the late Sir John T. Duckworth, under whom he served on the Channel, West India, and North American stations, till the latter end of 1793, when he was received by the lamented Captain Riou[1] on board the Rose frigate, attached to the expedition about to sail for the reduction of Martinique, Guadaloupe, &c.
During the operations carried on in the former island, he landed with his gallant commander, and was entrusted by him with the charge of a 3-gun battery, constructed by the Rose’s crew on Point Carriere, at the distance of between two and three hundred yards from the walls of Fort Louis, on the opposite side of the Carenage. Whilst thus employed he had two remarkable escapes; a sailor, named John Williams, being killed by a splinter of a shell, when in the act of receiving a biscuit from his hand, on which occasion he was covered with the blood of the unfortunate man; and another of his party, James Wamsley, being slain by a shot whilst in close conversation with him[2].
From this battery he accompanied Captain Faulknor, of the Zebra, to a spot close in the enemy’s front, where that heroic officer made such observations as afterwards enabled him to lay his little sloop alongside the walls of Fort Louis; the result of which enterprise has been already stated under the head of Rear-Admiral Williams[3].
Mr. Wight’s conduct during the six days he held the above command, was so exemplary as to induce Captain Riou to place him at the head of a division of men to be employed in the grand attack upon Fort Louis; and although but a lad,
- ↑ Captain Riou was killed at Copenhagen in April 1801; he will be more particularly spoken of in a subsequent part of this work.
- ↑ Mr. Wight, when a boy at school, had a very narrow escape, his coat tails being accidentally shot through by a Mr. John Planta; and when serving as a Midshipman of the Trial cutter, he was twice cast away in her boats, and each time obliged to swim for his life. In addition to these instances of the miraculous interposition of Providence, it appears that, although twenty times in action with the enemy during his professional career, and frequently knocked down by the wind of shot, &c., he never received a wound!
- ↑ See Vol. I. note at p. 859; and for other particulars respecting Captain Faulknor, see Vol. II, part I, p. 320, et seq.
