Early in May, Captain Chetham despatched the Falcon to Pillau, the sea-port of Koningsberg, in consequence of Lord Hutchinson, who was then at the head-quarters of the allied armies, having requested him to send a vessel thither, to act as circumstances might require.
About this period a council of war was held, at which the King of Prussia and the Grand Duke Constantine attended. The subject of their deliberations was the dangerous situation of Dantzic, which city the French had already attempted to storm; and it was finally agreed that an effort should be made to throw succours into the garrison by sea.
In pursuance of this resolution, the Russian General Kaminsky embarked with Captain Sanders, through whose activity the troops under that officer’s command were speedily conducted to Dantzic bay; and on their arrival, May 12th, no time was lost in transporting them, by the boats of the Sally and her consorts, to Fort Weeickselmunde, where the General made immediate preparations for fighting his way to the city. In this he would probably have succeeded, had he delayed his attack upon the enemy’s entrenchments until the wind became favorable for the Sally to co-operate with him, according to Captain Chetham’s suggestion; but unfortunately he did not feel justified in doing so, and although at first successful, he was ultimately obliged to retreat with immense loss, Marshal Lefebvre having sent over a large reinforcement, and thereby reversed the situation of the parties opposed to each other on that side of the Vistula. Captain Chetham, on this occasion, used every effort to get the Sally across the bar, but without effect, the water being then very low, owing to the prevailing winds: he, however, had the satisfaction of finding that his exertions and intended co-operation were properly appreciated by General Kaminsky, who afterwards made a very flattering representation of his conduct to the Emperor Alexander.
During these disastrous operations in the Nehrung, Captain
Weeickselmunde in case the Sally should go up the Vistula again, and he appears to have rendered himself very useful during the whole of the operations in that quarter.
