Part 24

During the whole pursuit it had been Nelson’s practice, whenever circumstances would permit, to have his captains on board the _Vanguard_, and explain to them his own ideas of the different and best modes of attack, and such plans as he proposed to execute on falling in with the enemy, whatever their situation might be. There is no possible position, it is said, which he did not take into consideration. His officers were thus fully acquainted with his principles of tactics; and such was his confidence in their abilities, that the only thing determined upon, in case they should find the French at anchor, was for the ships to form as most convenient for their mutual support, and to anchor by the stern. “First gain your victory,” he said, “and then make the best use of it you can.” The moment he perceived the position of the French, that intuitive genius with which Nelson was endowed displayed itself; and it instantly struck him that where there was room for an enemy’s ship to swing there was room for one of ours to anchor. The plan which he intended to pursue, therefore, was to keep entirely on the outer side of the French line, and station his ships, as far as he was able, one on the outer bow and another on the outer quarter of each of the enemy’s. Captain Berry, when he comprehended the scope of the design, exclaimed with transport, “If we succeed, what will the world say?” “There is no _if_ in the case,” replied the Admiral; “that we _shall_ succeed is certain--who may live to tell the story is a very different question.”

As the squadron advanced, they were assailed by a shower of shot and shell from the batteries on the island, and the enemy opened a steady fire from the starboard side of their whole line, within half gunshot distance, full into the bows of our van ships. It was received in silence; the men on board every ship were employed aloft in furling sails, and below in tending the braces, and making ready for anchoring;--a miserable sight for the French, who, with all their skill and all their courage, and all their advantages of number and situation, were upon that element on which, when the hour of trial comes, a Frenchman has no hope. Admiral Brueys was a brave and able man; yet the indelible character of his country broke out in one of his letters, wherein he delivered it as his private opinion that the English had missed him, because, not being superior in force, they did not think it prudent to try their strength with him. The moment was now come in which he was to be undeceived.

A French brig was instructed to decoy the English. By manœuvring so as to tempt them towards a shoal lying off the island of Beguieres; but Nelson either knew the danger, or suspected some deceit, and the lure was unsuccessful. Captain Foley led the way in the _Goliath_, out-sailing the _Zealous_, which for some minutes disputed this post of honour with him. He had long conceived that, if the enemy were moored in line of battle in with the land, the best plan of attack would be to lead between them and the shore, because the French guns on that side were not likely to be manned, nor even ready for action. Intending, therefore, to fix himself on the inner bow of the _Guerrier_, he kept as near the edge of the bank as the depth of water would admit; but his anchor hung, and, having opened his fire, he drifted to the second ship, the _Conquérant_, before it was cleared, then anchored by the stern, inside of her, and in ten minutes shot away her masts. Hood, in the _Zealous_, perceiving this, took the station which the _Goliath_ intended to have occupied, and totally disabled the _Guerrier_ in twelve minutes. The third ship which doubled the enemy’s van was the _Orion_, Sir J. Saumarez; she passed to windward of the _Zealous_, and opened her larboard guns as long as they bore on the _Guerrier_; then passing inside the _Goliath_, sunk a frigate which annoyed her, hauled toward the French line, and, anchoring inside between the fifth and sixth ships from the _Guerrier_, took her station on the larboard bow of the _Franklin_ and the quarter of the _Peuple Souverain_, receiving and returning the fire of both. The sun was now nearly down. The _Audacious_, Captain Gould, pouring a heavy fire into the _Guerrier_ and the _Conquérant_, fixed herself on the larboard bow of the latter, and when that ship struck, passed on to the _Peuple Souverain_. The _Theseus_, Captain Miller, followed, brought down the _Guerrier’s_ remaining main and mizen masts, then anchored inside the _Spartiate_, the third in the French line.

