Naval battles of the world : $b Great and decisive contests on the sea ... with an account of the Japan-China war and the recent battle of the Yalu; the growth, power, and management of our new Navy.Shippen, Edward
History
Naval battles of the world : $b Great and decisive contests on the sea ... with an account of the Japan-China war and the recent battle of the Yalu; the growth, power, and management of our new Navy.
Shippen, Edward
Naval battles; Sino-Japanese War, 1894-1895; United States. Navy
Captain Trowbridge advanced as soon as he had collected a few men,
accompanied by Captain Waller. They reached the great square of the
town, the appointed rendezvous, in hopes of there meeting the Admiral
and the rest of the landing party; but we have seen already how these
were disposed of.
Captain Trowbridge now sent a sergeant, accompanied by two citizens of
the place, to summon the citadel to surrender. No answer was returned,
and the sergeant is supposed to have been killed on the way. As the
scaling ladders which had been brought were lost in the surf, there
was no way of storming the citadel, and after waiting there an hour,
Trowbridge went to join Captains Hood and Miller, who, with a small
body of men, had landed to the southwest. At daybreak it was found that
Trowbridge was in command of about three hundred and forty survivors,
consisting of marines, pikemen, and seamen with small arms. Having
procured a small quantity of ammunition from some Spanish prisoners
whom they had taken, Trowbridge resolved to try what could be done
with the citadel without ladders, and then found that the streets
were commanded by field-pieces, while an overwhelming force was
approaching them by every avenue. The boats being all stove, there
was no possibility of getting any reinforcements; they were short of
ammunition, and their provisions had been lost in the boats.
Trowbridge now sent Captain Hood, with a flag of truce, to the
Governor, expressing a determination to burn the town if the Spanish
forces advanced, and proposing terms of capitulation, to the following
effect: that the British should be allowed to re-embark, with their
arms, taking their own boats, if saved, and if not, to be provided with
others. And Captain Trowbridge engaged, in case of compliance, that the
ships then before the town should not molest it, nor attack any one of
the Canary Islands.
The Governor, Don Juan Antonio Guttierez, received Captain Hood and his
message, being considerably astonished at receiving such a proposal
from men whom he considered already in his power. Nevertheless, he
accorded the terms, and Trowbridge marched to the Mole head, where he
and his officers and men embarked, in boats furnished by the Spaniards.
The Governor supplied each of the retreating invaders with a ration
of bread and wine, and directed that the British wounded should be
received into the hospital. He, moreover, sent word to Admiral Nelson
that he was at liberty to send on shore for, and purchase, fresh
provisions.
This was a most disastrous defeat for Nelson, independent of the
melancholy loss of life, which was almost as great as in the battle off
Cape St. Vincent.
BATTLE OF CAMPERDOWN. 11TH OCTOBER, A. D. 1797.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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