Action with the Droits de l'Homme
Two descriptions of the action, by Pellew and a English prisoner aboard the Droits de l'Homme
A letter from Captain Pellew to the Secretary of the Admiralty
To Evan Nepean Esq.
Indefatigable, January 17, 1797.
SIR, 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. instant, at half past noon, in latitude 47 deg. 33 min. N. Ushant bearing N. E. fifty leagues, we discovered a large ship in the N. W. quarter, steering under easy sail for France; the wind was then at west blowing hard, with thick hazy weather. I instantly made the signal to the Amazon for a general chase, and followed it by the signal that the chase was an enemy. At four P. M. the Indefatigable had gained sufficiently on the chase 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 fifteen minutes before six we brought the enemy to close action, which continued to be well supported on both sides near an hour, when we unavoidably shot ahead ; at this moment the Amazon appeared astern, and gallantly supplied our place, but the eagerness of Captain 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 ahead. 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 five hours; we then sheered off to secure our masts. It would be needless to relate to their Lordships, every effort that we made in an attack that commenced at a quarter before six P. M. and did not cease, excepting at intervals until half past four A. M. I believe ten 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 breechings four times over, some drew the ring-bolts from the sides, and many of them were repeatedly drawn immediately after loading; all our masts were much wounded, the main top-mast completely unrigged, and saved only by uncommon alacrity.
At about twenty minutes past four, the moon opening rather brighter than before, showed to Lieutenant 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 bow, 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 board, 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 on the lee bow; the ship was instantly wore to the northward; and being satisfied that the land we had before seen was not Ushant, the lingering approach of day-light was most anxiously looked for by all, and soon after it opened, seeing the land very close ahead, we again wore to the southward in twenty fathoms water, and a few minutes after discovered the enemy, who had so bravely defended herself, laying 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 four feet water in our hold, a great sea, and the wind dead on 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 that could be effected under similar circumstances; the judgment 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 Lieutenants Thompson, Norway, and Bell, Lieutenants 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 Lieutenant Mr. Thompson, a brave and worthy Officer, is the only one of that 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.
(Signed) EDWARD PELLEW
NARRATIVE of the dreadful Shipwreck of LES DROITS DE L`HOMME, a French Ship, of 74 guns, driven on Shore on the 14th of January 1797, after a severe Action with the INDEFATIGABLE and AMAZON Frigates, under the Command of Sir EDWARD PELLEW, and Captain REYNOLDS.
By ELIAS PIPON, Lieut. 63d Reg.
On the 9th of January 1797, returning home on leave of absence for the recovery of my health, from the West Indies in the Cumberland letter of marque, saw a large man of war off the coast of Ireland, being then within four leagues of the mouth of the river Shannon. She hoisted English colours and decoyed us within gun-shot, when she substituted the tri-coloured flag, and took us. She proved to be Les Droits de L`Homme, of 74 guns, commanded by ci-devant Baron, now Citoyen La Crosse, and had separated from a fleet of men of war, on board of which were 20,000 troops intended to invade Ireland; on board of this ship was General Humbert, who afterward, effected a descent in Ireland, with 900 troops, and 600 seamen. (Sir Edward Pellew has told me since, that the official account from France, on which he has received head-money, amounted to 1750 souls, at the time of the shipwreck.)
On the 7th of January went into Bantry Bay to see if any of the squadron was still there, and on finding none, the ship proceeded to the southward; nothing extraordinary occurred until the evening of the 13th, when two men of war hove in sight, which proved afterwards to be the Indefatigable and Amazon frigates. It is rather remarkable that the Captain of the ship should inform me that the Squadron which was about to engage him, was Sir Edward Pellew`s, and declared, as was afterwards proved by the issue, "that he would not yield to any two English frigates, but would sooner sink his ship with every soul on board;" the ship was cleared for action, and we English prisoners, consisting of three Infantry Officers, two Captains of merchantmen, two women, and forty eight seamen and soldiers, were conducted down to the cable-tier, at the foot of the fore-mast.
The action began with opening the lower-deck ports, which, however, were soon shut again, on account of the great sea (I must here observe that this ship was built on a new construction, considerably longer than men of war of her rate, and her lower-deck, on which she mounted thirty-two pounders, French, equal to forty pounders English, was two feet and a half lower than usual), which occasioned the water to rush in to that degree that we felt it running on the cables. The situation of the ship before she struck on the rocks, has been fully elucidated by Sir Edward Pellew, in his letter of the 17th of January 1797, to Mr. Nepean; the awful task is left for me to relate what ensued.
