, towards the end of March we sailed for Spithead, where we embarked t...

31. CHAPTER XVI.

Operations in South Carolina--Capture of Cumberland Island and the Fort of Point-à-Petre--An Affair with the American Riflemen in the Woods--An Abattis--Anecdotes of the 2nd Wes...

32. letter I have addressed to Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir A. Cochrane,

“I have the honour to acknowledge your three letters of the 19th inst., which have been laid before the Commander of the Forces, with regard to the miseries which the enemy have...