While these advanced ships doubled the French line, the _Vanguard_ was the first that anchored on the outer side of the enemy, within half pistol shot of their third ship, the _Spartiate_. Nelson had six colours flying in different parts of the rigging, lest they should be shot away--that they should be struck, no British Admiral considers as a possibility. He veered half a cable, and instantly opened a tremendous fire, under cover of which the other four ships of his division, the _Minotaur_, _Bellerophon_, _Defence_ and _Majestic_, sailed on ahead of the Admiral. In a few minutes every man stationed at the first six guns in the fore part of the _Vanguard’s_ deck was killed or wounded--these guns were three times cleared. Captain Louis, in the _Minotaur_, anchored next ahead, and took off the fire of the _Aquilon_, the fourth in the enemy’s line. The _Bellerophon_, Captain Darby, passed ahead, and dropped her stern anchor on the starboard bow of the _Orient_, seventh in the line, Bruey’s own ship of one hundred and twenty guns, whose difference in force was in proportion of more than seven to three, and whose weight of ball, from the lower deck alone, exceeded that from the whole broadside of the _Bellerophon_. Captain Peyton, in the _Defence_, took his station ahead of the _Minotaur_ and engaged the _Franklin_, the sixth in the line, by which judicious movement the British line remained unbroken. The _Majestic_, Captain Wescott, got entangled with the main rigging of one of the French ships astern of the _Orient_, and suffered dreadfully from that three-decker’s fire; but she swung clear, and closely engaging the _Heureux_, the ninth ship in the starboard bow, received also the fire of the _Tonnant_, which was the eighth in the line. The other four ships of the British squadron, having been detached previous to the discovery of the French, were at a considerable distance when the action began. It commenced at half-after six, about seven the night closed, and there was no other light than that from the fire of the contending fleets.

Trowbridge, in the _Culloden_, then foremost of the remaining ships, was two leagues astern. He came on sounding, as the others had done. As he advanced, the increasing darkness increased the difficulty of navigation, and suddenly, after having found eleven fathoms’ water, before the lead could be hove again, he was fast a-ground; nor could all his own exertions, joined to those of the _Leander_ and _Mutiné_ brig, which came to his assistance, get him off in time to bear a part in the action. His ship, however, served as a beacon to the _Alexander_ and _Swiftsure_, which would else, from the course they were holding, have gone considerably further on the reef, and must inevitably have been lost. These ships entered the bay and took their stations, in the darkness, in a manner still spoken of with admiration by all who remember it. Captain Hallowell, in the _Swiftsure_, as he was bearing down, fell in with what seemed to be a strange sail. Nelson had directed his ships to hoist four lights horizontally at the mizen peak as soon as it became dark, and this vessel had no such distinction. Hallowell, however, with great judgment, ordered his men not to fire. “If she was an enemy,” he said, “she was in too disabled a state to escape; but, from her sails being loose, and the way in which her head was, it was probable she might be an English ship.” It was the _Bellerophon_, overpowered by the huge _Orient_. Her lights had gone overboard, nearly two hundred of her crew were killed or wounded, all her masts and cables had been shot away, and she was drifting out of the line towards the lee-side of the bay. Her station at this important time was occupied by the _Swiftsure_, which opened a steady fire on the quarter of the _Franklin_ and the bows of the French Admiral. At the same instant Captain Ball, with the _Alexander_, passed under his stern, and anchored within sight on his larboard quarter, raking him, and keeping a severe fire of musketry upon his decks. The last ship which arrived to complete the destruction of the enemy was the _Leander_. Captain Thompson, finding that nothing could be done that night to get off the _Culloden_, advanced with the intention of anchoring athwart-hawse of the _Orient_. The _Franklin_ was so near her ahead, that there was not room for him to pass clear of the two; he therefore took his station athwart-hawse of the latter, in such a position as to rake both.

