cienne, the weakest of the other three British frigates, should have followed Captain Willoughby into close action, the victory would have been theirs in a very short time.
The French did not take possession of la Nereide until nearly 3 P.M. Lieutenant Roussin then went on board for that purpose, spiked all the guns, liberated 20 of his countrymen who had been taken by the British, and reported to Commodore Duperré, that 100 of the latter were lying dead or dying upon her decks.
“M. le Lieutenant de Vaisseau, Roussin,” says the Commodore, “fut envoyé à mariner la Néreide. Il la trouva dans un état impossible à décrire; 100 morts ou mourans étaient sur les ponts; son capitaine, M. Willoughby, était blessé[1].”
In justice to the petty officers, seamen, marines, and soldiers on board la Nereide, we must here observe, that the few who escaped unhurt, and very few there were, together with those not totally incapacitated by their wounds, most heroically kept up the unequal fight for some time after they had been left without a single commissioned or warrant officer to direct them:– the following is a list of the officers belonging to, and supernumeraries on board la Nereide, Aug. 23, 1810:
N. J. Willoughby, Captain, dangerously wounded.
John Burns, 1st Lieutenant, mortally . . .
Henry C. Deacon, 2d ditto, dangerously . . .
William Weiss, 3d ditto, (acting,) no one yet joined in lieu of the former.
William Lesby, Master, received a severe contusion in the side by a splinter, during the action; and afterwards had his hand badly burnt in extinguishing the fire in the rigging.
Thomas R. Pye, Lieut. R.M., not recovered from a wound received at the attack of St. Pauls; see p. 148, par. 1.
Thomas S. Cox, Lieutenant, R.M., severely wounded.
John Strong, Boatswain, . . . ditto.
John Constable, Gunner, Quartered below.
John Martin, Carpenter, . . .
- ↑ French Gazette. – Of the above number, two, and two only, were killed after la Neriede ceased to resist. N.B. According to Mr. James, she had at least 137 wounded; his statement respecting the slain, agrees with that given at p. 166: – Capt. Brenton says that 116 were killed and many mortally wounded.
