Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A53423
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Admiral Russel's letter to the Earl of Nottingham containing an exact and particular relation of the late happy victory and success against the French fleet.
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Orford, Edward Russell, Earl of, 1653-1727.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing O420; ESTC W36085
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6,402
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6
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Admiral Russel's LETTER TO THE Earl of Nottingham Containing an Exact and Particular Relation of the Late Happy Victory and Success AGAINST The French Fleet. Published by Authority Portsmouth June 2. 1692. My LORD SINCE your Lordship seems to think that an Account in general of the Fleet 's good Success is not so satisfactory as one setting forth the Particulars I here send it with as much Brevity as the Matter will admit of I must confess I was not much inclin'd to trouble you in this nature not being ambitious to see my Name in Print on any occasion but since it is your Lordships Commands I am the more enclined to give you the best Information I am able of the Action having seen several Printed Relations not very sincere Wednesday in the Evening being the Eighteenth of May standing over for Cape de Hague I ordered Captain Gillam in the Chester and the Charles Galley to lie at such a distance to the Westward of the Fleet that they might discover any Signals made from me Thursday the Nineteenth standing with a small Gale S. S. W. the Wind at W. and W. and by S. hazey Weather Cape Barsleur beating then S. W. and by S. from me distant about Seven Leagues between three and four in the morning we heard several Guns to the Westward and in a short time I saw the two Frigats making the Signal of seeing the Enemy with their Heads lying to the Northward which gave me reason to think the Enemy lay with their Heads that way upon which I ordered the Signal to be made for the Fleet 's drawing into a Line of Battel after which I made the Signal for the Rear of the Fleet to Tack that if the Enemy stood to the Northward we might the sooner come to engage But soon after four a Clock the Sun had a little cleared the VVeather and I saw the French Fleet standing to the Southward forming their Line on the same Tack that I was upon I then ordered that Signal for the Rear to Tack to be taken in and at the same time bore-away with my own Ship so far to Leeward as I judge each Ship in the Fleet might fetch any VVake or Grains then brought to again lying by with my Fore-top-Sail to the Mast to give the Ships in the Fleet the better opportunity of placing themselves as they had been before directed By eight a Clock we had formed an indifferent Line stretching from the S. S. VV. to the N. N E. the Dutch in the Van the Red in the Center and the Blue in the Rear By Nine a Clock the Enemies Van-Guard had almost stretch'd almost as far to the Southward as ours their Admiral and Rear-Admiral of the Blue that were in the Rear closing the Line and their Vice Admiral of the same Division stretching to the Rear of our Fleet but never coming within Gun-shot of them About ten they bore down upon us I still lying with my Fore-top-sail to the Mast I then observed Monsieur Tourville the French Admiral put out his Signal for Battel I gave order that mine should not be hoisted till the Fleets began to engage that he might have the fairer opportunity of coming as near me as he thought convenient and at the same time I sent Orders to Admiral Almende that as soon as any of his Squadron could VVeather the Enemies Fleet they should Tack and get to the VVestward of them as also to the Blue to make sail and close the Line they being at some distance a-stern but as soon as the Fleet began to Engage it fell calm which prevented their so doing About half an Hour after eleven Monsieur Tourville in the Royal-Sun being within Three Quarters Musquet-shot brought to lying by me at that distance about an Hour and an half plying his Guns very warmly though I must observe to you that our Men fired their Guns faster after which time I did not find his Guns were fired with that vigour as before and I could see him in great Disorder his Rigging Sails Top-sail Yards being shot and no body endeavouring to make them serviceable and his Boats towing of him to VVindward gave me reason to