The two first ships of the French line had been dismasted within a quarter of an hour after the commencement of the action; and the others in that time suffered so severely, that victory was already certain. The third, fourth and fifth were taken possession of at half-past eight. Meantime Nelson received a severe wound on the head from a piece of langridge shot. Captain Berry caught him in his arms as he was falling. The great effusion of blood occasioned an apprehension that the wound was mortal. Nelson himself thought so; a large flap of the skin of the forehead cut from the bone, had fallen over the eye; and, the other being blind, he was in total darkness. When he was carried down, the surgeon, in the midst of a scene scarcely to be conceived by those who have never seen a cockpit in time of action, and the heroism which is displayed amid its horrors--with a natural but pardonable eagerness, quitted the poor fellow then under his hands, that he might instantly attend the admiral. “No!” said Nelson, “I will take my turn with my brave fellows.” Nor would he suffer his own wound to be examined, till every man who had been previously wounded was properly attended to. Fully believing that the wound was mortal, and that he was about to die, as he had ever desired, in battle and in victory, he called the chaplain, and desired him to deliver what he supposed to be his dying remembrance to Lady Nelson; he then sent for Captain Louis on board, from the _Minotaur_, that he might thank him personally for the great assistance he had rendered to the _Vanguard_; and, ever mindful of those who deserved to be his friends, appointed Captain Hardy from the brig to the command of his own ship, Captain Berry having to go home with the news of the victory. When the surgeon came in due time to examine the wound (for it was in vain to entreat 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 heard that the hurt was superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure than the unexpected assurance that his life was in no danger. The surgeon requested, and, as far as he could, ordered him to remain quiet; but Nelson could not rest. He called for his secretary, Mr. Campbell, to write the despatches. Campbell had himself been wounded, and was so affected at the blind and suffering state of the Admiral that he was unable to write. The chaplain was sent for; but before he came, Nelson, with his characteristic eagerness, took the pen, and contrived to trace a few words, marking his devout sense of the success which had already been obtained. He was now left alone; when suddenly a cry was heard on the deck that the _Orient_ was on fire. In the confusion he found his way up, unassisted and unnoticed; and, to the astonishment of every one, appeared on the quarter-deck, where he immediately gave order that boats should be sent to the relief of the enemy.

It was soon after nine that the fire on the _Orient_ broke out. Brueys was dead; he had received three wounds, yet would not leave his spot; a fourth cut him almost in two. He desired not to be carried below, but to be left to die upon deck. The flames soon mastered his ship. Her sides had just been painted, and the oil-jars and paint-buckets were lying on the poop. By the prodigious light of this conflagration, the situation of the fleets could now be perceived, the colours of both being clearly distinguishable. About ten o’clock the ship blew up, with a shock which was felt to the very bottom of every vessel. Many of her officers and men jumped overboard, some clinging to the spars and pieces of wreck with which the sea was strewn; others swimming to escape from the destruction which they momently dreaded. Some were picked up by our boats; and some, even in the heat and fury of the action, were dragged into the lower ports of the nearest British ships by the British Sailors. The greater part of her crew, however, stood the danger to the last, and continued to fire from the lower deck. This tremendous explosion was followed by a silence not less awful; the firing immediately ceased on both sides; and the first sound which broke the silence was the dash of her shattered masts and yards falling into the water from the vast height to which they had been exploded. It is upon record, that a battle between two armies was once broken off by an earthquake:--such an event would be felt like a miracle: but no incident in war produced by human means, has ever equalled the sublimity of this coinstantaneous pause, and all its circumstances.

About seventy of the _Orient’s_ crew were saved by the English boats. Among the many hundreds who perished were the Commodore, Casa Bianca, and his son, a brave boy only ten years old. They were seen floating on a shattered mast when the ship blew up. She had money on board (the plunder of Malta) to the amount of six hundred thousand pounds sterling. The masses of burning wreck which were scattered by the explosion, excited for some moments apprehensions in the English which they had never felt from any other danger. Two large pieces fell into the main and foretops of the _Swiftsure_, without injuring any person. A port-fire also fell into the main-royal of the _Alexander_; the fire which it occasioned was speedily extinguished. Captain Ball had provided, as far human foresight could provide, against any such danger. All the shrouds and sails of his ship, not absolutely necessary for its immediate management, were thoroughly wetted, and so rolled up, that they were as hard and as little inflammable as so many solid cylinders.

