In Memoriam: Indefatigable, Amazon, Droits de L'Homme

[anteros_lmc]

Tonight marks the anniversary of one of the most famous frigate engagements of the French Revolutionary Wars when the frigates Indefatigable, captain Sir Edward Pellew and Amazon, captain Robert Carthew Reynolds, took on the French 74 gun ship of the line the Droits de L'Homme, captain Raymond de Lacrosse on the 13th of January 1797. Many accounts have been written of this fearsome engagement which took place at night in a storm on a lee shore. None are more authoritative than the account of Sir Edward Pellew himself written four days after the engagement. I'll let Sir Edward tell the story in his own words.

Jan. 21. Copy of a letter from Sir Edward Pellew, Bart. Captain of his Majesty's frigate Indefatigable, to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated Jan 17.

I have the honour to make known to you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on Friday last, the 13th inst, at half past noon, in lat. 47 deg. 300 min. N. Ushant the wind was bearing N E. 50 leagues, we discovered a large ship in the N. W. quarter steering under easy sail for France; the wind was then in the West, blowing hard, with thick hazy weather. I instantly made the signal to the Amazon for a general chace. At 4 P.M. the Indefatigable had gained sufficiently upon the chace for me to distinguish very clearly that she had two tier of guns, with her lower deck ports shut, and that she had no poop.

At 15 minutes before 6 we brought the enemy to close action, which continued to be well supported on both sides near an hour, when we unavoidably shot a-head. As this moment the Amazon appeared a-stern, and gallantly supplied our place; but the eagerness of Capt. Reynolds to second his friend had brought him up under a press of sail, and, after a well-supported and close fire for a little time, he also unavoidably shot a-head. The enemy, who had nearly effected running me on-board, appeared to be much larger than the Indefatigable, and, from her very heavy fire of musquetry, I believe was full of men; this fire was continued until the end of the action with great vivacity, although she frequently defended both sides of the ship at the same time. As soon as we had replaced some necessary rigging, and the Amazon had reduced her sail, we commenced a second attack, placing ourselves, after some raking broadsides, upon each quarter; and this attack, often within pistol shot, was by both ships unremitted for above 5 hours; we then sheered off, to secure our masts. It would be needless to relate to their Lordships every effort that we made in the attack which commenced at a quarter before 6 P. M. and did not cease, excepting at intervals, until half past 4 A. M. I believe 10 hours of more severe fatigue was scarcely ever experienced; the sea was high, the people on the main deck up to their middles in water, some guns broke their breeching four times over, some broke their ring bolts from the sides, and many of them were repeatedly drawn immediately after loading; all our masts were much wounded, the main top-past completely unrigged, and saved only by uncommon alacrity. At about 20 minutes past 4, the moon opening rather brighter than before, shewed to Lieut. George Bell, who was watchfully looking out on the forecastle, a glimpse of the land; he had scarcely reached me to report it, when we saw the breakers. We were then close under the enemy's starboard how, and the Amazon as near her on the larboard; not an instant could be lost, and every life depended upon the prompt execution of my orders and here it is with heartfelt pleasure I acknowledge the full value of my officers and ship's company, who with incredible alacrity hauled the tacks on-hoard, and made sail to the southward. The land could not be ascertained, but we took it to be Ushant, and in the Bay of Brest. Crippled as we were, I had no particular fears, but before day we again saw breakers upon the lee bow; the ship was instantly wore to the Northward, and being then satisfied that the land we had before seen was not Ushant, the lingering approach of daylight was most anxiously looked for by all; and, soon after it opened, seeing the land very close a-head, we again wore to the Southward, in 20 fathoms water, and in a few minutes after discovered the enemy, who had so bravely defended herself, lying on her broadside, and a tremendous surf beating over her. The miserable fate of her brave but unhappy crew was perhaps the more sincerely lamented by us, from the apprehension of suffering a similar misfortune. We passed her within a mile, in a very bad condition, having at that time 4 feet water in our hold, a great sea, and the wind dead on the shore; but we had ascertained, beyond a doubt, our situation to be that of Hodierne Bay, and that our fate depended upon the possible chance of weathering the Penmark Rocks. Exhausted as we were with fatigue, every exertion was made, and every inch of canvas set that could be carried, and at eleven A. M. we made the breakers, and, by the blessing of God, weathered the Penmark Rocks about half a mile.

