Towards the middle of July and the month of August some parts of this coast are subject to tornadoes. We had one of them on the 25th of July, which obliged us, although lying at anchor in a river, to let go a second. The previous day and that morning had been extremely close and sultry. The storm came on from the north-west, with the greatest violence, accompanied by a few claps of thunder and vivid flashes of lightning: such was its force that, although in smooth water, the ship heeled so much over that our main-deck guns nearly touched the water; and a fine schooner of seventy tons burthen, tender to the Severn, with a long 18-pounder on board, at anchor near us, without topmasts, her sails furled and gaffs on deck, was turned bottom upwards in a moment, and one poor fellow drowned. Its fury was spent in about ten minutes, but during its continuance we saw immense trees torn up by the roots, barns blown down like card houses of children, and where the strength of the current of wind passed scarcely anything could withstand its violence. Trees and other things continued to be swept by us for sometime, and when the tornado was over we observed, at a turn of the river, so much large timber, lumber, and other articles floating down the tide that my gallant senior officer, Captain Nourse, who is since dead, poor fellow! thought at first it was the American flotilla coming to attack us, and he was just on the point of returning to his ship to prepare for a fight, he having come on board to dine with me, when I discovered, by means of a spy-glass, the approaching flotilla was perfectly harmless.
This circumstance was mentioned a short time afterwards to that most gallant officer, Captain Napier, who commanded the Euryalus, but Charley would not believe that the force of wind could upset a schooner of seventy tons, lying at anchor with all her sails furled, with her gaffs on deck, and without even top-masts; however, on the dashing, brilliant expedition, under Sir James Gordon, up the Potomac to Alexandria, above Washington, he had an opportunity of judging for himself when (part of a tornado passing across the bows of the frigate) he saw in a moment both his bowsprit and fore-topmast broken in two, like twigs.
Having heard that the enemy’s gun boats had moved down from Nottingham towards Benedict, on the 10th August I was ordered to proceed twenty miles up the river with five boats to reconnoitre. On landing I was informed they had been there two days before, but that they had returned to Upper Marlborough. On rowing up the river we fell in with a canoe, containing one white man, who was pulling from Leonard creek to the opposite shore; on seeing us he endeavoured to get to land, but not being able to do so, jumped overboard and was drowned. We had every reason to believe he was one of our deserters.
On the 13th I again went up the river to ascertain the movements of Commodore Barney, but gained little information further than that he was with the flotilla at Nottingham.
The next day we received an account of a party of American militia having arrived in the woods, at the back of our watering-place, with the intention of surprising some of our men; we therefore landed before daylight between three and four hundred marines and seamen, headed by Captain Nourse and myself, accompanied by Captain Coles, R.M., and separated into four parties, with the hope of being able to cut some of them off; but from the thickness of the woods and their knowledge of the country, the enemy succeeded in getting away from us.
On one of our foraging excursions we were beset by a being so well described by old Cobbet, in his “Cottage Economy,” ycleped “Methodist parson,” who put on his canonicals, and began to whine and cant, and wished to preach a sermon on peace. Captain Nourse very properly told him to be off—that we must attend to our “calling” as well as he to “his,” that Jim Madison had “called us,” and, therefore, we must perform our duty.
About this time a private of the marines belonging to my ship did a very gallant thing: to use an Irishism he surrounded three American dragoons, and took them, horses and all, prisoners. His name was Pat Gallaghen, or Gahagen. He effected this extraordinary feat in the following manner:—whenever boats were sent for water a sergeant’s party of marines accompanied them, it being necessary to post videttes to watch for the approach of an enemy. The casks in the launch had been filled, and all the party, except this man, who was placed near a stack of hay, had withdrawn. While the picket, who had to descend a cliff towards their boats, were out of sight, Pat observed five dragoons ride down to the corner of a wood, near a gate; keeping his eye on the party, he concealed himself behind the hay-rick, two of the men remained inside the gate, a long musket-shot off, whilst the others, after ascertaining, as they thought, that no Britishers were near, came galloping up to see the boats go off, and without observing the sentry in his hiding place, halted. The marine, very bravely putting his musket to his shoulder, called out—“You three d—— rascals, if you do not immediately jump off your horses and deliver yourselves up prisoners I’ll shoot the whole of you at once, for I have you all in a line.” Off they got, and the sergeant at that moment shewing his head above the cliff to recall the vidette, they were very quietly taken to the beach, and themselves and horses brought safely on board.
This brave man, from his immoderate fondness of liquor, was unfit to be promoted; therefore, all that could be done for him was to give him the money arising from the sale of the horses. Now, here was a proper subject for a medal or order of merit, which might have had the effect of rousing his pride, and curing him of the baneful evil of drinking to excess. But alas! it was the fashion to confer such distinctions on a very few.
Look at the brave fellows who gained the battles of the Peninsula! With the exception of Waterloo, no field was honoured with a medal.[N] Of the navy, not a man below the rank of captain obtained any badge of distinction, notwithstanding the many general engagements that took place, and the numerous most daring boat expeditions met with the same neglect. Since it was impossible to grant promotion in every instance, this would have been an easy and gratifying mode of awarding the meed of praise to many deserving individuals.
I am not particularly fond of France or of any foreign country, but I must do the continental powers the justice to say they understand human nature, and know when to reward their officers and men better than we do. The practice of making their sentries carry arms to the veteran with his medal or order of merit works wonders on the morale of their soldiers; and I do most sincerely and conscientiously believe that, had this plan been adopted in our army and navy during the late war, not one half of the desertions or punishments would have taken place in either service.