At about four in the morning, a dreadful convulsion at the foot of the fore-mast, aroused us from a state of anxiety for our fate, to the idea that the ship was sinking! It was the fore-mast that fell over the side; in about a quarter of an hour an awful mandate from above was re-echoed from all parts of the ship, "Pauvres Anglais! pauvres Anglais! Montes bien vite, tout sommes tout perdues!" Every one rather flew than climbed up. Though scarcely able before to move, from sickness, I now found an energetic strength in all my frame, and soon gained the upper-deck, but oh, what a sight! dead, wounded, and living, intermingled in a state too shocking to describe, not a mast standing, a dreadful loom of the land, and breakers all around us. The Indefatigable, on the starboard quarter, appeared standing off in a most tremendous sea, from the Penmark Rocks, which threatened her with instant destruction. To the great humanity of her Commander those few persons who survived the ship-wreck, were indebted for their lives, for had another broadside been fired, the commanding situation of the Indefatigable must have swept off at least a thousand men. On the larboard side, was seen the Amazon, within two miles, just struck on the shore - our own fate drew near. The ship struck, and immediately sunk! shrieks, horror, and dismay were heard from all quarters, whilst the merciless waves tore from the wreck many early victims. Day-light appeared, and we beheld the shore lined with people who could render us no assistance. At low water, rafts were constructed and the boats got in readiness to be hoisted out. The dusk arrived, and an awful night ensued. The dawn of the second day brought with it still severer miseries than the first, for the wants of nature could hardly be endured any longer, having been already near thirty hours without any means of subsistence, and no possibility of procuring them. At low water a small boat was hoisted out, and an English Captain and eight sailors succeeded in getting to the shore. Elated at the success of these men, all thought their deliverance at hand, and many launched out on their rafts, but ah! death soon ended their hopes.
Another night renewed our afflictions. The morn of the third day, fraught with greater evils than ever, appeared, our continued sufferings made us exert the last effort, and we English prisoners, tried every means to save as many fellow-creatures as laid in our power. Larger rafts were constructed, and the largest boat was got over the side. The first consideration was to lay the surviving wounded, the women, and helpless men, in the boat, but the idea of equality, so fatally promulgated among the French, lost them all subordination, and nearly one hundred and twenty jumped into the boat, in defiance of their Officers, and sunk it. The most dreadful sea that I ever saw, seemed at that fatal moment to add to the calamity, nothing of the boat was seen for a quarter of an hour, when the bodies floated in all directions; then appeared, in all the horrors of sight, the wreck, the shores, the dying, and the drowned! Indefatigable in acts of humanity, an Adjutant-General (Renier) launched himself into the sea, to obtain succours from the shore, and was drowned in the attempt.
Already near one-half of the people had perished, when the fourth night renewed in its horrors, all our miseries. Weak, distracted, and wanting everything, we envied the fate of those whose lifeless corpses no longer wanted sustenance. The sense of hunger was already lost, but a parching thirst consumed our vitals. Recourse was had to urine and salt water, which only increased the want; half a hogshead of vinegar indeed floated up, and each had half a wine glass, which gave a momentary relief, yet soon left us again in the same state of dreadful thirst. Almost at the last gasp! every one was dying with misery, and the ship, which was now one-third shattered away from the stern, scarcely afforded a grasp to hold by, to the exhausted and helpless survivors.
The fourth day brought with it a more serene sky, and the sea seemed to subside, but to behold from fore to aft, the dying in all directions, was a sight too shocking for the feeling mind to endure. Almost lost to a sense of humanity, we no longer looked with pity on those who were the speedy forerunners of our own fate, and a consultation took place, to sacrifice some one to be food for the remainder. The die was going to be cast, when the welcome sight of a man-of-war brig renewed our hopes. A cutter speedily followed, and both anchored at a short distance from the wreck. They then sent their boats to us, and by means of large rafts about one hundred and fifty, of near four hundred who attempted it, were saved by the brig that evening. Three hundred and eighty were left to endure another night`s misery, when, dreadful to relate, above one-half were found dead next morning.
I was saved at about ten o`clock on the morning of the 18th, with my two brother Officers, the Captain of the ship, and General Humbert. They treated us with great humanity on board the cutter, by giving us a little weak brandy and water every five or six minutes, after which a bason of good soup. I fell on the locker in a kind of trance for near thirty hours, swelled to that degree, as to require medical aid to restore my decayed faculties. We were taken to Brest almost naked, having lost all our baggage, where they gave us a rough shift of clothes, and in consequence of our sufferings, and the help we afforded in saving many lives, a cartel was fitted out by order of the French Government, to send us home without ransom or exchange. We arrived at Plymouth on the 7th of March following.
To that Providence, whose great workings I have experienced on this most awful trial of human afflictions, be ever offered the tribute of my praise and thanksgivings!
ELIAS PIPON,
Lieutenant 63d Reg.
In 1802, when the above account was published, Mr Pipon was still only a Lieutenant in the army. He had been stationed abroad in the West Indies, Malta, &c. from his first entering the service.