Chapter XIV: De Grasse and Rodney. A. D. 1782

Sketch of De Grasse; Earliest Exploits; Aids Washington in the
Reduction of Yorktown; Recognition by Congress; Subsequent
Events; Encounters an English Fleet, Under Rodney; De Grasse
Loses Five Line-of Battle Ships; Exultation in England; De Grasse
a Prisoner; Assists in Bringing About a Treaty of Peace Between
the United States and England; Career of Rodney; Receives the
Title of Baron and a Pension. I-187

LORD HOWE AND THE FRENCH FLEET. JUNE 1, A. D. 1794.

The First of a Series of Memorable Engagements; Traits of Lord
Howe; Anecdotes; Watching the French Fleet; The Latter Put to
Sea; Skirmishing, May 28; A Great Battle, June 1; The French Open
Fire First; Concentrated and Deadly Firing on Both Sides; The
French Lose Six Line-of-Battle Ships; Howe’s Orders Not Obeyed by
Some of the Captains; Some French Ships that Had Struck Escape in
the Darkness; Anecdotes Concerning the Battle. I-197

BATTLE OF CAPE ST. VINCENT. A. D. 1797.

Location of Cape St. Vincent; Admiral Sir John Jervis in Command
of the English; Strength of His Fleet; Commodore Horatio Nelson;
Chased by a Spanish Fleet; The Latter in Command of Don Joseph de
Cordova; Feb. 14 a Disastrous Day for Spain; Surprised to See so
Large an English Fleet; The Battle Opens; Boarding the San
Nicolas; The Spanish Beaten at Every Point; The Battle over by 5
o’clock; Both Fleets Lay To to Repair Damages; Escape of the
Spanish During the Night; Damages Sustained; Description of the
Santissima Trinidada; The Cause of the Spanish Discomfiture;
Great Rejoicing in Lisbon; Honors and Pensions Awarded to the
English Commanders at Home; Admiral Cordova and His Captains. I-217

ENGLISH FLEET IN CANARY ISLANDS. A. D. 1797.

English Expedition to the Canary Islands; Cutting Out a Brig in
the Harbor of Santa Cruz; Attempt of the English to Capture the
Town of Santa Cruz; An Expedition Under Rear Admiral Nelson
Organized for the Purpose; The Garrison Apprised of Their Coming;
Nelson Shot in the Arm and Disabled; The English Agree not to
Molest the Canary Islands any Further if Allowed to Retire in
Good Order; The Spanish Governor Finally Accepts this Offer; A
Disastrous Defeat for Nelson. I-236

BATTLE OF CAMPERDOWN. 11TH OCTOBER, A. D. 1797.

Viscount Duncan; His Early Life; The Mutiny of the Nore; Causes
Leading to It; Disgraceful Practices of the English Admiralty of
this Period; War with Holland; The Dutch Fleet Off the Texel
under the Command of Vice-Admiral De Winter; The English
Immediately Set Out to Intercept them; The Battle Opens about
Noon of October 11th; Hard Fighting; The English Victorious;
Accurate Firing of the Hollanders; The Losses Heavy on both
Sides; Actual Strength of both Fleets; Duncan’s Admirable Plan of
Attack; Nelson’s Memorandum. I-243

BATTLE OF THE NILE, 1ST AUGUST, 1798.

Aboukir Bay; Its History; Learning that a Strong French Fleet Had
Left Toulon, Nelson Seeks Them, He Finds the Fleet in Aboukir
Bay; He Comes Upon Them at 6 o’clock in the Evening and Resolves
to Attack Them at Once; A Terrible Battle; Misunderstanding of
the French Admiral’s Instructions; Many Acts of Individual
Heroism; Death of the French Admiral; Villeneuve Escapes with
Four French Vessels; The Battle Over by 11 o’clock; The Most
Disastrous Engagement the French Navy Ever Fought; Detailed
Account of the Great Fight; The French Ship L’Orient Blown Up
with a Terrific Explosion; Summary of the Losses on both sides;
Masterly Tactics of Nelson; Gallant Behavior of the French; The
Loss of This Battle of Immense Consequences to the Latter; Nelson
Sails for Naples; Honors to Him Everywhere; His Official Report;
French Officers of High Rank Killed; Anecdotes on Board the
Vanguard on the Voyage to Naples. I-259

LEANDER AND GÉNÉREUX. 16TH AUG., A. D. 1798.