The firing recommenced with the ships to leeward of the centre, and continued till about three. At daybreak the _Guillaume Tell_ and the _Généreuse_, the two rear ships of the enemy, were the only French ships of the line which had their colours flying: they cut their cables in the forenoon, not having been engaged, and stood out to sea, and two frigates with them. The _Zealous_ pursued; but, as there was no other ship in a condition to support Captain Hood, he was recalled. It was generally believed by the officers that, if Nelson had not been wounded, not one of these ships could have escaped; the four certainly could not, if the _Culloden_ had got into action; and, if the frigates belonging to the squadron had been present, not one of the enemy’s fleet would have left Aboukir Bay. These four vessels, however, were all that escaped; and the victory was the most complete and glorious in the annals of naval history. “Victory,” said Nelson, “is not a name strong enough for such a scene;” he called it a conquest. Of thirteen sail of the line, nine were taken and two burnt; of the four frigates, one was sunk; another the _Artemise_ was burnt in a villainous manner by her captain, M. Estandlet, who having fired a broadside at the _Theseus_, struck his colours, then set fire to the ship, and escaped with most of his crew to shore. The British loss in killed and wounded amounted to 895. Westcott was the only captain who fell: 3105 of the French, including the wounded, were sent on shore by cartel, and 5225 perished.

Thus ended this eventful battle, which exalted the name of Nelson to a level at least with that of the celebrated conqueror, whose surprising success at the head of the French armies had then begun to draw the attention of the civilized world. The first words of his despatches on this memorable occasion prove his gratitude to that Providence which had protected him:--“_Almighty God has blessed his Majesty’s arms._”

NISBET, BATTLE OF.--Fought, May 7th, 1602, between the English and Scotch armies,--10,000 of the latter were left dead on the field and in the pursuit.

NORTHALLERTON, BATTLE OF.--_Or the Standard._--A furious engagement fought in Yorkshire, England, August 22nd, 1137, between the Scottish and English armies. This battle received the latter name from a high crucifix which was erected by the English on a waggon and was carried along by the troops. (See _Standard, Battle of_)

NORTHAMPTON, BATTLE OF.--Fought between the Duke of York and Henry VI of England. Henry was defeated, and made prisoner, after a bloody fight, which took place July 19th, 1460.

NOIR, BATTLES OF.--First, fought, August 15th, 1799, between the French army commanded by Joubert, and the Russians, under Suwarrow. The French were defeated with immense slaughter,--10,000 being left dead on the battlefield, among whom was their General, Joubert, and several distinguished officers. A second battle was fought, January 8th, 1800, between the Austrian and French armies, when the latter a second time were signally defeated.

NUMANTIA, SIEGE OF.--Celebrated in the life of Scipio Africanus. He besieged the city with 60,000 men, the Numantines had only 4000 able to bear arms, but for 14 years it bravely withstood all attempts, till at last it fell, and every soul preferred to perish rather than fall into the hands of the Romans.

O.

ORLEANS.--_France._--Besieged by John Talbot, the Earl of Salisbury, October 12th, 1428; relieved, and the siege raised by the Maid of Orleans--Joan of Arc--from which circumstance she received her name.

ORLEANS NEW.--The British made an attack on New Orleans, December, 1814; they were repulsed by the Americans, under General Jackson, with great loss January, 7th, 1815. The American troops were entrenched behind a large number of cotton bales, and the British were obliged to advance in an open and exposed plain for more than a mile, during which they were literally mowed down by the shot from the cotton batteries. Some of the bravest Peninsular heroes fell here and met a soldier’s grave.

ORTHES, BATTLE OF.--Fought, February 27th, 1814, between the British and Spanish armies, on the one side, and the French on the other. The Allies were commanded by Wellington--the French by Soult. In this memorable engagement the Allies gained a complete victory.

