A Short History of H.M.S. VictoryWharton, W. J. L. (William James Lloyd)
History
A Short History of H.M.S. Victory
Wharton, W. J. L. (William James Lloyd)
Great Britain -- History, Naval; Victory (Ship)
By 4.30 p.m. the action was over, and a victory was reported to Lord
Nelson just before his death. We left him in the cockpit, where he was
attended by Dr. Scott, the chaplain, and Mr. Burke, the purser. He
had sent the doctor away to attend to the other wounded, and lay in
great agony, fanned with paper by those two officers, and giving his
last directions as to those he loved; but ever and anon interrupted by
the cheers of the "VICTORY'S" crew, he would ask the cause, and
being told it was a fresh enemy's ship that had struck her flag, his
eye would flash as he expressed his satisfaction. He frequently asked
for Captain Hardy, and that officer not being able to leave the deck,
his anxiety for his safety became excessive, and he repeated, "he must
be killed;" "he is surely destroyed." An hour had elapsed before Hardy
was able to come to him, when they shook hands, and the Admiral
asked--"How goes the day with us." "Very well, my Lord," was the
reply; "we have about 12 of the enemy in our possession."
After a few minutes of conversation, Hardy had again to return on
deck, and shortly after the "VICTORY'S" port guns redoubled their
fire on some fresh ships coming down on her, and the concussion so
affected Lord Nelson that he cried in agony, "Oh! 'VICTORY!'
'VICTORY!' how you distract my poor brain;" but, weak and in pain as
he was, he indignantly rebuked a man, who in passing through the
crowded cockpit struck against and hurt one of the wounded.
Captain Hardy again visited him in about another hour, and, holding
his Lordship's hand, congratulated him on a brilliant victory, saying,
he was certain that 14 ships had surrendered. "That is well," he
answered, "but I bargained for 20." Then, Hardy having again to go on
deck, Nelson after emphatically telling him to anchor, and declaring
his intention to direct the fleet as long as life remained, said,
"kiss me Hardy," the Captain knelt down and kissed him, when he said,
"Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty." Twenty minutes
later he quietly passed away, having again and again repeated to his
last breath, the words above mentioned. They were, it has been well
remarked, the whole history of his life.
On the firing ceasing, the "VICTORY" had lost 57 killed and 103
wounded, and found herself all but a wreck. The tremendous fire to
which she was exposed, when leading her line into action, had caused
great damage, at a very early period of the battle, and before she
herself fired a gun, many of her spars were shot away, and great
injury was done to the hull, especially the fore part of it.
At the conclusion of the action, she had lost her mizen-mast, the
fore-topmast had to be struck to save the foremast; the mainmast was
not much better, and it took all the exertions of her crew to refit
the rigging sufficiently to stand the bad weather that followed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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