hill-battery of two twenty-six-pounders and a twelve-inch mortar, fifteen hundred yards from the Mozelle, with the Royal Louis battery of three thirty-six-pounders and two twelve-inch mortars in the rear, and to the left of our advanced battery; all which kept up during the whole day a constant fire on the Enemy. At three o'clock in the afternoon the Enemy set fire to the fascines in Monachesco, and abandoned the post, which the Corsicans took possession of. We had considerably damaged the works by night, during which we fired occasionally on their batteries. The Enemy repaired much of the fascine battery during the succeeding night. TO ADMIRAL LORD HOOD. My dear Lord. Battery, Noon, July 7th, 1794. The feint on Monachesco succeeded most amazingly well. Not a shot was fired at us, but from unavoidable circumstances our guns could not be mounted on the platforms till two hours after daylight, and being within grape-shot of the Enemy it is wonderful our loss has not been greater. Your Lordship will be sorry to hear that Captain Serocold3 is amongst the killed. The Agamemnon lost one Seaman, and a Mate of a Transport had his leg shot off. The Troops had a Sergeant and two Privates killed. Our battery seems to have had a good effect on the Cavalier of the Mozelle, the two 3 Lord Hood thus replied to this Letter, on the 7th of July : My dear Nelson,—You judge very right; I was anxious to hear from you, and all things considered from your statement, I wonder our loss has not been more considerable. But I feel struck for the fate of poor Serocold, as the King had not a more gallant and deserving Officer in the Navy, and I had a very sincere regard for him. If you, with the assistance of that brave fellow Hallowell, feel yourself equal to the service that may arise, I shall not send you another Officer, but I shall hold one ready to rejoin you whenever you wish it. There is a Transport not far off to which I have sent a boat, and I want its return to make a communication of her to the General, before I send away your messenger. Very faithfully yours, HooD. Be so good as to order the Crescent to join me immediately, that she may be discharged. The Transport is the Jamaica from Bastia the enclosed note specifies what she has on board."- From a Copy, certified by Nelson, in the Hood Papers. guns facing us being silenced. I will send back your papers, with thanks, so soon as the General returns them: the others I gave to Captain Wolseley to return to your Lordship. Believe me with truest esteem, Your Lordship's most faithful Servant, HORATIO NELSON. Captain Hallowell and myself feel ourselves fully equal to the duty here. I send this Note, knowing your Lordship must be anxious to hear of us. The Crescent is cleared of all her stores, if your Lordship wants her.1 TO MRS. NELSON. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 180.] My dear Fanny, Camp, 8th July 1794. I long to hear from you, for a post has arrived without a letter. Our batteries opened yesterday, and it is possible you may have heard that a Captain of the Navy has fallen. To assure you it is not me, I write a few lines; for if such a report should get about, I well know your anxiety of mind. We shall take Calvi in due time; and I hope without much loss of men, I am very busy, yet own I am in all my glory: except with you, I would not be any where but where I am, for the world. I am well aware my poor services will not be noticed I have no interest; but, however services may be received, it is not right in an Officer to slacken his zeal for his Country. Yours, &c. HORATIO NELSON. TO ADMIRAL LORD HOOD. My dear Lord, Camp, July 8th, 1794. I received your letter last night after dark, and having no On the outside of this Letter Nelson wrote in Pencil, "To be sent off directly. H. N." light on the battery could not read it till daylight this morning. I shall send directly to the Crescent to join your Lordship. He desired from me, before we left Bastia, a written desire to sail with me: as he was under no Charter, it related I suppose to his insurance. The Enemy abandoned Monachesco yesterday evening, setting all that would burn on fire. They have no shells but six and a-half inch, which is fired from a field carriage brought occasionally forward. Our exertions the night before must have surprised them, and had they believed their eyes at daylight they must have done us much damage, but it was a full hour before they fired a shot after the day broke. No person has been killed since our battery opened, and only two wounded, and they slightly. I sent off Mr. Cox to get ammunition, and if it is thought right, some men for the Gun-boats are