think he was much gaul'd About two the VVind shifted to the N. VV. and by VV. and some little time after that five fresh Ships of the Enemies blue Squadron came and posted themselves three a-head of Monsieur Tourville and two a-stern of him and fired with great Fury which continued till after three About four in the Evening there came so thick a Fog that we could not see a Ship of the Enemies which occasioned our leaving off firing for a little time and then it cleared up and we could see Monsieur Tourville towing away with his Boats to the Northward from us upon which I did the same and ordered all my Division to do the like and about half an Hour after Five we had a small breeze of VVind Easterly I then made the Signal for the Fleet to Chase sending Notice to all the Ships about me that the Enemy were running About this time I heard several Broad-sides to the Westward and though I could not see the Ships that fired I concluded them to be our Blue that by the shift of Wind had weathered the Enemy but it proved to be the Reer-Admiral of the Red who had weathered Tourville's Squadron and got between them and their Admiral of the Blue where they lay firing some time and then Tourville Anchored with some Ships of his own Division as aso the Reer-Admiral of the Red with some of his This was the time that Captain Histings in the Sandwich was killed he driving through those Ships by reason of his Anchors not being clear I could not see this part because of the great smoke Fog but have received this Information from Sir Cloudesly Shouel since I sent to all the Ships that were near me to Chase to the Westward all night telling them I designed to follow the Enemy to the Brest and sometimes we could see a French Ship two or three standing away with all the Sail they could make to the Westward which lasted about half an hour it being some of our Blue falling in with some of the Ships of the Enemies in the Fog It was Foggy and very little wind all night Friday the 20th 't was so thick in the morning that I could see none of the Enemies Ships and but very few of our own About Eight it began to clear up the Dutch who were to the Southward of me made the Signal of seeing the Enemy and as it cleared I saw about 32 or 34 Sail distant from us between two and three Leagues the Wind at E. N. E. and they bearing from us W. S. W. our Fleet chasing with all the Sail they could make having taken in the Signal for the line of Battle that each Ship might make the best of her way after the Enemy Between Eleven and Twelve the wind came
to the S. W. The French ply'd to the Westward with all the Sail they could and we after them About Four the Tide of Ebb being done the French anchor'd as also we in 43 Fathom water Cape Barsleur bearing S. and by W. About Ten in the Evening we weighed with the Tide of Ebb the wind at S. W. and ply'd to the Westward About Twelve my Fore-Topmast came by the Board having received several Shot Saturday the 21st we continued still plying after the Enemy till Four in the Morning The tide of Ebb being done I anchor'd in 46 Fathom Water Cape de Hague bearing S. and by W. and the Island of Alderney S. S. W By my Topmast's going away the Dutch Squadron and the Admiral of the Blue with several of his Squadron had got a great way to windward of me About seven in the Morning several of the Enemies Ships being far advanced towards the Race I perceived driving to the Eastward with the Tide of Flood between Eight and Nine when they were driven so far to the Eastward that I could fetch them I made the Signal for the Fleet to cut and follow the Enemy which they all did except the aforementioned weathermost Ships which rid fast to observe the motion of the rest of the Enemies Ships that continued in the Race of Alderney About Eleven I saw three great Ships fair under the Shoar Tack and stand to the westward but making two or three short Boards the biggest of them run ashoar who presently cut his Masts away the other two being to leward of him ply'd up to him The reason as I judge of their doing this was that they could not weather our sternmost Ships to the westward nor get out a-head of Us to the Eastward I observing that many of our Ships hovered about those I sent to Sir Ralph Delaval vice-Vice-admiral of the Red who was in the Reer of our Fleet to keep such a number of Ships and Fire-Ships with him as might be sufficient to destroy those of the Enemies and to order the others to follow me I being then in pursuit of the rest