My adventures during the late war

by Donat Henchy O'Brien

His lordship presented to me my lieutenancy in the handsomest manner possible. He paid me many compliments, and expressed his regret that this had been the first opportunity he had had of bestowing a commission in his own gift; adding that he cheerfully gave it to me as some reparation for my sufferings, and as a reward of my enterprise and fortitude. His lordship warmly expressed his approbation of my conduct during the time I had been under his immediate command; and rewards as well as praise were doubly valuable from a veteran officer, so highly and so justly celebrated for his nautical skill and consummate valour. His lordship cordially wished me every possible success in the service; and to his order, to repair on board the Warrior, he jocosely added, “I suppose your luggage can be easily conveyed to your ship.” To this supposition I as laconically replied that a stocking would be sufficient to contain everything I possessed.

But my gratitude to this great and good man, for his paternal kindness to me since I had been on board the Ocean, was so powerful as to overwhelm expression, and the recollections of all the friendly feelings that had been evinced towards me by Captain Thomas, and every officer of the ship, rushed upon my mind irresistibly; and it was not without great and many efforts that I prevented my feelings exhibiting themselves by what might have been called a weak and feminine, though a natural, ebullition of intense emotions. It was some time before I could command myself sufficiently to express to his lordship my deep and heartfelt sense of his kindness and patronage. A period of twenty-nine years has not diminished, in the slightest degree, the gratitude which had then nearly overpowered me.

I was taken on board the Warrior by one of her boats, under the command of Lieutenant David Dunn. No sooner was I seated in the boat, than the coxswain, touching his hat, informed me that a bag of dollars had been just handed in for my use. This was an act of timely and generous friendship, greatly enhanced by the delicacy with which it had been contrived. It immediately occurred to me from whom this good feeling and liberality had emanated. The Hon. William Waldegrave (now a post-captain) was then one of the lieutenants on board the Ocean. He had evinced a very friendly feeling towards me, and, previously to my leaving the ship, had suggested to me the necessity of my being provided with a certain sum of money for the purpose of settling with my predecessor on taking his place, for what he may have paid in advance for table expenses and contingencies to the mess. I replied to Mr. Waldegrave that my friend Captain Hoste had had the extraordinary kindness to give me carte blanche permission to draw on his banker at Malta for any money I might stand in need of. But he had not been put off by my answer; on opening the bag I found myself supplied amply, or even profusely; and there was a friendly letter, in which he told me that when I should have a surplus of prize-money, I might pay his present advance to his banker. I need not say that I scrupulously, and with the greatest pleasure, fulfilled this duty.

Arrived on board the Warrior, I was introduced to Captain Spranger, who received me politely, and, at the same time, I was informed by the mate of the deck that it was now my watch. I was also introduced to my brother officers, all of whom appeared to be cordial and polite. Dinner was now announced, and after quickly despatching what there was, I sent for the ship’s tailor to equip me for my new rank, by metamorphosing a midshipman’s into a lieutenant’s uniform; and, having borrowed a coat from Mr. Dunn for the interim, I ascended to the quarter-deck, and immediately received “the Orders,” and took the command of the watch.

As Mr. Dunn was much taller and stouter than myself, I cut rather a ludicrous figure in his uniform, a figure not often seen on the quarter-deck of one of his Majesty’s ships-of-war; but an officer in command of the watch, on board of a man-of-war, more especially when in a line of battle, has his attention so entirely absorbed by things of importance that he has no time to reflect on his personal appearance, whether it be such as to gratify his pride, or to mortify his vanity.

The following morning, Captain Spranger appointed me the signal lieutenant, and this relieved me of all duty at night, except when signals were to be made.

In the afternoon of the ensuing day, 31st March, when our division of the fleet was in the act of wearing together by signal, the Renown and the Warrior ran foul of each other, which occasioned us so much damage that we began to leak a good deal. We, however, gained on the leak, and having made all possible despatch in refitting, accompanied Sir John Stuart in the expedition to the Bay of Naples, and were present and co-operated at the capture of the islands of Ischia and Procida. In the autumn we had the sole conducting of the expedition, under Brigadier-General Oswald, against the Ionian Islands, and succeeded in capturing Zante, Cephalonia, Ithaca, and Cerigo.

We next repaired to Malta to refit, and afterwards joined the fleet off Minorca. Our ship being found to be in a defective state, Lord Collingwood sent her for a short cruise off Cape San Sebastian, with orders then to repair to Malta, and take the April convoy to England.

On our arrival at Malta, I was overjoyed to find the Amphion. My old friend, Lieutenant Jones, came to inform me that my friend and old shipmate, Charles George Rodney Phillott, the first lieutenant, had been promoted for distinguished services, and, with his usual zeal and friendship, he expressed his hope that I might be appointed to fill his vacancy. After a communication with Captain Spranger, I addressed myself to Captain Hoste, and notwithstanding the applications to him were so numerous, and so highly backed, I succeeded in my object, and on 2nd March, with a cheerful heart and full of hope, I joined the Amphion, and became the third or junior lieutenant. My friend Jones became the first, whilst Mr. William Slaughter, whom I succeeded, was now the second lieutenant.

As my desires were for the most active service, I was now in a fair way of having them fully gratified. On the 27th Captain Hoste resumed his station in the Adriatic. The enemy’s naval force was now rapidly increasing in the ports both of Venice and Ancona, and it was evident that the French Emperor was about to make an effort, either to inflict some serious injury on our commerce, or to interrupt our naval superiority in the Adriatic. Our little squadron was in incessant activity; and although our force was trifling in comparison to that of the enemy, we trusted to our good fortune for falling in with it in detail, and visions of honour, glory, distinction, promotion, and all the results of conquest, continually filled our minds. I had individually an anxious wish for an opportunity of expressing to the French in the warmest manner how much I was obliged to them for their former favours. We used to heave-to, or stand close in shore off their ports, and under easy sail, and sometimes we would detain, board, and destroy their coasting vessels, and do everything in our power to exasperate them and induce them to come out.