Protestant Exiles from France/Volume 2 - Book Third - Chapter 24 - Gambier
Gambier. — The second son of John Gambier, Esq. (see chapter xx.), named James, born in the Bahamas, 13th October 1756, was, while an infant, sent to England to be brought up by his aunt, Lady Middleton. He entered the navy in 1767, and became a captain in 1778. His father died in 1782, and his uncle, Vice-Admiral Gambier, in 1783.
Young Gambier was in the American war. In 1781 he served on shore with the Naval Brigade at the reduction of Charleston, and he captured an American ship-of-war in the same year. In 1793 he commanded H.M.S. Defence (74) in the Bay of Biscay. In May 1794 the British Fleet put to sea, and the naval engagement known as “the action of the 1st of June” took place. The signal was made by Lord Howe to cut through the enemy’s line. The enemy suspecting the intention, had closed and formed in compact line to leeward, opening their fire from van to rear. The Defence led off, distanced the other ships, and cut through the enemy’s line, passing between the seventh and the eighth ship. She had successively three or four ships engaging her, the men being almost from the first divided at their quarters to fight both sides at once. Gambier was on deck all the time. A short time after this action the King said to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Charles Middleton, in allusion to the latter’s notorious aversion to nepotism, “Well, Sir Charles, I hope you are satisfied with your nephew now.” Though not to his Majesty, yet to another person who spoke with equal warmth, Sir Charles replied with immovable composure, “Yes, I always knew James would do his duty.” In 1795 James became a Rear-Admiral and a Lord of the Admiralty. As the principal sea-lord, he was the author of the new code of signals; he also built the Triton (32), and the Plantagenet (74). He was Governor of Newfoundland from 1802 to 1804, and again took his place at the Admiralty Board.
In 1807 he was Commander-in-chief of the naval forces of the expedition to compel the neutrality of Denmark. Canning wrote regarding him, “his conduct from the beginning has been without a fault.” This was on the successful accomplishment of the undertaking, when he was raised to the Peerage as Lord Gambier [Baron Gambier, of Iver, in Buckinghamshire]. A pension of £2000 a year was offered and nobly refused, his Lordship being content with his share of the Copenhagen prize-money. The income arising from this money might have made him richer as a commoner, but did not meet the additional expenditure imposed upon him by the title of nobility. All his life he was a comparatively poor man. His only residence, when he was not living at the Admiralty, was a small copyhold house, with a garden and one field. He never had any landed estate.
In the year 1809 Lord Gambier commanded the fleet in the Basque Roads. Auxiliary fireships were commanded by Lord Cochrane, under Gambier’s directions; the fireships were sent at Gambier’s suggestion, the only alteration being that the direction of them was given to Cochrane and not to Mr. Congreve (as had been intended). On the evening of the 11th April the fireships went into the roads, owing to unfavourable weather they did not destroy the enemy’s ships, but only put them to flight. Then all the French ships, except two, ran aground. Cochrane signalled at 5.48 on the following morning — “Half the fleet can destroy the enemy — seven on shore.” At 6.15 Lord Gambier made for Aix Roads, and at eleven anchored three miles from the fort. At two p.m. he sent in various vessels to attack the fleet, and the execution that was done was between that hour and nightfall. The French fleet consisted of ten line-of-battle ships, one gunship (56), and four frigates. One third of these was totally destroyed, another third was put hors-de-combat, leaving only one ship of the line and three frigates, with disheartened crews. The West Indies were thus saved from the French fleet’s intended invasion, and all this without the loss or even delay from service of one British vessel, and at the cost of only ten men killed. Lord Cochrane raised the question whether more might not have been done, and at Lord Gambier’s request a court-martial was summoned. The whole weight of evidence supported the statements of Mr. Stokes, sailing-master of the flag-ship Caledonia, whose charts of the entire locality were afterwards adopted by the French Government. Mr. Stokes said —
“Had three or four line-of-battle ships run into Aix Roads when Lord Cochrane made the signal, they would have met a force equal to themselves; they would have made the attack under every disadvantage, the whole of the fire of the Isle d’Aix, as well as the fire of the Foudroyant, Cassard, and Ocean (three-deckers) would have been directed on them. They would have had no place to retreat to, and their only safety would have remained in the destruction of the French ships, and silencing the batteries of Isle d’Aix, which I am sure it would have been impossible for them to have accomplished.”
Before Lord Cochrane’s advent no one had disputed Lord Gambier’s talents and fearless bravery. Lord Howe considered him “equal to any service, however hazardous and intricate.” And the court-martial most honourably acquitted him of all accusations. The President (Admiral Sir Roger Curtis) said —
“Admiral Lord Gambier, I have peculiar pleasure in receiving the command of the Court to return you your sword, in the fullest conviction that (as you have hitherto done) you will, on all future occasions, use it for the honour and advantage of your country, and to your own personal honour. Having so far obeyed the command of the Court, I beg you will permit me, in my individual capacity, to express to you the high gratification I have upon this occasion.”
Contrast the mutual dealings of Gambier and Cochrane. Cochrane was kindly received by no officer but Gambier, by whom, after the action, he was entrusted with the despatches. Before sailing homeward, Cochrane complained to Gambier of the inefficiency of the captains. The Admiralty, being delighted with the despatches, arranged for a Parliamentary vote of thanks; Cochrane, being an M.P., announced an amendment, excluding Gambier only. Gambier appealed to a court-martial; Cochrane appealed to unskilled and miscellaneous prejudices. Gambier met the court-martial with his log and signal books unaltered; Cochrane produced only two documents, compiled on shore by himself, namely, a new edition of his log and a narrative. Gambier relied on the judgment of the court-martial in his favour; Cochrane had recourse to an autobiography. The greatest man in the fleet was Captain Pulteney Malcolm; Cochrane, in the autobiography, maintained that Malcolm’s evidence had been on his side, but any reader may see that, though Malcolm’s wishes (like Gambier’s) were on Cochrane’s side, he acquiesced in the procedure of Gambier, who was obliged, as Commander-in-Chief, to take the proposed experiment into responsible consideration, and then to decide the question how much should be attempted. Cochrane appealed to persons ignorant even as to Parliamentary sessions and vacations, whether it was not the fact that the vote of thanks to Gambier was delayed for several months after the court-martial; whereas the acquittal took place after the prorogation, and thanks were voted in both Mouses at the earliest opportunity after the re-assembling of Parliament. The court-martial had the case before it with personal knowledge and experience of the dependence of sailing-vessels on wind and tide; new editions of the Autobiography now appeal to readers who may imagine that Gambier had a steam-navy under his command.
After the court-martial the decoration of G.C.B. was offered to Lord Gambier, but he refused it, because his junior, Lord Cochrane, had been decorated before him. On the 30th July 1814 Lord Gambier was appointed head of the Commission for negotiating a Treaty of Peace with the United States; and on the 7th June 1815 he did not refuse the insignia of Grand Cross of the Bath, which were again pressed upon his acceptance on the occasion of the conclusion of peace with America.
The following speaks for itself:—
“The King has great satisfaction in transmitting to Admiral Lord Gambier the accompanying baton [baton mareschal] which his Majesty has caused to be made for the purpose of being presented to him as Admiral of the Fleet, and which his Majesty desires Lord Gambier will receive as a testimonial of his personal regard, and of the estimation in which he holds his long, faithful, and meritorious services.