The Amazon had hauled her wind to the Northward, when we stood to the Southward; her condition I think was better than ours, and I knew that her activity and exertions were fully equal to any thing that could be effected under similar circumstances; the judgement with which she was managed during so long an action, and the gallantry of her attacks, could not but merit the highest commendation, and to the heart of a friend it was peculiarly gratifying. I have full as much reason to speak highly of my own officers and men, to whom I owe infinite obligations. The Lient’s. Thomson, Norway, and Bell, Lients. O'Connor and Wilson of the marines, and Mr. Thomson the master, have abundant claims upon my gratitude, as well as every inferior officer in the ship. The sufferings of the Amazon are unknown to me; and I am singularly happy to say that my own are inconsiderable. The First Lieut. Mr. Thomson, a brave and worthy officer, is the only one of the description wounded, with eighteen men, twelve of which number, have wounds of no serious consequence, consisting chiefly of violent contusions from splinters.

I am &c ED PELLEW

What Sir Edward did not know at the time, was that the Amazon shared the fate of her adversary the Droits de L'Homme and was wrecked on the lee shore of Audierne Bay. Almost the entire crew of the Amazon were able to reach the shore within hours of the ship grounding. However it took four days for rescuers to reach the stricken 74 during which time many of her crew and the hundreds of troops she was carrying drowned or died form exposure as the ship broke up in the storm. All food and water had been lost and the survivors suffered terribly within sight of the shore. At last on the morning of the fourth day the gale slackened and boats were able to reach the remains of the stricken ship. One of the last to leave the Droits de L'Homme was Captain Raymond de Lacrosse who survived the engagement and the wreck of his ship and was promoted to Vice Admiral in recognition of his bravery.

Captain Pellew's report above was published in the Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle for 1797 which is available on google books. The painting is by Thomas Luny, 1834.


There was enormous personal respect between Captains Pellew and de Lacrosse and in further recognition of this remarkable engagement nodbear has posted an extract of one of de Lacrosse's letters to Pellew over at her journal My dear and honoured adversary...

Comments

[sarlania.livejournal.com]

I'm proud to share my birthday with this anniversary. One of the finest moments in the history of the RN IMO.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I'll never forget the date of your birthday that's for sure!

This is without doubt one of the most extraordinary frigate actions ever fought in extremely difficult conditions. The atermath was awful though. The accounts written by the survivors of the Droits de L'Homme wreck are devastating. What I didn't add above is that one of the last to leave the ship with de Lacrosse was an English prisoner, Elias Pipon, Lieutenant, 63rd Regiment, who stayed with the captain till the bitter end. Pipon survived and returned to France many years later to erect a monument commemorating the engagement and the lives that were lost in the wreck. It's still there. One day I'll go and see it.

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Pellew's letter is breathtaking. On top of all his other good qualities, the man could write!

Do we know anything of the account he sent his wife?

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, he certainly could write! And not only that but his hand writing is beautiful too. This account is published but we have a copy of his original draft from the National Archives which differs slightly.

Do we know anything of the account he sent his wife?
Ah good question. I don't but nodbear might. I suspect he would have spared her some of the details.

We're currently waiting for a copy of another account of the engagement written by one of the Indy's midshipmen, Nicholas Pateshall, to his mother.

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

A very exciting account there.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Isn't it wonderful? All Pellew's reports are beautifully written.

[auburn-whelan.livejournal.com]

What gorgeously alive description! Upon reading this, I feel it might have happened yesterday, not so long ago. Thank you for sharing it.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

It's a remarkably vivid account isn't it? Pellew seems to have had quite a talent for writing! Glad you enjoyed reading this, I love reading original accounts from this period :)