Contest Between Single Ships; The Leander a Bearer of Dispatches
from Nelson; Encounters the French Frigate Généreux; Attempts to
Avoid the Latter; A Close and Bloody Fight of Six Hours; The
Leander Surrenders; Captain Le Joille; Plundering the English
Officers; Captain Thompson; Another Striking Incident; A French
Cutter in Alexandria Harbor Abandoned on Being Attacked by Two
English Frigates; The Officers and Crew of the Former, on
Reaching the Shore, Massacred by the Arabs; General Carmin and
Captain Vallette Among the Slain; Dispatches from Bonaparte
Secured by the Arabs. I-290

ACTION BETWEEN THE AMBUSCADE AND BAYONNAISE A. D. 1798.

Decisive Single Ship Actions; A Fruitful Source of Discussion;
The British Account of It; History and Description of the
Ambuscade; Unexpected Meeting with the Bayonnaise; The English
Vessel the Fastest Sailer; A Battle Takes Place; Detailed Account
of the Fight; The English Frigate Surrenders to the French
Corvette; Causes of Discontent on Board the Former; Great
Rejoicing in France; Promotion of the French Captain. I-297

SIR SIDNEY SMITH AND HIS SEAMEN AT ACRE. A. D. 1799.

Minister to the Sublime Porte; Notified of Bonaparte’s Presence
in Syria; The Latter Lays Siege to Acre; He Repairs Thither with
a Fleet and Assists the Turks in Defending the Place; Admiral
Perée, of the French Navy, Puts in an Appearance; Desperate
Attempts to Storm the Place; Strength of Napoleon’s Army on
Entering Syria; Kleber’s Grenadiers; Repeated and Desperate
Assaults of the French; Unsuccessful Each Time; The Siege
Abandoned After Sixty-one Days; Importance of the Place as Viewed
by Napoleon. I-304

FOUDROYANT AND CONSORTS IN ACTION WITH THE GUILLAUME TELL. A. D. 1800.

Preliminary History; Rear Admiral Denis Décrès; Sketch of this
Remarkable Man; His Tragic End; Engagement of the Guillaume Tell
with the English Fleet Near Malta; Detailed Account of the Fight;
Entirely Dismasted and Surrounded by English Vessels, the
Guillaume Tell at last Surrenders; A More Heroic Defence Not To
Be Found in the Record of Naval Actions; Taken to England, the
Guillaume Tell is Refitted for the English Service, Under the
Name of Malta; A Splendid Ship. I-312

NAVAL OPERATIONS AT ABOUKIR BAY AND CAPTURE OF ALEXANDRIA. A. D. 1801.

Expulsion of the French Determined Upon; An English Fleet and
Army Sent Thither Under Command of Lord Keith and Sir Ralph
Abercrombie; The French Under Command of General Friant; The
Former Land Troops Under a Galling Fire from Fort Aboukir and the
Sand Hills; Sir Sidney Smith in Command of the Marines; A Heavy
Battle Fought March 21; The French Forced to Retire; General
Abercrombie Mortally Wounded; The French, Shut in at Alexandria,
Finally Capitulate; Renewed Interest in this Campaign on Account
of Recent Events; Points of Similarity. I-318

THE CUTTING OUT OF THE CHEVRETTE. JULY, A. D. 1801.

An Example of a “Cutting-out Expedition”; The Combined French and
Spanish Fleets at Anchor in Brest; The English Watching Them; The
Chevrette at Anchor in Camaret Bay; The English Resolve to Cut
Her Out; An Expedition Starts Out at Night, in Small Boats; They
Board and Capture Her, in Spite of the Desperate Resistance of
the French; Details of the Fight; The Losses on Both Sides. I-322

BOAT ATTACK UPON THE FRENCH FLOTILLA AT BOULOGNE. A. D. 1801.

Another Boat Attack by the English, with Less Favorable Results;
Lord Nelson in Command; Darkness and the Tides Against Them; They
“Catch a Tartar”; The Affair a Triumph for the French. I-328

COPENHAGEN. A. D. 1801.