wanted to come towards the Point near where we are, to prevent any of the Enemy's Gun-boats from flanking our battery. I believe the General intends erecting a battery to the left of our present one, and advanced about three hundred yards to knock down the Mozelle, which has already suffered greatly. Believe me, with truest esteem, HORATIO NELSON. Our Artillery Officers will use two wads for the gunsone we believe to be sufficient, but they don't seem to mind me. I have told Captain Stephens and Captain Wilkes,* who is on the battery, that they will, from using as many again as is necessary, be soon short of that article, which probably cannot be supplied them. A large packet I found in my Tent this morning from Sir Gilbert Elliot, which I send. Since writing my letter I have received yours desiring one every morning. Ten o'clock is the hour I have appointed Sir H. Burrard to have a person at my Tent. I was only Captains Edward Stephens and John Wilkes, both of the Artillery. 5 Captain Sir Harry Burrard, Bart., of the L'Aimable of 32 guns. He afterward assumed the name of Neale, and died an Admiral of the Blue, a G.C.B., and G C.M.G., in February 1840. just returned home, having been absent forty-eight hours, or should have wrote early in the morning. I send this by L'Aimable as she is most likely to get to your Lordship before Mr. Cox. JOURNAL C. Throughout the whole of the 8th, both sides had kept up a constant and heavy fire. They totally destroyed two of our twenty-four-pounders, greatly damaged a twenty-sixpounder, and shook our works very much. One of their shells burst in the centre of our battery, amongst the General, myself, and at least one hundred persons, and blew up our battery magazine, but, wonderful to say, not a man was much hurt. We, on our part, did considerable damage to the Mozelle and Fountain battery; but when any of their guns were disabled, they had others to supply their place. At night we repaired our works, and got two of the Agamemnon's eighteen-pounders to replace the twenty-fourpounder. During this day we had two Seamen killed, and three Soldiers wounded. By ten o'clock on the 9th of July, we had evidently the superiority of fire, and before night had dismounted every gun in the Fountain battery and Mozelle, which bore upon us: but the guns in Saint Francesco annoyed us considerably, being so much on our left flank, and at so great a distance, that we could not get our guns to bear on it with any effect. In the night, we mounted the howitzer of ten inches 150 yards in the rear, and a little to the left of our battery, both of which fired on the Enemy every three minutes during the night to prevent their working. Hallowell and myself each take twenty-four hours at the advanced battery. During this day one Soldier was killed, and one Soldier and two Seamen were wounded. TO ADMIRAL LORD HOOD. [Autograph, in the Hood Papers.] July 9th, 1794. My Lord, I send you Captain Stephens' letter to me about wads. I spoke to the General, and he has directed that only one wad shall be used in future. If your Lordship will have the goodness to order two or three thousand to be made, we shall probably want them. The Victory has a Former for twentysix pounders. The Agamemnon's two twenty-four pounders are both ruined: one split up to the rings; the other with the trunnion knocked so much off, that it is useless for shot. The Dolphin is in great want of wood. The Vigilant Gun-boat is laying here without men. Captain May wishes, if you have no objection, to put some men into her, and send her for some wood to Port Galeria. I have just sent to the General to know when he wishes the powder to be sent. On shore they have probably sufficient: therefore it will be ordered to the Store-ships. We have no certain communication with Corte, although I should think a letter might be sent to Frediani, who I think would send a trusty Corsican with it. Your most faithful Casualties-Three Seamen and two Soldiers wounded. Battery, half-past ten o'clock. letter. your I should be I have this moment received sorry that any opinion of mine should cast a censure on an Officer; but at sunset the Seamen were ready to proceed with the guns: in about a quarter of an hour the General passed us with the Troops for the feint of an attack; in about a quarter of an hour afterwards, the Engineer, Captain Nepean, came from towards the intended battery, and he did not go forward with the workmen till near half-past ten o'clock. 6 1794. Captain James May commanded the Dolphin Store-ship; he was Posted in 'Captain Thomas Nepean, elder brother of Sir Evan Nepean, Bart. He became a Major-General, and died in 1816. |