The Battle and the Breeze by Robert Michael Ballantyne (essential reading txt) 📕

we confess that we cannot see much difference between a boastful man and a boastful nation. Frenchmen have always displayed chivalrous courage, not a whit inferior to the British, and history proves that in war they have been eminently successful. The question whether they could beat us or we could beat them, if tested in a fair stand-up fight with equal numbers, besides being an unprofitable one, is not now before us. All that we are concerned about at present is, that in the war now under consideration the British _did_ beat the French, and we rejoice to record the fact solely on the ground that we fought in a righteous cause.

With these remarks we proceed to give an account of one of the greatest naval victories ever achieved by British arms.


CHAPTER SIX.


THE BATTLE OF THE NILE.

After Napoleon Bonaparte had effected his landing in Egypt, the French fleet was permitted to remain at Alexandria for some time, and thus afforded Nelson the opportunity he had sought for so long.

For many previous days he had been almost unable, from anxiety, to take sleep or food, but now he ordered dinner to be served, while preparations were being made for battle, and when his officers rose to leave the table, he said to them:--

"Before this time to-morrow, I shall have gained a peerage or Westminster Abbey."

The French had found it impossible to enter the neglected and ruined port of Alexandria. Admiral Brueys had, by command of Napoleon, offered a reward of 10,000 livres to any native pilot who would safely convey the squadron in, but not one was found who would venture to take charge of a single vessel that drew more than twenty feet. The gallant admiral was compelled, therefore, to anchor in Aboukir Bay, and chose the strongest position that was possible in the circumstances. He ranged his ships in a compact line of battle, in such a manner that the leading vessel lay close to a shoal, while the remainder of the fleet formed a curve along the line of deep water so that it was thought to be impossible to turn it by any means in a South Westerly direction, and some of the French, who were best able to judge, said that they held a position so strong that they could bid defiance to a force more than double their own. The presumption was not unreasonable, for the French had the advantage of the English in ships, guns, and men, but they had omitted to take into their calculations the fact that the English fleet was commanded by one whose promptitude in action, readiness and eccentricity of resource, and utter disregard of consequences when what he deemed the path to victory lay before him, might have been equalled; but certainly could not have been surpassed, by Bonaparte himself.

The French force consisted of thirteen ships of the line and four frigates, carrying in all 1196 guns and 11,230 men. The English had thirteen ships of the line and a fifty-gun ship, carrying in all 1012 guns and 8068 men. All the English line-of-battle ships were seventy-fours. Three of the French ships carried eighty-eight guns, and one, _L'Orient_, was a monster three-decker with 120 guns.

In order to give the reader a better idea of the forces engaged on both sides, we give the following list of ships. It is right, however, to add that one of those belonging to the English (the _Culloden_) ran aground on a shoal when about to go into action, and took no part in the fight.

ENGLISH SHIPS.

+===+===============+=============================+====+===+===========+ Y YNames YCommanders YGunsYMenY Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 1.YVanguard YAdmiral Nelson, Captain BerryY 74Y595Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 2.YMinotaur YThos. Louis Y 74Y640Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 3.YTheseus YR.W. Millar Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 4.YAlexander YA.J. Ball Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 5.YSwiftsure YB Hallowell Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 6.YAudacious YD Gould Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 7.YDefence YJ Peyton Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 8.YZealous YS Hood Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y 9.YOrion YSir James Saumarez Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y10.YGoliath YThomas Foley Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y11.YMajestic YG.B. Westcott Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y12.YBellerophon YH.D.E. Darby Y 74Y590Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y13.YCulloden YT Trowbridge Y 74Y590YNot engagedY +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y14.YLeander YT.B. Thomson Y 50Y343Y Y +---+---------------+-----------------------------+----+---+-----------+ Y15.YLa Mutine, BrigY Y Y Y Y +===+===============+=============================+====+===+===========+

FRENCH SHIPS.

+===+====================+==============+====+====+===============+ Y YNames YCommanders YGunsYMen Y Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 1.YL'Orient YAdmiral BrueysY 120Y1010YBurnt Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 2.YLe Franklin Y Y 80Y 800YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 3.YLe Tonnant Y Y 80Y 800YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 4.YLe Guillaume Tell Y Y 80Y 800YEscaped Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 5.YLe Conquerant Y Y 74Y 700YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 6.YLe Spartiate Y Y 74Y 700YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 7.YL'Aquilon Y Y 74Y 700YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 8.YLe Souverain Peuple Y Y 74Y 700YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y 9.YL'Heureux Y Y 74Y 700YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y10.YLe Timoleon Y Y 74Y 700YBurnt Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y11.YLe Mercure Y Y 74Y 700YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y12.YLe Genereux Y Y 74Y 700YEscaped Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y13.YLe Guerrier Y Y 74Y 600YTaken Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y14.YLa Diane (Frigate) Y Y 48Y 300YEscaped Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y15.YLa Justice (Frigate)Y Y 44Y 300YEscaped Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y16.YL'Artemise (Frigate)Y Y 36Y 250YBurnt Y +---+--------------------+--------------+----+----+---------------+ Y17.YLa Serieux (Frigate)Y Y 36Y 250YDismasted, sunkY +===+====================+==============+====+====+===============+

Such were the forces that met to engage in deadly conflict on the 1st of August 1798, with not only national but world-wide interest pending on the issue, for the battle of the Nile was one of the leading battles of the world.

When Nelson perceived the position of the enemy, his fertile and active mind at once evolved a characteristic course of