Preliminary History; An English Fleet Under Sir Hyde Parker and
Lord Nelson Ordered to the Cattegat; A Commissioner Empowered to
Offer Peace or War Accompanies Them; Denmark Repels Their
Insulting _Ultimatum_ and Prepares for Defence; Strength of the
English Fleet; They Attempt to Force the Passage of the Sound,
and the Battle Begins; Early Incidents; Difficulties of the Large
English Vessels in Entering the Shallow Waters; Strength of the
Danish Fleet and Shore Batteries; Sir Hyde Parker Makes Signal to
Withdraw; Lord Nelson Disobeys and Keeps up the Fight; The Danish
Adjutant General Finally Appears and an Armistice is Agreed Upon;
A Characteristic Action of Lord Nelson; Death of the Emperor Paul,
of Russia; Second Attack on Copenhagen, 1807; Observations
Concerning England’s Conduct; A Powerful English Fleet Appears in
the Sound; The Crown Prince Rejects England’s Humiliating
Proposals; Copenhagen Bombarded and Set on Fire; Final Surrender;
Plunder by the English. I-331

TRAFALGAR. OCTOBER 21ST, A. D. 1805.

Napoleon’s Grand Schemes; Nelson in Search of the French Fleet;
His Extensive Cruise; Napoleon’s Orders to His Admiral,
Villeneuve; The English Discover the French and Spanish Fleets at
Cadiz; Nelson’s Order of Battle a Master-piece of Naval Strategy;
Strength of the English Fleet; Villeneuve Ordered to Sea;
Strength of the Combined French and Spanish Fleets; The Hostile
Forces Meet at Cape Trafalgar; The Battle; One of the Most
Destructive Naval Engagements Ever Fought; The French Account of
It; The Allied Fleet Almost Annihilated; Nelson Mortally Wounded;
Further Particulars of the Battle; Estimate of Nelson’s
Character; Honors to His Memory. I-352

LORD EXMOUTH AT ALGIERS. A.D. 1816.

Biographical Sketch of Lord Exmouth; Atrocities of the Algerines
Prompt the English to Send a Fleet, Under Lord Exmouth, Against
Them; A Dutch Fleet Joins Them at Gibraltar; Strength of the
Combined Fleet; Fruitless Negotiations with the Algerines;
Strength of their Fortifications; The Allied Fleets Open Fire on
the Forts and City; A Tremendous Cannonade; The Dey Comes to
Terms; Capture of the Place by the French, Fourteen Years Later. I-397

NAVARINO. A. D. 1827.

Assembly of the Allied English, French and Russian Fleets in the
Mediterranean; Their Object; An Egyptian Fleet, with Troops,
enters Navarino Harbor; History and Geographical Position of the
Latter; Strength of the Opposing Fleets; Treachery of the
Egyptians; The Battle Opens; Desperate Fighting; Bad Gunnery of
the Turks; Destruction of Their Fleet. I-407

SINOPE. A. D. 1853.

History of Sinope; An Abuse of Superior Force on the Part of the
Russians; They Encounter the Turkish Fleet in Sinope Harbor and
Demand the Latter’s Surrender; They Decline and the Battle Opens
Furiously; The Turkish Fleet Totally Destroyed and That of the
Russians rendered Comparatively Useless; Appearance of the Town
of Sinope. I-417

LISSA. A. D. 1866.

Position of the Island of Lissa; Its History; Attacked and Taken
by the Italians; The Austrians Shortly After Come to its Relief;
A Great Naval Battle Takes Place; Strength of the Opposing
Fleets; The Ironclads That Took Part; Bad Management of the
Italians Under Admiral Persano; They are Badly Beaten; Sketch of
the Italian Admiral; His Court-Martial; William Baron Tegethoff,
the Austrian Commander. I-420

SOME NAVAL ACTIONS BETWEEN BRAZIL, THE ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION AND
PARAGUAY. A. D. 1865-68.

Origin of the Long and Deadly Struggle; The Brazilian Fleet
Starts Out on a Cruise; Lopez, Dictator of Paraguay, Determines
to Capture this Fleet; His Preparations; The Hostile Fleets
Encounter each other; Details of the Fight; Bad Management on
both sides; The Paraguayans Forced to Retire; Another Battle in
March, 1866, on the Parana River; Full Account of the Desultory
Fighting; The Paraguayans Driven Out of their Earthworks; Two
Unsuccessful Attacks, in 1868, on the Brazilian Monitors lying
off Tayi; Interesting Account of one of these Attacks. I-429

THE CAPTURE OF THE HUASCAR. OCTOBER 8TH, A. D. 1879.