of the Enemy An account of the performing that service I don't trouble your Lordship with He having given it you already About Four in the afternoon 18 Sail of the Enemies Ships got to the Eastward of Cape Barsleur after which I observed they hawled in for Le Hogue The Reer-Admiral of she Red Vice-Admiral of the Blew and some of the Ships were a-head of me About ten at night I anchored in the Bay of Le Hogue and lay till Four the next Morning being Sunday the 22d and then I weighed and stood in near the Land of Le Hogue but when we found the Flood came we anchored in good sandy Ground At two in the afternoon we weighed again and ply'd close in with Le Hogue where we saw 13 Sail of the Enemies Men of War hawled close in with the shoar The Rear-Admiral of the Red tells me That the night before he saw the other five which made up the 18 I first chased stand to the Eastward Monday the 23d I sent in Vice Admiral Rook with several Men of War and Fire-ships as also the Boats of the Fleet to destroy those Ships but the Enemy had gotten them so near the Shoar that not any of our Men of War except the small Frigats could do any Service but that Night Vice-Admiral Rook with the Boats burnt six of them Tuesday 24th About eight in the morning he went in again with the Boats and Burnt the other seven together with some several Transport Ships and some Vessels with Ammunition the Names of which Ships I am not yet able to give your Lordship any other Account of than what you have as followeth Soell Royal Count de Tourville Guns 104 L' Ambiteux Chevalier de la Vilette Guns 104 L' Ambiteux Vice Admiral of the Guns 104 L' Ambiteux White Guns 104 L' Admirable Monsieur Beaujeu Guns 90 La Magnifique Mons Cottologon Rere-Admiral of the Blue Guns 76 Le St. Phillipp Monsieur Inferville Guns 76 Le Conquerant Du Magnon Guns 76 Le Triumphant Monsieur Bellemont Guns 74 L' Etonant Monsieur de Septime Guns 80 Le Terrible Monsieur Septvilla Guns 80 L' Amiable Monsieur de Raal Guns 68 L' Fier Monsieur Larsethoir Guns 68 Le Glorieux Le Ch. de Chateaumoorant Guns 60 Le Serieux Monsieur Bernier Guns 60 Le Trident Monsieur Monteaud Guns 56 As the Prisoners report a Three Deck Ship burnt by accident and the two following sunk how true I don't know Le Prince Monsiur Bagnetz 60 Le St. Paril Monsieur Ferille 60 Tho' these be all the Names that I have been able to learn yet I am sure there are sixteen Ships of consequence Burnt Wednesday the 25th I sailed from Le Hogue ordering the Admiral of the Blue with a Squadron of English and Dutch Ships under his command to run along the Enemies coast as far as Havre de grace in hopes that some of the beforementioned five ships that stood to the Eastward might have been got thither but he informs me that upon his appearing before that place he could perceive but one or two small Vessels The number of the Enemies ships did not exceed Fifty men of War by the best information from fifty six to one Hundred and four Guns and tho' it must be confessed that our number was superiour to theirs which probably at first might startle them yet by their coming down with that Resolution I cannot think it had any great effect upon them And this I may affirm for a Truth not with any Intention to value our own Action or to lessen the Bravery of the Enemy That they were beaten by a Number considerably less than theirs the Calmness and Thickness of the Weather giving very few of the Dutch or Blue the Opportunity of Engaging which I am sure they look upon as a great Misfortune and had the Weather proved otherwise I do not see how 't was possible for any of them to have escaped us This is the exactest Account that I am able to give You which I hope will prove to Your Lordship's Satisfaction Vice-Admiral Rook has given me a very good Character of several Men employed in the Boats and I have ordered him to give me a List of the Names of such persons whose Behaviour was Remarkable in order to their Reward I am My LORD Your Lordships most Faithsful Humble Servant E. Russel A Coppy of a Letter from Portsmouth Dated May 29th 1692. The Troops that are in and about this Town under the Command of the Duke of Leinster c. designed for a Descent upon France consists of 17000 effective Men besides three Scotch Regiments and five Regiments that are Arrived from Ireland so that they will Compose in the vvhole an Army of 22000 Men. The main Design for this Expedition consists of 30 Mortars 20 whole Culverins 20 24 Pounders 18 Field Pieces 9000 Booms 7000