OSTROLENKA, BATTLE OF.--Between the Poles and Russians. It was one of the most sanguinary and desperate battles fought between the two countries, and took place May 26th, 1831. On both sides the slaughter was immense, but the Poles remained masters of the field.

OTTERBURN, BATTLE OF.--Fought, July 31st, 1388. The following is a graphic account of this engagement:--

“One of the Scotch inroads into England, in the time of Robert II, led to the famous battle of Otterburn, or “Chevy Chase.” This was considered, by the judges of fighting in those days, to have been the best fought, and, for the numbers engaged, the most severe of all the battles of that age. There was not a man, knight or squire, that did not acquit himself gallantly, fighting hand to hand with his enemy. It was about the time of Lammas, when the moor men were busy with their hay harvest, that the Earl of Douglas rode into England to drive a prey. The warders on the walls of Newcastle and Durham saw, rising in all directions, thick columns of smoke. This was the first intimation of the presence of the Scots. In their return homeward they halted three days before Newcastle, where they kept up an almost continual skirmish. The Earl of Douglas had a long combat with Sir Henry Percy, and took his pennon. “Hotspur, I will carry this pennon into Scotland,” said the Douglas, “and fix it on the tower of my castle of Dalkeith, that it may be seen from far.” “That shall you never, Earl of Douglas,” said Hotspur; “be assured you shall never have this pennon to boast of.” “I will fix your pennon before my tent,” said Douglas, “and shall see if you will venture to take it away.”

The Scots resumed their march homeward. They encamped at Otterburn, “upon the bent so brown,” and Douglas declared his resolution to wait there for two or three days, and see if the Percy would come to recover his pennon. On the evening of the second day the Scots were supping, some, indeed, had gone to sleep, when a loud shout of “Percy! Percy!” was heard, and the English were upon them. It was a sweet moonlight evening in August, clear and bright, and the breeze blew soft and fresh. The Scots, though somewhat taken by surprise, rose to the fight cool and “siccar,” as at Bannockburn itself. The lances crossed, and many on both sides went down at the first shock. Douglas, shouting his war cry, ordered his banner to advance. Percy, eager to encounter the Douglas, advanced his banner also. The two banners met, and many valiant deeds of arms were done around them. But the English were three to one, and the Scots were beginning to be forced back.

Seeing this, the Earl of Douglas seized a battle-axe with both hands and dashed into the midst of the enemy, his men following close. He struck right and left, and cut a lane deep into the battalion of the English. At last three spears were thrust against him all at once. One struck him on the shoulder, one on the breast, and the stroke glanced off his armour down into his groin; the third struck him in the thigh. With these three strokes he was borne to the earth, and as soon as he fell a battle-axe hewed deep into his head. The English marched over him without knowing who he was.

Sir John Sinclair, cousin to the Earl, knelt beside him, supported his bloody head, and asked, “Cousin, how fares it with you?” “Indifferently,” said he. “Thanks be to God, there are but few of my ancestors who have died in their beds. I bid you revenge my death, for my heart grows every moment more faint. Lift up my banner, which is on the ground, from the death of the valiant squire who bore it. Shout ‘Douglas!’ and tell neither friend nor foe but what I am with you.” Having spoken thus he expired. His orders were obeyed. They cast a mantle over his body, took his banner from the dead hand of the squire, raised it, and shouted, “Douglas!” The Scots came thronging up to the cry. They levelled their lances, and pushed with such courage that the English were soon driven beyond the spot where the Douglas lay. Again the shout of “Douglas!” rose more vehement and loud. The Scots in a dense mass renewed the onset, bore the enemy before them, and broke them so completely that they never rallied again. Percy himself was made prisoner. He and his pennon, too, had to go to Scotland.

Thus the dead Douglas won the field. The Scots laid the body of their leader in a coffin, which they placed on a car, and began their march home. They came without interruption to Melrose, and there, in the fair abbey, the Douglas was laid. The banner, about which his dying charge had been given at Otterburn, was hung above the place of the warrior’s rest.”