Description of the Huascar; Her Earlier Exploits; Strength of the
Chilian Squadron; The Latter Seek the Huascar; The Enemies
Recognize each other; The Battle Begins at Long Range; Full
Details of this Spirited Engagement; Terrible Loss of Life on
Board the Huascar; She Finally Surrenders; Condition of the
Chilian Fleet. I-445

BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA. JULY 11TH, A. D. 1882.

Political Complications; Arabi Pasha; Important Events Preceding
the Bombardment; England Demands that Work on the Fortifications
Cease; Arabi Promises to Desist, but Renews the Work Secretly; A
Powerful English Fleet Opens Fire on the Defences; Silenced by
the Fleet and Abandoned; Alexandria Set on Fire and Pillaged;
Sailors and Marines from the American and German Fleets Landed to
Protect the Consulates; Injury Sustained by the English Fleet. I-458

THE WAR BETWEEN CHINA AND JAPAN.

The Opening of Japan to Foreign Nations; Japanese Geography and
History; Early Explorers; Revolution of 1617; First American
Efforts at Intercourse; Commander Glynn’s Attempt; Successful
Expedition of Commodore Perry in 1852; First Treaty Signed;
Subsequent Development of Japan; Outbreak of War with China;
Sinking of the Kow-Shing; Historic Hostility between the Two
Nations; Disputes over Korea; The Battle of the Yalu, September
17th, 1894; Details of the Fight; Results of this Battle;
Importance to Naval Experts; Conclusions Derived; Succeeding
Events of the War; Capture of Port Arthur; The Japanese Emperor;
New Treaty with the United States. I-467

List of Illustrations.

PAGE

0. RETURN OF THE GREEKS FROM SALAMIS _Frontispiece_
1. NAVAL BATTLE, EIGHTEENTH CENTURY I-20
2. A NORSE GALLEY I-35
3. CAPTURE OF THE CARTHAGINIAN FLEET BY THE ROMANS I-36
4. ROMAN GALLEY I-47
5. BATTLE OF ACTIUM I-53
6. THE PTOLEMY PHILOPATER I-55
7. BATTLE OF LEPANTO I-68
8. THE ENGLISH FLEET FOLLOWING THE INVINCIBLE ARMADA I-85
9. A SPANISH GALEASS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY I-102
10. SIR FRANCIS DRAKE IN CENTRAL AMERICA I-103
11. HENRY GRACE DEDIEU I-111
12. A CARAVEL OF THE TIME OF COLUMBUS I-156
13. NORMAN SHIP OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY I-173
14. VENETIAN GALLEY OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY I-182
15. BUCENTORO I-186
16. LE SOLEIL ROYAL I-195
17. HOWE’S ACTION OF JUNE 1, 1794 I-196
18. BATTLE OF CAPE ST. VINCENT I-229
19. ENGLISH FLEET OFF TENERIFFE I-244
20. BATTLE OF THE NILE I-259
21. NELSON WOUNDED AT TENERIFFE I-270
21a. DUTCH MAN-OF-WAR, 17TH CENTURY. I-270
22. CAPTURE OF ADMIRAL NELSON’S DISPATCHES I-293
23. SIEGE OF ACRE, 1799 I-308
24. CAPTURE OF ALEXANDRIA, 1801 I-318
25. BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN I-341
26. NELSON’S VICTORY AT TRAFALGAR I-356
27. SINOPE, 1853 I-417
28. BATTLE OF LISSA, 1866 I-420
29. FERDINAND MAX RAMMING THE RE D’ITALIA I-424
30. THE DREADNAUGHT I-444
31. APPEARANCE OF THE HUASCAR AFTER CAPTURE I-456
32. STEEL TORPEDO BOAT AND POLE I-457
33. BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXANDRIA I-465
34. THE ALEXANDRA I-466
35. BATTLE OF THE YALU I-482

NAVAL BATTLES,
ANCIENT AND MODERN