Blurb

The year 1797 witnessed two of the greatest victories in British naval history: St. Vincent and Camperdown. These battles were of decisive importance in the war against revolutionary France since the defeat of the Spanish Fleet in February, and of the Dutch Fleet eight months later, effectively frustrated the French "Grand Strategy" of invading Ireland and England. An attempt, inspired by the Irish patriot Wolfe Tone, had been made at the end of the previous year to land a French force in Bantry Bay, but it was a blizzard, rather than the efforts of the English navy, which then forced the enemy fleet to return to Brest. The British were lucky on that occasion. They were luckier still in the spring of 1797 when the naval mutinies at Spithead, Yarmouth and the Nore had none of the disastrous consequences which might so easily have followed.

Christopher Lloyd's account of St. Vincent and Camperdown gains immeasurably because the engagements are seen in the strategic context of the war. The battles themselves are.described with that understanding of the personalities of the commanders, and of the tactics of their fleets, which might be expected from a professor of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. The British admirals and their captains bear names which will always be memorable in naval history: Jervis, Nelson, Troubridge, Collingwood, Saumarez, Duncan, the notorious Bligh. . . . These men, and the parts which they played, become living to the reader through eye-witness accounts, some of them previously unpublished.

A BATSFORD BOOK

Contents

PREFACE
THE ILLUSTRATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Chapter

1. Bantry Bay
2. The Mediterranean Fleet
3. Prelude to Battle
4. The Battle of St. Vincent
5. Aftermath
6. The Mutinies
7. The Blockade of the Dutch
8. The Battle of Camperdown
9. The News of Victory

APPENDIX I
The St. Vincent Despatch and List of British and Spanish Ships
APPENDIX II
The Camperdown Despatch and List British and Dutch Ships
SOURCES
INDEX

Illustrations

Figure

1. Admiral Lord Duncan From a mezzotint by J. R. Smith after H. P. Danloux
2. Thomas Ramsay, Nelson's boatswain - From a watercolour drawing by P. J. de Loutherbourg
3. The Earl of St. Vincent in old age From a drawing by M. K. Jervis, 1816
4. Nelson receiving the surrender of the captain of the San Josef - From a painting by Daniel Orme
5. The Earl of St. Vincent - From an engraving by J. K. Smith after G. Stuart, 1797
6. The captains at the battle of St. Vincent - From the commemorative engraving by J. Parker and IV. N. Worthington after R. Smirke
7. Nelson boarding the San Josef - From a mezzotint by J. Daniell after H. Singleton
8. The Captain engaging the San Nicolas and San Josef From a painting by R. Dodd
9. The Victory engaging the San Salvador off Cape St. Vincent - From a coloured aquatint by C. Rosenberg after W. J. Huggins
10. The British van engaging the main body of the Spanish fleet at the battle of St. Vincent From a painting by R. Dodd
11. Nelson Boarding the San Nicolas From an aquatint by Reeve after Thomas
12. Arms of Lord Nelson From his letters patent
13. Vignette from Dalrymple's `Narrative of the Battle of St. Vincent' Captain engaging San Nicolas
14. Vignette from Dalrymple's `Narrative of the Battle of St. Vincent' Salvador del Mundo in tow of Namur
15. Vignette from Dalrymple's `Narrative of the Battle of St. Vincent' Captain in tow of Minerve
16. A Flogging: George Cruikshank's illustration to a story entitled `The Point of Honour', by G. Barker
17. Captain William Bligh - From an engraving by J. Conch, after J. Russell
18. The Delegates in Council - From a coloured etching by I. Cruikshank
19. Death mask of Richard Parker
20. The Active cutter bringing Duncan news that the Dutch fleet is at sea - From an aquatint by E. Duncan after IV. J. Huggins
21. The Vrijheid receiving a final broadside from the Director From a watercolour by Samuel Owen
22. Chart by W. T. Davis showing the battle of Camper-down and the English coast near Yarmouth
23. Admiral Lord Duncan - From the painting by H. P. Danloux
24. The Battle of Camperdown- From an aquatint by T. Hellyer after T. Whitcombe
25. Sketch of the quarterdeck of the Venerable cleared for action From a drawing in a letter by Lieut. John Little
26. The surrender of Admiral de Winter on board the Venerable - From an oil painting by S. Drummond
27. The conclusion of the Battle of Camperdown From an oil painting by W. A. Knell

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